Toronto

Once upon a time, Toronto was so staid it was called 'Toronto the Good'. Nowadays, it should be called 'Toronto the terrific' - not because of any penchant for piety, but because it's blossomed into one of the most enjoyable, lively and liveable cities on the map.

Bustling and bubbling with a huge array of cultures, ethnic backgrounds and languages, all cheerfully existing side by side, it's not so much a place to see, as to experience.

Having said that, there are still a good number of sights it would be a shame to miss.

The most famous of these is the CN Tower, the world's tallest freestanding structure. Endure the queue and you can shoot up to its observation deck for a fine view of the city as well as the chance to seriously scare yourself by standing on the glass floor and looking down at the ground... 342m below.

Architecture is something the city does superbly, from the engineering genius of the SkyDome, to the wedge-like Flatiron Building and the curved modern splendour of Toronto City Hall.

There are some great eccentricities too - don't miss the 20th-century castle, Casa Loma, or the Bata Shoe Museum. For art, take in Canadian and Inuit works at the prestigious Art Gallery of Ontario.

More than anything, however, visiting Toronto is about delving into its neighbourhoods.

The central Downtown area blurs to the north and west into the trendy upmarket districts of Yorkville, hip Little Italy, the colourful clutter of Chinatown, and the Caribbean, Portuguese and Jewish hubbub of Kensington Market.

To the east is the Victorian residential finery of Cabbagetown, and beyond that, Greektown, and the Gerrard India Bazaar.

For a big, glistening serving of restaurants, galleries and shops, head to the developing Harbourfront. If the weather's dire, you can always take cover in Toronto's Underground City.