Kensington, Chinatown and Queen West

Start after lunch so Kensington is fully open, then time Trinity Bellwoods for the last light. Summer Pedestrian Sundays in Kensington are the liveliest day; late April or early May brings the park’s cherry blossoms.

The 505 Dundas streetcar stops at the AGO, and St. Patrick station on Line 1 is close by. The 510 Spadina runs north-south through Chinatown if your legs need a break, and the 501 Queen brings you back downtown from Trinity Bellwoods.

Timed tickets for the AGO can be booked online, and special exhibitions may cost extra. Visitors 25 and under get in free with ID. Check the official site before you go for current prices and opening days.

This is the best eating on any walk in the city, and the least predictable: bakeries, dumpling counters and pho shops along Spadina, and in Kensington everything from Latin American and Caribbean food to cheese shops and cafes. Keep some cash handy.

The AGO is free for anyone 25 and under, and its annual pass costs little more than a single visit. Everything else on the route, including the ever-changing murals of Graffiti Alley, is free.

Boutique hotels line Queen Street West and the streets around it, and the larger downtown hotels near University Avenue and King Street West are a short streetcar ride from the start.

In Kensington the best details are above shop level, on the painted Victorian gables. In Trinity Bellwoods, walk to the southeast corner and look back through the trees for the CN Tower.

Kensington’s sidewalks are narrow and spill into the road; watch for cyclists and cars. When getting off a Queen or Dundas streetcar, traffic must stop behind the open doors, but check before you step down. Keep an eye on bags in crowded markets.