Best Spots to See the CN Tower Walking Tour

Canada's claim to fame for tallest towers was built in 1973 and named the CN Tower (CN stands for Canadian National). To go up this tourist attraction will set you back approximately CAD$58 for an adult, but you get some incredible views of the surroundings of the city from the observation deck including one section of the floor which looks straight down to the world below and the Rogers centre giving you an incredible birds eye view.

Let’s add to your CN Tower experience and see some historic locations of Toronto along the way to get those killer shots with the CN Tower in the background.

Below is a mapped out walk from the Canadian National Exhibition grounds (aka the CNE or the Ex) through Trillium Park passing by Fort York National Historic Site and the newer Canoe Landing Park and right up next to the Rogers centre to finally land you at the CN Tower if you do decided to go up the 147 floors or 533m tall tower.

You can park across the street from Hotel X at the Trillium Park or you can get valet parking at the front door of Hotel X. Head up to the 28th floor of Hotel X, you will be able to grab a drink and see stunning views of the city on either side of the building including Lake Ontario, the CN Tower, Harbour Front, the Trillium Park Inuksuk and Ontario Place.

After Hotel X (or perhaps you didn’t get a chance to go up, in that case your first stop will be) Trillium Park where you can view all sorts of angles of the CN Tower along the waterfront of Lake Ontario and by walking across the bridge in the park.

Following Trillium Park, you will walk towards Coronation Park. It is a beautiful spot to go for a walk and if you are there on the weekend in the summer you may be able to catch some local baseball teams at play. You won’t see too many good views of the CN Tower from here, so let's head towards the Historical location Fort York. Prior to 1834, Toronto was called York and this is where intruders from across the Lake would be fended off. You will have to keep walking though as you won’t be able to get too many good shots of the CN Tower, but you can certainly stop in the museum for some more info! Below is a street view of the CN Tower in front of Fort York.

Continue towards Bathurst street and you will come across a bridge which has a beautiful view of the CN Tower where you can easily grab some stunning photos.

Bonus Location

If you are up for a little drink, go up to the top of the Thompson Hotel for pool time and amazing views!

If you are not stopping for a quick drink, then from the bridge across Bathurst Street you can see a yellow secondary pedestrian only bridge called “Puente De Luz” or “The Bridge” which also spans the train tracks. This has become a pretty iconic bridge for its symmetry. While on Bathurst Street bridge, head north towards Front Street, turn right and you will quickly come across the painted yellow bridge. Where you can get more stunning shots of the CN Tower like the one below. (Caution do not imitate my image as it can be dangerous).

Moving along our CN Tower walking tour, stop at the walkway next to Spokehaus to add some eye level architecture and this cute little walkway with a garden.

From here you can hop across the street to Canoe Landing Park where you can get some amazing shots with trees, buildings or artwork in the background. This is a perfect spot for a break or picnic!

Walking towards the CN Tower, you can grab a few quick shots while crossing the median of Fork York Boulevard, but another great spot is straight ahead at the corner of Bremner Boulevard and Navy Wharf Court where you can stand on a bench to get one of the closest spots you are going to find that still fit in the CN Tower in the background. You can also see the roof of the Rogers Center.

Continuing on the walking tour of the best spots to see the CN Tower, you will wander towards and along Blue Jays Way. With this photo it is a little harder to fit a person in and get the full CN Tower because you have to be at quite a low angle which is hard to make a flattering shot for a person.

This is where you can pop into the CN Tower for those amazing views of the surrounding city OR continue your walk to see a few more of my favourite spots. Walking back towards Hotel X will add 40 minutes to your total walk.

If you would like to add to your walk (if you are heading back towards Hotel X where you parked at Trillium Park), you can walk towards the Harbourfront Center at 235 Queens Quay W, Toronto, ON M5J 2G8 which will get you a photo similar to this.

Don’t stop there, one of my favourite spots to view the CN Tower at HTO Park West. This photo was taken at the beginning of spring, but any time of year this is a stunning spot! The summer brings out the stunning canopy of trees and the terrace in the background is a great backdrop, picnic or perfect wedding spot!

Walking West along Queens Quay West and back to Coronation Park will get you back towards the CNE grounds.

I hope you enjoyed this walking tour to catch views of the CN Tower all around Toronto’s Harbour front . Start planning your next Canadian adventure today with Canadian Kelsey's travel tips by subscribing to the newsletter in the footer of this page.