What's a good 3-day itinerary for Toronto?

Day 1 stays south of Front Street, where Lake Ontario keeps the air 2-3°C cooler than midtown in summer. Start at St. Lawrence Market by 8:30am. The peameal bacon sandwich at Carousel Bakery has been the same order since the 1970s, and at around C$9 it might be the best breakfast-per-dollar ratio in the city. The lineup moves fast. Walk south to the Harbourfront Centre by 10am, then west 15 minutes to the CN Tower, which opened in 1976 and still holds the skyline. Go up before 11am and you'll share the glass floor with maybe 20 people instead of 200. Timed tickets run about C$43 for adults. By 1pm, catch the 504 King streetcar east to the Distillery District. Lunch at El Catrin, where the mole negro costs around C$28 and the patio faces Victorian-era brick warehouses from the old Gooderham and Worts whisky operation. The air smells like roasted chilies and wet stone on a warm afternoon.

Day 2 moves north along University Avenue. The Art Gallery of Ontario, founded in 1900, opens at 10:30am most days. Wednesday evenings are free from 6-9pm, and rearranging your schedule for that is worth it. The Gehry-redesigned façade on Dundas Street is all warped Douglas fir and glass, warm to the touch on a sunny afternoon. Kensington Market sits three blocks west. The smell of Portuguese custard tarts from Nova Era Bakery reaches you on Augusta Avenue before you spot the shop. Grab one for about C$3 and eat it standing on the sidewalk. By 2pm, take Line 1 north to Museum station for the Royal Ontario Museum, opened in 1912. The Michael Lee-Chin Crystal juts out of the original limestone at an angle that still divides the city. Budget 2 hours inside. Dinner at Byblos on Duncan Street runs C$45-65 per person. The warm hummus with spiced lamb at C$18 is the best single plate in that stretch of King West.

Day 3 splits between the Toronto Islands and uptown. The ferry from Jack Layton Terminal runs every 15 minutes in summer. The fare is about C$9 return for adults and the 15-minute crossing delivers the best skyline photograph you will get on this trip. Ward's Island is quieter than Centre Island. Rent a bike at the Centre Island dock for around C$12 an hour and ride the 6-kilometre perimeter loop on flat pavement. Be back at the terminal by 1pm. Take Line 1 north to Dupont station and walk 10 minutes uphill to Casa Loma, built in 1914 by financier Sir Henry Pellatt. The 98-room Gothic Revival estate cost C$3.5 million at the time. Tickets are about C$40. The gardens behind the house drop into a ravine, and the view from the tower reaches south to Lake Ontario on a clear day. Dinner in The Annex at Buk Chang Dong Soon Tofu on Bloor Street. A hot stone bowl of kimchi jjigae runs C$16 and arrives at the table still bubbling.

Toronto's TTC subway handles the north-south and east-west spines of this itinerary. A single fare is C$3.35 with a PRESTO card, and transfers are free for 2 hours. Buy a PRESTO card for C$6 at any station and load C$20. That covers every ride across 3 days. The PATH underground network connects Union Station to the Financial District if rain hits on Day 1. Mind you, tipping at sit-down restaurants runs 18-20% in Toronto. That said, Toronto tap water comes straight from Lake Ontario, filtered and cold, and every restaurant serves it free. Summer evenings stay light until about 9pm in June, which gives you a longer walking window than you might expect.