Your Experience
Kensington Market's houses never really went away. Look up and you see the old gables; look down and a shop has been built right over the front yard. Once you know the trick, you can read the whole neighbourhood.
Start at the twin-domed Kiever Synagogue and Bellevue Square, where actor Al Waxman stands in bronze, then loop through the food streets of Augusta, Baldwin and Kensington Avenue. Walk down wide Spadina to Chinatown's busiest corner and hear how the first Chinatown was cleared for City Hall and a new one grew here.
Follow Dundas past Jean Lumb Lane to Frank Gehry's glass and timber front for the Art Gallery of Ontario and OCAD's black-and-white box on stilts, then finish in Grange Park at the Grange, which the City calls its oldest brick house, with Gehry's blue tower rising behind it.
Eleven stops, about 2 km and 90 minutes, in English and at your own pace. Start whenever you like and stop to eat on the way.
- Duration85 minutes
- CancellationFree cancellation
- <ul><li value="1" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Walk Kensington Market's narrow streets and Chinatown's busiest corner, then on past the Art Gallery of Ontario to Grange Park. </span></li><li value="2" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">See the domed Kiever Synagogue, Bellevue Square, Spadina Avenue, Gehry's glass gallery front and OCAD's tabletop on stilts. </span></li><li value="3" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Learn how houses grew shops over their front yards, and why Toronto's Chinatown moved to Spadina. </span></li><li value="4" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Finish in Grange Park at the Grange, which the City calls its oldest brick house, with Gehry's blue tower behind. </span></li><li value="5" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">11 stops over 1.8 km, about 85 minutes, with English audio you start whenever you like.</span></li></ul>
- <ul><li value="1" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Self-guided English audioguide, 11 stops, 85 minutes</span></li><li value="2" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Stops at Kiever Synagogue, Bellevue Square, Spadina Avenue</span></li><li value="3" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">GPS map, browser access, no app needed</span></li><li value="4" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Lifetime access, start anytime, replay anytime</span></li></ul>
- <ul><li value="1"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Live guide</span></li><li value="2"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Fixed start time</span></li><li value="3"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Museum and monument tickets</span></li><li value="4"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Food and drinks</span></li><li value="5"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Tips or gratuities</span></li></ul>
Please check your final voucher for the redemption details and specific instructions. Your voucher will be emailed to you shortly.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts.
- Getting there: Kiever Synagogue, 28 Denison Square, Toronto.
- Ticket access: Enter your ticket code on the Roamer redemption page from your confirmation before you set off.
- Phone: Bring a fully charged smartphone to run the GPS map and audio walk in your browser.
- Earphones: Bring your own earphones so you can hear the commentary clearly as you walk.
- Connectivity: Use mobile data if you can, or open the tour on Wi-Fi before you start if you have no data.
- Synagogue etiquette: Do not photograph worshippers at the Kiever Synagogue and respect people on the steps during services.
- Private property: Do not enter homes, shops, places of worship, or university buildings that are not open to the public.
- Tour launch: Open the tour from the Roamer link in your confirmation while you still have signal so it loads correctly.
- Best time to walk: Walk in daytime, ideally late morning to mid-afternoon when the market is open and lively.
- AGO opening: The Art Gallery of Ontario is closed on Mondays, so plan another day if you want to go inside.
- AGO free entry: The gallery is free on the first Wednesday evening each month with an online timed ticket; Ontario under-25s get free entry with an AGO Pass.
- Market atmosphere: Expect the market to be busiest and most crowded on weekends, especially in peak daytime hours.
- Pedestrian Sundays: On Pedestrian Sundays, market streets close to cars and become very crowded from noon to early evening.
