Embrace the winter vibes with scenic photos taken along Lake Ontario’s wild and wonderful shore.
Take a cue from Drake and capture your own views from The 6ix. With its lakeside perspective and city skyline vistas, Toronto’s Waterfront is rife with photo-worthy stops. (Whether you rap about them is up to you.)
Snow, ice and cloudless winter skies create a stark contrast to downtown’s high-rises and CN Tower, making for some dramatic shots.
Best of all, many are a short stroll from public transit or popular Toronto attractions, so taking a winter photo detour is easy (albeit breezy) and never too far from a hot chocolate to warm up with.
Explore immersive art at Winter Stations
Big, bold and immersive, Winter Stations (February 17 to March 17, 2025) transforms East End’s Woodbine Beach into an outdoor art space you can meander through at will.
These large-scale works are designed around the beach’s lifeguard stations and are meant to be walked around, touched and interacted with. This year’s installations include pieces you can lean on, climb through or use as an amplifier.
Selected each year through an international design competition, this year’s six Winter Stations were created by Canadian, American, French and Portuguese design teams.
What’s nearby: Refuel with panini and lattes at Boardwalk Café, or stroll north to Queen Street East for charming neighbourhood cafes, restaurants and shopping.
Capture city lights from Ontario Place’s Trillium Park
You’ll want to launch your own Toronto postcard side hustle once you photograph Toronto’s downtown skyline from Trillium Park.
The 1.3 km (0.8 mile) William G. Davis Trail through the park offers several fantastic vantage points of the city’s iconic skyline with its crown jewel, the CN Tower.
Midwinter, city lights take on new meaning with the free Lumière: The Art of Light exhibition (March 10 to April 4, 2025), transforming the park into a mesmerizing and immersive light-based art installation.
This year’s theme is “Neon Dreams: Light and Colour,” which positively demands to be photographed.
What’s nearby: Roses Social offers upscale comfort food a short walk from Trillium Park. Liberty Village beckons with various food and drink options if you’re willing to trek a bit farther.
Capture epic lake views from Sugar Beach
With powdery white snow on the ground and its pink umbrellas against a clear blue sky, Sugar Beach can look almost tropical on a chilly winter day—except your cheeks will remind you that you’re in the middle of a Canadian winter!
Located at the foot of Lower Jarvis Street and south of Queens Quay East, Sugar Beach takes inspiration from the nearby Redpath Sugar factory and the neighbourhood’s industrial history.
Walk east on the tree-lined promenade for photos of the serene lake.
What’s nearby: You won’t have to leave the promenade (or its lake views) if you stop by Simona for cozy Sicilian-style Italian cuisine (with Happy Hour sips and savours) or Irene, which boasts a weekend bottomless brunch complete with Mimosa cart.
Pro Tip: The following five photo ops are located centrally and within easy walking distance of one another.
Swoop in for great shots from the Simcoe WaveDeck
The swooping fluid lines of the Simcoe WaveDeck, located at Queens Quay West and Lower Simcoe Street, were inspired by the shores of Ontario’s great lakes.
Photograph the boldest of Queens Quay’s three sculptural “wavedecks” to get its southern (lake)side, highlighting its dramatic undulations, or snap it from the sidewalk with your travel buddies staggered on different levels of the deck.
What’s nearby: Lace up your skates and go for a twirl around the outdoor rink at Harbourfront Centre (open until March 16, 2025). Take advantage of free rentals every Saturday.
Make a photo pitstop at HTO Park
You’ll find HTO Park, aka Toronto’s Urban Beach, a five-minute walk west of Simcoe Wavedeck. Snap the park’s stationary yellow umbrellas against a brilliant blue sky and Lake Ontario below for the retro feel of a Slim Aarons photo.
The park’s name is a play on H20 and the city’s nickname, T.O., and represents the transition from lake to city.
What’s nearby: Amsterdam Brewhouse has a prime waterfront location with landscape views of the Toronto Islands. Sip locally brewed craft beer while you nosh on wood-fired pizza and other crowd faves.
Hit the right notes at Toronto Music Garden
Underneath a blanket of snow, the six sections of the Toronto Music Garden—a collaboration between cellist Yo-Yo Ma and landscape architect Julie Moir Messervy, who was inspired by the six movements of Bach’s Suite No. 1 in G Major—might be more difficult to distinguish from one another.
Regardless, the broad granite steps of the amphitheatre are the perfect spot to capture the CN Tower stretching high into the sky. The garden’s wrought iron circular Music Pavilion is a striking backdrop for a classic tourist photo.
What’s nearby: Warm up with a hot cup of tea from the Toronto Music Garden Cafe across the street from the park.
Shoot a video on a super-short ferry ride
Get your “I’m on a boat!” ’gram by taking the free Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport ferry.
At just 90 seconds—crossing a distance of 121 m (397 ft)—it’s one of the shortest ferry rides in the world, so you’ll have to be quick getting those CN Tower shots. Don’t forget to video the wonderfully slushy lake along the ferry route.
What’s nearby: Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. Fly in via YTO to reach downtown in record time and start and end your Toronto trip with amazing skyline views.
