Visiting the CN Tower

The CN Tower stands high above the city of Toronto. Its the defining feature of the city’s skyline, and it has even been recognised as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World (as named by the American Society of Civil Engineers). It used to be the tallest free standing structure in the world too. While it lost that distinction in 2007, its still an iconic landmark and simply a must when in Toronto. Its not like you can really avoid it – you’ll be able to see the CN Tower pretty much anywhere in the city. There’s a difference between seeing it from street level versus actually going up into the tower though. In this post, I’ll give you an idea of what to expect on a trip to the CN Tower.

• Looking for other things to do in Toronto? Check out my detailed itinerary HERE.

CN Tower Basics:

• Where? 290 Bremmer Boulevard, Toronto
• When? The CN Tower is open daily, from 9.00am to 10.00pm. Make sure you visit on a clear day (you won’t see anything if the top of the tower is covered in fog or clouds)
• How much? General Admission to the CN Tower costs $43.00 CAD for adults ($14.00 children 3-13 years; $30.00 children 14-17 years). Attractions such as the Skypod and the Edgewalk cost extra. The CN Tower also participates in the Toronto CityPass.
• How to get there: The CN Tower is located between the Rogers Centre and Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada. Its in the heart of Toronto and a short walk from Union Station.
• Website: https://www.cntower.ca/

About the CN Tower

The CN Tower peaks at some 553 metres above Toronto. Construction on the tower was completed in 1975 by the Canadian National Company (hence the CN), following the skyscraper boom of the 1960s. It took 1,537 workers a period of 40 months to complete the structure. The tower’s primary purpose was to transmit radio and television waves (existing towers at the time were not tall enough to prevent signals being bounced off the city’s newer buildings) and it still carries out these functions today. Since it was opened to the public on June 26, 1976 however, the CN Tower also become a unique Toronto landmark with people travelling all over the world to see the structure, making it a boom to the city’s tourism industry.

In 1995, the CN Tower was sold to the Canada Lands Company, a company which specialises in attractions of national interest, Over the years since, the tower has undergone a number of renovations, continuing to provide a modern and vibrant experience for its guests. At over 2 million guests a year, it sees a lot of them too!

Getting Up the CN Tower

The first thing you need to know before you go to the CN Tower is to BOOK YOUR TICKET IN ADVANCE. Seriously, you don’t want to get to the bottom of the tower and have to wait around for hours to be able to go up (or worse yet, be told the day’s tickets have sold out). You can book your ticket directly from the official website and choose whether you just want to go for general admission, or pay extra for the other attractions within the tower.

If you’re going to a number of Toronto attractions during your stay in the city, check if they’re covered by the CityPass. This awesome combo ticket will allow you to visit some of the city’s best attractions within a 9 day window. You’ll save significant money all up if you do this. Note that if you buy the CityPass, you should log into your account a week or so before your visit to reserve a time to go up the tower.

On arrival, line up around your admission time and after a short queue you’ll pass through a metal detector checkpoint. From there, its off to the elevators which whisk you to a height of 342 metres in less than a minute. Welcome to the main observatory level.

The Main Observatory

Once you reach the main observatory level, grab a spot by the windows (which cover all the walls) and take in the views. They’re incredible to say the least. I’ve been to many of these types of towers around the world, but I never get sick of the experience of seeing a city from high above. You’ll have every opportunity to go photo crazy up here. While the views are stunning at all times of day, if you aim to visit the CN Tower right before sunset, you’ll be rewarded with the best of both worlds – the city by day and night – as well as witnessing a panoramic sunset from the sky.

After spending some time admiring the views, you can check out a few of the exhibits in the main observatory that go into the tower’s history. There’s nothing groundbreaking here, but it gives you the chance to learn a bit more about the massive structure. You should also stop by the glass bottomed floor. Don’t worry, its reinforced, so stand, dance and jump away, all while taking in the heart-stopping view back down to the ground beneath.

There is normally also an Outdoor Terrace as part of the main observatory. When I visited the tower recently however it was closed for refurbishment. The terrace appears to still be under development at the time of writing.

The SkyPod

While the main observatory provides stunning views in itself, if you want to go up even higher, you can pay extra to visit the SkyPod. The SkyPod is the highest observation point in the Western Hemisphere and is 447 metres up above the city. Thats 33 floors higher than the main observation level! At this height, you’re in a much smaller enclosed area, and apparently you can even feel the wind causing the tower to sway up here.

I didn’t go up to the SkyPod on my trip to the CN Tower. If you want to go up there, you’ll have to pay an additional fee You can either buy a ticket including SkyPod admission before your visit ($53.00 CAD), or you can upgrade your ticket at the observatory for a cost of $10.00 CAD. Since there’s no financial advantage to booking the SkyPod in advance, I’d probably just book the main ticket and then upgrade on site if you want to go up higher – although you’ll probably have to contend with a wait to go up (there’s worse places to wait around!).

Most people I’ve spoken to say that the SkyPod isn’t that much better than the main observatory. That said, you should try it for yourself if you’re interested.

The EdgeWalk

The EdgeWalk is definitely not for the light hearted! This experience takes your OUTSIDE the CN Tower, with only a harness securing you as you circle the tower’s exterior on the 116th floor. Its the world’s highest hands-free walk. I didn’t do the EdgeWalk, but if you’re interested, this is something you need to book in advance. Tickets start at $195.00 CAD per person (though on peak days it goes up to $225.00 CAD) and you have to be over the age of 13 to participate. You’ll need to arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled time so that you can run through a safety briefing. Once you’re out in the fresh air, you’ll embark on a half hour walk around the tower’s observatory. All up, you should allow about 90 minutes for this once in a lifetime experience.

For more information on the EdgeWalk, and to purchase your tickets, check out the official website HERE.

Dinner at the CN Tower

If you’re looking for a fancy restaurant to celebrate a special occasion, the CN Tower has you covered. Home to the world’s highest wine cellar, the 360 Restaurant has a rotating dining floor, so you’ll be able to see the entire city from all angles throughout the course of your meal (provided you take longer than 72 minutes!). You definitely need to book in advance if you want to make a reservation. The restaurant is quite expensive, but if you do dine here, you’ll get free admission to the tower’s main observatory after your meal (with a minimum spend of $75 CAD per guest). As for the menu, you can expect some of Canada’s finest flavours, ranging from steak to seafood.

You can order a la carte, or choose the prix fixe (2 or 3 course) option. I can’t comment on the food here because I haven’t tried it, but reviews tend to be extremely favourable.

As you can see, there’s plenty to do at the CN Tower. It can be a relatively pricey experience (or an extremely pricey one if you decide to splurge on the add-ons), but visiting is essential on a trip to Toronto. Tell me all about your CN Tower experiences! For those that haven’t been, I hope this guide has given you more of an idea of what to expect high above Toronto.