The Financial District is the name given to Toronto’s downtown core business area, where the streets are lined with tall glass skyscrapers consisting of banks, business headquarters, law firms, insurance companies, upscale hotels and more.

I spent a portion of the afternoon during my first day in Toronto walking the streets of downtown and photographing my surroundings. I was pleasantly surprised at how clean and well-maintained Toronto’s downtown was (compared to the downtown area in my hometown of Winnipeg, Canada). The area was bustling with people walking around everywhere (even on the weekend) and it didn’t feel sketchy at all. I felt completely comfortable and safe walking alone as a female, in contrast to how I feel walking in downtown Winnipeg.

This is a photo essay from my wanderings and explorations in the Financial District and downtown area of Toronto. Enjoy!

King Street West

From Kensington Market, where I had eaten lunch after my arrival that morning in Toronto, I walked south on Spadina Avenue to King Street West, where I turned east and began my explorations.

David Pecaut Square & Roy Thomson Hall

Shortly after wandering along King Street West, I arrived at a large and open concrete area in the middle of downtown called the David Pecaut Square. In the middle of the square was the Roy Thomson Hall, which was a concert hall with an interesting architectural design consisting of a modern-looking and fully glass exterior.

Location – 215 King Street West between John and Simcoe Streets.

St. Andrews Church

Situated just across the street from the David Pecaut Square stood the St. Andrews Church which was a large and historic church with beautiful architecture and detailed carvings. This church was amazing place to admire for a little while!

Location – 73 Simcoe Street at King Street West.

I continued walking along King Street past the tall glass and steel skyscrapers that made the streets feel like a dark alleyway at times. I found some interesting perspectives for photos by simply looking up to the tops of the tall skyscrapers.

St. James Cathedral

After some more wandering, I arrived at the St. James Cathedral which was a large and absolutely gorgeous church. I was amazed by the incredibly detailed architecture, especially around the main entrance-way! The church’s exterior consisted of brick and there were intricate designs around the curved archway around the building’s main doors, that reminded me of what I had seen at many of the Mayan ruins in Mexico. The steeple of the cathedral was very tall and featured a green-coloured glass portion at the top.

The cathedral was an impressive building and provided some fantastic photo opportunities. I was in awe at how incredibly detailed and intricate the architecture around the front doorway to the cathedral was. It was absolutely amazing! I spent some time admiring the building while photographing it from many different angles and capturing a variety of perspectives.

Location – 65 Church Street at King Street West.

From there, I walked all the way down Adelaide Street West going back towards Spadina. The street was surrounded by banks, law firms and a few super fancy hotels.

Nathan Phillips Square

The next stop on my photo walking tour was the famous Nathan Phillips Square.

The Nathan Phillips Square was a large outdoor concrete plaza located in front of Toronto’s City Hall in the downtown core. The two City Hall buildings had an interesting shape and they resembled half moons which curved inwards towards each other. In front of City Hall, there was a concrete platform where the name “Toronto” was spelled out in large white letters. The square was busy with people during my visit and there were lots of tourists sitting on the letters while taking selfies and photographs.

I enjoyed sitting along the edge of the square and doing some people-watching while basking in the warmth of the sun that afternoon. I also took the opportunity to photograph the picturesque square, Toronto letters and City Hall.

Location – 100 Queen Street West

Old City Hall

Toronto’s Old City Hall was beautiful and large building with interesting architecture that was situated across Bay Street from the Nathan Phillips Square on Queen Street West.

Location – 60 Queen Street West

Queen Street West

From Old City Hall, I continued walking along Queen Street West, which ended up being my favourite street in downtown Toronto. There were lots of diverse and unique shops, restaurants and cafes – including popular chain establishments in addition to independent local places – located inside historic buildings with interesting architecture, which lined both sides of Queen Street. The area was busy with the street was packed with people and I enjoyed the lively and vibrant atmosphere. There were also some narrow alleyways stemming off of Queen Street West which were covered in colourful and detailed street art and made for some great photos!

Bulwer Street Street Art

From Queen Street West, I walked north on Soho Street and then reached a street named Bulwer, where I started walking west towards Spadina.

It was a quiet street and there were lots of interesting murals and colourful street art pieces and graffiti on the buildings along the street, with many interesting designs. There was nobody else around and I enjoyed taking the time to photograph them all.

Location – Bulwer Street was situated one block north of Queen Street West between Soho Street and Spadina Avenue.

I thoroughly enjoyed exploring Toronto’s Financial District and downtown area during my first day in the city, which also happened to be my 25th birthday (April 23, 2016)! In total, I spent around two and a half hours wandering the area while admiring pretty street art, photographing gorgeous cathedrals and towering skyscrapers, browsing the unique shops, people-watching, and taking in my surroundings.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my experience and checking out my photos!

Further Reading

You can read more about Toronto’s Financial District by visiting these links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_District,_Toronto

http://www.blogto.com/financialdistrict

http://www.toronto.com/things-to-do/david-pecaut-square/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_Church_of_St._James_(Toronto)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Andrew%27s_Church_(Toronto)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Phillips_Square

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_City_Hall_(Toronto)

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Have you traveled to Toronto and explored the Financial District? What did you think? What were your favourite places to explore? Do you have any recommendations for me to add to my list for my future travels in Toronto?

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Thanks for reading!