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Toronto - Explore the city

A city of neighbourhoods

Toronto is home to major industry clusters, including aerospace, automotive, biotechnology, health care, telecommunications, and tourism. With its eclectic mix of architecture, food and shopping, Toronto offers an enriching experience for those who work and study here.

Rotman students' top 5 things to do in Toronto

Group projects in the MBA program frequently involve local businesses, cultural organizations, not-for-profit organizations and a wide variety of academic and research partners. With fun things to do just a short walk from the School, here's how our students like to spend their leisure time in Toronto:

  • Taking in some culture at the Art Gallery of Ontario (redesigned by Toronto-born, internationally-acclaimed architect Frank Gehry) and some history at the Royal Ontario Museum
  • Dining in Chinatown, Greektown, Little India and Little Italy
  • Shopping and people-watching on Queen Street West
  • ‘Stargazing’ at the Toronto International Film Festival in September
  • Ice skating at City Hall

Getting around the city

A walkable city, Toronto also has a good public transit system and conveniently located short-term bike rentals. There are many ways to enjoy the city:

* If you are coming to the Rotman School main building, we have parking underneath our facility.

Find Out More

There are several excellent websites that paint a full picture of life in Toronto. Tourism Toronto released a fantastic video about the city you might enjoy watching. Here are a few sites you might find of interest:

Festivals

Toronto is a city of festivals. As the cultural capital of the country, you will never be short of options to engage your imagination. Here a re a few things you might want to do:

  • Toronto International Film Festival- As you arrive to start your MBA, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is about to begin. TIFF is where most world-wide distribution deals are made, so the best film makers and actors are here and star-watching is a must. For great films all year round, the Bell Light Box is the home of TIFF and a fantastic place for film.
  • Nuit Blanche- at the end of September, this free all-night contemporary art festival is a must-go-to event.
  • Diwali- Thousands of Indian families across Canada and the U.S. will gather together to celebrate Diwali, the Indian Festival of Lights and start of the Hindu New Year.
  • Winterlicious- every January as you return from your winter break and begin your second term, restaurants across the city have prix-fixe menus of great food.
  • Spring Documentary Film Festival- Hotdocs is a fantastic documentary film festival that begins just as your exams are ending. Take advantage of free day-time screenings for students during the festival. With the only fully dedicated theatre for documentaries in North America just around the corner from the Rotman School, the Bloor Hotdocs Cinema is inexpensive and hopping with awesome films all year round.
  • Contact - This photography festival also begins as your year winds down. Taking place in galleries and venues all over the city, you will see the best photographers in the world in action.
  • Throughout the summer there are free concerts every weekend at Queen's Park, steps from the School, and at Harbourfront Centre down at the lakeside.
"I'm lucky. I get to live in my own bubble - Toronto" -Richard Florida

Toronto - An Open City

Andres Lozano came to Toronto from Venezuela