Attraction Toronto — Entertainment District, Canada

CN Tower

Toronto's 553-metre icon from the inside: a glass-fronted elevator to the 346-metre observation level, the Glass Floor, The Top at 446.5 metres, the revolving 360 Restaurant and the open-air EdgeWalk.

Duration: 1 day
Distance: 1.1 km
Difficulty: Easy
Best season: Year-round (best on clear days, September–October and spring)

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At 553.3 metres, the CN Tower was the tallest free-standing structure in the world from 1975 until Dubai’s Burj Khalifa passed it in 2007, and it is still the defining shape of the Toronto skyline: a slender concrete shaft, a doughnut-shaped pod two-thirds of the way up, and a needle of antenna above. It was built by Canadian National in the early 1970s as a broadcasting tower, and it still is one. Opened to the public in June 1976, it has since become the country’s best-known building and one of the civil engineering wonders of the modern world, as the American Society of Civil Engineers named it in 1995.

The visit is simple and vertical. Glass-fronted elevators lift you in about a minute to the Main Observation Level at 346 metres, with floor-to-ceiling windows over the city, the islands and Lake Ontario. One floor down, the Glass Floor lets you stand on thick panes with nothing but air between you and the base of the tower, and an outdoor terrace lets you feel the wind through a safety screen. For more, The Top, at 446.5 metres, is one of the highest observation platforms in the world. Above the restaurant, the EdgeWalk sends harnessed visitors around the outside of the pod on an open ledge, 356 metres up.

On a clear day the view reaches across the lake; at night, the lights of the city spread out beneath you and, on clear evenings, even distant Rochester, New York, can be picked out across the water.

Getting there. The tower stands at 290 Bremner Boulevard, just south of Front Street West. From Union Station, follow the enclosed SkyWalk west, about 500 metres, which brings you to the tower’s base without crossing a street. Driving is not recommended; parking nearby is expensive and limited.

Permits & tickets. Admission is by timed ticket, best bought online in advance. General Admission covers the Main Observation Level and the Glass Floor level; The Top and EdgeWalk are separate upgrades, and combination tickets with Ripley’s Aquarium have been sold. Prices and hours change and the tower sometimes adjusts hours for events, so check the official site before you go.

Good to know:

Everyone goes through a security screening before the elevators.
Clouds can wipe out the view entirely. Check the weather and the tower’s webcam before you book a specific time.
EdgeWalk has its own age, height and weight requirements and runs only in suitable weather; book directly and read the conditions.
The 360 Restaurant revolves once roughly every 72 minutes; reservations are essential.

Tips & Insights for this route Planning this route? Read our practical tips before you go — 9 tips. Read the tips

Download waypoints (GPX) Points of interest in walking order — not a trail trace.

Day by day

DayDistanceAscentDescentWalking time

Day 1 Hardest dayUp the CN Tower

Distance1.1 kmAscentNot recordedDescentNot recordedWalking timeNot recorded

Day 1

Up the CN Tower

Union Station → CN Tower 1.1 km

Navigate this day Print day

Arrive via the SkyWalk from Union Station, ride to the Main Observation Level, step down to the Glass Floor and outdoor terrace, then add The Top, a meal at 360 or EdgeWalk if booked.

Segments

SkyWalk and the tower base 0.5 km Map

Union Station → CN Tower entrance, 290 Bremner Blvd

Enclosed walkway, then paved plaza

Follow the SkyWalk west from Union Station, an enclosed walkway over the rail corridor with views down onto the tracks, to the tower's base. Stand back on the plaza before you go in and look straight up the shaft; it is the only time on the visit you really grasp the height. Ticket scanning and a security check come next. Allow 15 to 30 minutes, more at peak times.
Elevator ride and Main Observation Level 0.1 km Map

Ground-level elevators → Main Observation Level, 346 m

Elevator, then indoor observation deck

The six elevators run up the outside of the concrete shaft, and the glass-fronted cars make the ride part of the show; one car even has a glass floor panel. You arrive at the Main Observation Level, 346 metres up, a full circle of floor-to-ceiling windows. Walk the whole ring: the islands and the Billy Bishop airport to the south, the downtown towers and Rogers Centre's roof right below, and on a clear day the lake stretching away to the horizon. Allow 30 to 45 minutes.
Glass Floor and Outdoor Terrace 0.1 km Map

Main Observation Level → Glass Floor level, 342 m

Indoor stairs, glass floor and open-air terrace

Take the stairs down one level to the Glass Floor, installed in 1994: 24 square metres of multi-layer glass rated to hold far more weight than any crowd can put on it. Lie on it, jump on it, or inch along the edge; the view straight down to the base is the tower's most vertiginous moment. The outdoor terrace on this level lets you step outside at 342 metres, behind a steel safety screen, and hear the wind. Allow 20 to 30 minutes.
The Top 0.1 km Map

Main Observation Level → The Top, 446.5 m

Separate elevator, small indoor platform

With an upgraded ticket, a second elevator climbs another 33 storeys to The Top, formerly called the SkyPod, at 446.5 metres. It is small and quieter than the main deck, and it is one of the highest observation platforms in the world. The extra height makes the difference most on clear days, when the lake view opens out. Allow 20 to 30 minutes including the wait for the elevator.
360 Restaurant 0.1 km Map

Main Observation Level → 360 Restaurant

Indoor revolving restaurant

The revolving restaurant sits just above the main deck and turns a full circle in about 72 minutes, so a leisurely meal gives you the entire panorama from your seat. It also holds what was certified as the world's highest wine cellar. Dining here requires a reservation, and restaurant guests have historically skipped the observation queue; confirm what is included when you book. Allow 90 minutes.
EdgeWalk 0.2 km Map

EdgeWalk base, ground level → EdgeWalk ledge, 356 m

Open-air ledge, 1.5 m wide, with overhead harness

For those who want it, EdgeWalk, opened in 2011, is a guided walk around the outside of the main pod on a ledge about 1.5 metres wide and 356 metres up, attached by harness to an overhead rail with no handrail to hold. It holds the record as the world's highest full-circle hands-free walk on a building. Groups lean out over the city on the guides' cue. It is booked separately, runs in suitable weather only, and has its own requirements; check the official site before you go. The experience takes about 90 minutes including preparation.