Toronto's weekend map has three distinct zones: wine country to the south and east, cottage country to the north, and cities within train reach. The season decides which.
Niagara wine country
90 minutes, and not the same thing as Niagara Falls.
Niagara-on-the-Lake — a preserved nineteenth-century main street at the mouth of the river, with the Shaw Festival theatre running through summer.
The Niagara Bench — dozens of wineries on the escarpment slope, with icewine as the regional specialty, made from grapes harvested frozen on the vine.
Take a tour or use a driver; Ontario's limits are strictly enforced.
The falls themselves are 20 minutes further and take about two hours. The town around them is a strip of casinos and wax museums, which surprises people.
Prince Edward County
Two and a half hours east — a peninsula in Lake Ontario that has grown from farmland into one of the province's better weekend destinations.
Wineries, farm restaurants, and Sandbanks, a large freshwater dune and beach system.
Slow, rural, and busy on summer weekends. Book ahead from June.
Cottage country
North into the Canadian Shield — granite, pine and lakes.
Muskoka, two hours — the classic Ontario lake country, with Bracebridge, Huntsville and Gravenhurst as bases.
Algonquin Park, three hours to the west gate — canoe routes, hiking, and autumn colour that draws heavy traffic in late September and early October.
Blue Mountain and the Bruce Peninsula, two to four hours — skiing in winter, and the Grotto's turquoise water on Georgian Bay in summer, which requires a reserved parking slot in peak season.
Friday evening departure is essential for any of these.
Cities by train
Montreal, five hours on VIA Rail into the city centre. A Friday evening departure gives a full two days, and it is a genuinely different city — French-speaking, older, with a distinct food and nightlife scene.
Ottawa, four hours by train — parliament, national museums, and the Rideau Canal which becomes a skating rink in winter.
Kingston, two and a half hours — limestone buildings, the Thousand Islands, and a walkable waterfront.
The seasons
| Season | Where |
|---|---|
| Summer | Muskoka, Prince Edward County, Georgian Bay |
| Autumn | Algonquin, Niagara harvest, the Shield |
| Winter | Blue Mountain, Ottawa, Montreal |
| Spring | Cities; cottage country is mud season |
Practical
Friday afternoon northbound on Highway 400 is severe from mid-afternoon through summer. Leave before 2pm or after 7pm.
Sunday afternoon southbound is the same in reverse.
Book cottage country accommodation months ahead for July, August and peak foliage weekends.
Winter driving north requires winter tyres and checking road conditions; conditions change quickly on the Shield.