Things to do in North America · Toronto
Toronto in October: Niagara in the right version, Casa Loma, the islands, and the opera for free at noon
Which Niagara day to book from Toronto, Casa Loma, the harbour cruise, the aquarium and the arena tour, by rating, plus the opera's free lunchtime series.
- For visitors from the US
- For Europeans
- For visitors from East Asia
Toronto's paid list is one day trip and a handful of tickets, and October is the month the day trip is worth it: the falls with the leaves turning and the summer crowd gone. The bookings below are from our partner's Toronto catalogue, 148 experiences as read on October 1, ranked by how many people booked and how they rated them. The catalogue lists its prices in US dollars, so that is how they appear here. The free programme around them is the Canadian Opera Company's lunchtime series, which is one of the best free things in any city Glentio covers, on Glentio's Toronto page today.
While you're in Toronto
A few things to do in Toronto from our partner GetYourGuide. Booking happens on their site.
Glentio earns a small commission when you book through these links, at no extra cost to you. Prices as shown on GetYourGuide on 1 Oct 2026; today's price and availability are on their site. More things to do in Toronto
Niagara, in the right version
- Niagara Falls day tour with the boat and Journey Behind the Falls, from $52. Rated 4.8 by 4,050, the most-booked and best-rated experience in Toronto. Both the boat and the tunnels behind the falls are in; nothing else on this page is as clear a decision.
- Niagara day tour with Niagara-on-the-Lake and the boat, from $69, eight hours, 4.6 from 2,300, the version with the wine town, which in October is harvest.
- Niagara Falls evening fireworks cruise, from $38, 4.5 from 2,800, if you are staying at the falls rather than in the city.
- Maid of the Mist and Cave of the Winds, from $115, 4.9 from 660, the best-rated and the American-side version; it needs a passport and the border.
In the city
- Casa Loma entry, from $32, 4.6 from 3,400. The castle on the hill, and in October it runs its Halloween haunt in the evenings, which is a separate ticket and a different crowd.
- Harbour and islands sightseeing cruise, from $28, 4.7 from 3,100, the best-rated hour on the water and the skyline from the lake, best in the late afternoon.
- Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, from $33, 4.6 from 2,300, the wet-day ticket, under the tower.
- Guided tour of Scotiabank Arena, from $33, 4.8 from 560, the best-rated ticket in the catalogue, for a city that is about hockey from this month on.
Booking happens on the partner's site; Glentio earns a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Free around it: the opera at noon
The Canadian Opera Company runs a free concert series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, the glass box hanging over University Avenue in the Four Seasons Centre, most weekdays at noon. This month: players from the COC Orchestra programming their own favourites on Thursday October 8; DanceWorks' The Suffering by Fatal Shapes, contemporary dance in the glass box, on Friday October 9; and staged excerpts from Opera Atelier's The Descent of Orpheus, baroque opera on period instruments, on Thursday October 15. The series also leaves downtown: on Wednesday October 7 at 15:00 the Hasti Ensemble plays Persian classical music at Montgomery's Inn, an 1830s coaching inn in Etobicoke. On Friday October 23 from 19:00 the Power Plant on the waterfront opens its autumn exhibitions with a public party, artists in the room, and the gallery is free year-round. Book the harbour cruise for the same afternoon.
For visitors from the US
Dates in Canada are usually written year-month-day: 2026-10-12 is Thanksgiving Monday. The Niagara day from Toronto is the one booking; the harbour cruise and Casa Loma fill the rest of a weekend without a car. Chicago and New York run the same format across the border.
For Europeans
Prices above are in US dollars before Canadian tax, except the partner tickets, which are all-in. Toronto is the usual start of an eastern Canada trip; book the Niagara day for the clearest forecast, since the boat runs in rain but the view does not.
For visitors from East Asia
Mid-October sits between Golden Week and Thanksgiving, so flights are at their calmest. Cards and phones work everywhere; Canada has no VAT refund for visitors. The Niagara tours run in English with Mandarin and Korean departures listed separately on the partner's site; the opera series needs no language.
Sources
- The partner catalogue for Toronto, as read on October 1, 2026, for every price, rating and review count.
- Canadian Opera Company and The Power Plant, checked October 5, 2026, for the free listings.