Casa Loma – Exploring Toronto’s Castle

Casa Loma is Toronto’s very own castle. Yes, you heard me correctly – there is a castle in Toronto. In fact, Casa Loma is the largest castle in all of North America! The massive palace contains over 90 rooms and dates back to the first half of the 20th century. The gothic mansion that once belonged to one of Toronto’s most wealthy men is a fascinating attraction. I really encourage you to stop by when you’re in the city. I was looking forward to taking a trip to the castle when I first heard about its existence, and it definitely lived up to the expectations in my mind. In this post, I’ll take you through Casa Loma – the house on the hill.

• If you’re looking for more things to see in Toronto, check out my itinerary post HERE.

Casa Loma – The Basics

• Where? 1 Austin Terrace, Toronto
• When? Casa Loma is open daily from 9.30am to 5.00pm (although on Mondays its open until 10.00pm). Last admission to the castle is half an hour before closing.
• How much? Admission for adults costs $40.00 CAD (youths aged 14 to 17 years get in for $35.00, while admission for children from 4 to 13 years is $20.00 CAD. Casa Loma is also included in the Toronto CityPass.
• How to get there: Casa Loma is located to the north of Downtown Toronto. The best way to get there if you’re staying in the heart of the city is to take the number 1 subway line to Dupont Station (about a 14 minute ride from Union Station). From there, head up the Baldwin Steps a few blocks to the north to reach the castle.
• Website: https://casaloma.ca/

About Casa Loma

First things first, Casa Loma never housed royalty. It was the mansion of the notable Toronto businessman, officer and philanthropist Sir Henry Pellatt and his wife Lady Mary. Rising from rags to riches through investments in the stock exchange at the turn of the 20th century, Pellatt engaged EJ Lennox to design his very own castle on a hill above Toronto. That castle became a hub for social events, balls and other happenings among Canada’s most wealthy, following construction of the castle being completed in 1914. After spending some 3.5 million Canadian dollars on the residence of his dreams, Pellatt only lived in Casa Loma for less than a decade. Losses of his fortune, coupled with the economic pressures of the First World War resulted in Pellatt having to sell Casa Loma in 1923. His wife died less than a year later.

After a short stint as a hotel, the City of Toronto acquired the castle in 1933, in recovery of back taxes. Casa Loma then became an eyesore for the city as it progressively fell into disrepair. Just as it seemed inevitable that the castle would be demolished, it was acquired by the Kiwanis Club in 1936, which began work on refurbishing and restoring it for use as a tourist attraction. Ownership of the castle passed to the Liberty Entertainment Group, which has continued Casa Loma’s legacy as a truly iconic Toronto landmark. Its even been used as a filming location in numerous Hollywood flicks.

Fittingly, Henry Pellatt visited Casa Loma on his 80th birthday, January 6, 1939, when he was honoured by the Queen’s Own Rifles regiment, under which he had served many years prior. He died two months later.

Visiting Casa Loma

I visited Casa Loma right when it opened at 9.30am and it was the perfect time to get there. I was able to explore the castle without too many crowds, while it definitely started to fill up by the time I left. If you’ve got the flexibility to do so, I’d recommend doing the same. While its not essential, I also recommend booking your ticket in advance – it just means you don’t have to line up to do it when you get there. Tickets are available on the Casa Loma website, however you should look into the Toronto CityPass if you’re planning to hit up other attractions in the city. Casa Loma is included on the CityPass lineup and this great deal allows you to visit a number of Toronto’s best spots within a period of 9 consecutive days.

Your admission to Casa Loma includes a complimentary audio tour (available in multiple languages). Since Casa Loma is a self-guided attraction, I highly recommend taking the audio tour. You’ll get a lot more out of your visit than you would just wandering around the castle, as you’ll learn about the life of Sir Henry Pellatt, the castle’s lesser known features and a lot more.

Assuming you’re taking the audio tour, count on spending about 3 hours to get the full Casa Loma experience. There’s also a cafe on site where you can get a bite to eat before leaving.

The Castle’s First Floor

You’ll enter Casa Loma on the first floor. As you begin your journey in the Great Hall, you’ll notice the sixty foot high ceilings in this grand chamber, with the second floor hallway above overlooking where you stand. As is the case with much of the castle, you’ll find all kinds of furnishings throughout, such an exact replica of a chair from Westminster Abbey used in the coronation of British monarchs dating back centuries. You’ll also get your first glimpse of the man behind Casa Loma, as a portrait of Sir Henry sits above the fireplace.

If you follow the main route through the castle, you’ll move into the Library and connected Dining Room. Its a massive ballroom style space. One of the cool things to see here is the optical illusion caused by the hardwood floor – depending which way you look across the room, the floorboard pattern will seem to change direction!

Beyond the Dining Room is the Conservatory. This really pretty room is something of a cross between an indoor greenhouse and function room. Lady Pellatt was known for hosting tea parties here among many exotic plants and flowers. The opulence is on full display with floors of Italian marble and an elaborate stain glass ceiling that cost $12,000 (at the time) alone.

The last room of note on the first floor is Sir Henry’s Study, where he spent much of his time working on business deals. Fun fact: the side of the fireplace contains a secret passage that leads up to the second floor (and another goes down to the basement!) – it really is like Hogwarts!

The Castle’s Second Floor

Casa Loma’s second floor contains an assortment of bedrooms, most notable those of Sir Henry and Lady Mary Pellatt themselves. Upon ascending the stairs, you’ll come to Sir Henry’s bedroom. While the only original piece of furniture in the room is the Phoenix lamp beside the bed, you’ll get a sense of what the room would have looked like in Sir Henry’s day (by the way, that tiger skin carpet is real). Just like his study, the bedroom contains a number of hidden chambers where he kept valuable possessions, and at one point he was even working on a electronic circuit that could control all the castle’s lights from inside the bedroom (that never came to fruition, but is a tribute to the innovative mind of Henry Pellatt).

Lady Mary’s room is actually considerably larger than Henry’s. Its made up of a suite of chambers and also contains a large balcony that look out over the castle grounds. The adjoining sitting chamber especially bears a sense of regality, basking in sunlight. Lady Pellatt was actually confined to a wheelchair for much of her time in Casa Loma – the elevator that was installed for her convenience was the first private electric elevator in Canada.

The Guest Suite is the largest of the guest rooms in the castle. This self-contained unit had its own bathroom and dressing room, and is just as opulent as the rest of the castle. One of the most distinguishable pieces on display here is the Chinese Peacock screen dating back to the 1930s.

Rounding out the Second Floor are the Windsor Room (set aside for Sir Henry’s aspirations for hosting Royalty) and the Round Room, which is built into the base of the castle’s western tower.

Casa Loma’s Third Floor and Towers

The majority of Casa Loma’s third floor is taken up by the Queen’s Own Rifles Museum. As Canada’s largest militia unit in Sir Henry’s time, Pellatt was heavily involved with the organisation, starting as a rifleman and rising through the ranks to become its colonel. In this dedicated space, you’ll find all kinds of memorabilia including weapons and medallions, as well as paintings of all its commanding officers (including Sir Henry).

Also on the third floor, you’ll find the Servant’s Chambers. Casa Loma was so big and extravagant that it required a staff of forty to keep things running – eventually part of Sir Henry’s financial decline. While their chambers were much more modest compared to the rest of the castle, Henry was generally known to be a generous employer.

While you’re on the third floor, you should definitely ascend the towers. Casa Loma has two – the Scottish Tower and the Norman Tower. They’re distinctly different – the Scottish Tower to the castle’s east is enclosed and round (it gave me serious Harry Potter vibes), while the western Norman Tower opens up to an outdoor rooftop where you can get some amazing photos, both of the castle and looking out at Downtown Toronto on the horizon. Oh by the way, you can do Escape Rooms in the towers at night! HOW COOL IS THAT?!

The Castle Grounds

Don’t miss the Castle Gardens on your visit. You can access them from the Great Hall. The main terrace that overlooks the gardens is another spot where you can take some perfect photos of the surrounding area. Maintained initially by the Garden Club of Toronto, there’s all manner of colourful flowers throughout the castle grounds, in addition to picturesque fountains, greenery and a function area for wedding celebrations!

The Basement Level and Tunnel

There’s even more to see in Casa Loma when you head downstairs from the ground floor entrance. This is actually where you’ll pick up your audio guide to start touring the castle. In that hall you’ll also find numerous movie posters for films shot at Casa Loma! Branching off from here is also where you’ll access the castle’s cafe and souvenir shop.

Just beyond the audio tour desk, you can go into what was eventually going to be the castle’s indoor swimming pool. It was never completed however, and instead now houses a movie theatre that shows a documentary chronicling Henry Pellatt’s life. While I saw this movie after touring the castle, it wouldn’t be a bad spot to start exploring.

Undoubtedly the coolest part of the basement level however is the Tunnel. Built 18 feet underground and 800 feet long, the tunnel links Casa Loma to its Stables, taking inspiration from the escape tunnels contained in many European castles of the medieval period. You’ll take the tunnel to reach the last part of your tour, while along the way looking at photos depicting “the dark side of Toronto” – an era of poverty and social protest during Pellatt’s lifetime. You’ll also see the Furnace Room, responsible for heating Casa Loma in its heyday.

The Hunting Lodge and Stables

Upon emerging from the other end of the castle, I was stunned to find that I was a whole city block north of Casa Loma. That’s how far the tunnel takes you as you arrive at the Hunting Lodge. Along with the Stables, it is the oldest part of Casa Loma and served as Sir Henry and Lady Mary’s home while the actual castle was being constructed. In addition to the lodge, you can visit the Stables, Potting Shed and Greenhouse, as well as the Garage (which contains a number of vintage cars from the early 1900s).

While its somewhat at odds with the rest of the property, the upper floor of the Stables hosts the Backstage Celebrity Gallery. This Madame Tussauds-eque exhibit contains wax figures of celebrities that have appeared in films shot in Casa Loma (as well as the Canadian President, Justin Trudeau). I love celebrity wax museums, so it was a good cap on the tour for me.

Once you’re done with this part of the property, you can head back through the tunnel to return to the castle.

Casa Loma is so cool! Make sure you visit it when you’re in Toronto. While its definitely a popular tourist attraction, I’ve actually seen it skipped on a fair few itineraries. Don’t make that mistake, as it will be a few hours well spent. If you’ve been to Casa Loma, what did you enjoy the most? Drop your fun facts about the Pellatt family and their residence below!