Ontario is Canada's most populous province, home to the nation's capital Ottawa and its largest city Toronto. The province stretches from the Great Lakes in the south to Hudson Bay in the north, offering world-class urban experiences, stunning natural landscapes, and rich Indigenous and colonial heritage.
Top day trips
Handpicked excursions within easy reach.
Niagara Falls
This is Canada's single most-visited natural attraction: the Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls, viewed from the Canadian side along the Niagara Parkway. The draw is scale and proximity — mist-soaked viewing platforms put you closer to the drop than the US side allows, and the town around it (Clifton Hill) is unapologetically a tourist strip of arcades and attractions layered on top of the falls themselves.
Highlights: Horseshoe Falls viewing from Table Rock · Niagara City Cruises boat tour ($32 CAD) · Journey Behind the Falls · Clifton Hill entertainment strip · Falls illumination in the evening
Niagara-on-the-Lake & Wine Country
A 19th-century town at the mouth of the Niagara River, built around Queen Street's shops and the Shaw Festival theatre, surrounded by the Niagara Peninsula's wine region. It works as a day trip because the town itself is compact and walkable, while the wineries — mostly along the Niagara Parkway and the Beamsville Bench — are a short drive apart.
Highlights: Charming 19th-century Queen Street · Inniskillin Winery and ice wine tasting · Peller Estates wine and lunch · Shaw Festival Theatre · Niagara wine route cycling
Muskoka Lakes
The cottage country north of Toronto, centred on the three big lakes — Muskoka, Rosseau, and Joseph — that give the region its name. As a day trip it's less about a single sight than the combination of small lake towns, water, and rock-and-pine scenery that defines this part of the Canadian Shield.
Highlights: Muskoka Steamships heritage cruise on Lake Muskoka · Gravenhurst Wharf and town · Bracebridge falls and downtown · Muskoka Brewery (Lake of Bays) · Fall foliage (October) is spectacular
Blue Mountain & Collingwood
A ski-hill-turned-year-round resort area on Georgian Bay, built around Blue Mountain Village at the base of the escarpment and the nearby town of Collingwood. Outside ski season it functions as a hiking, spa, and lakeside-town day trip rather than a mountain destination in the alpine sense — the 'mountain' is a 200-metre escarpment, not a peak.
Highlights: Blue Mountain Resort (skiing in winter, hiking/biking in summer) · Blue Mountain Village outdoor pedestrian plaza · Georgian Bay waterfront, Collingwood · Thornbury apple country and cideries · Wasaga Beach (30 min away)
Ottawa — Canada's Capital
Canada's federal capital, straddling the Ontario-Quebec border along the Ottawa River. A day trip here means covering Parliament Hill, the ByWard Market district, and at least one national museum — it's a city built around government and institutions rather than a single landmark, so the day works best as a walking loop through the downtown core.
Highlights: Parliament Hill and Centre Block · ByWard Market · Rideau Canal (skating in winter, boating in summer) · National Gallery of Canada · Canadian Museum of History (Gatineau, across the river)
Kingston & Thousand Islands
A limestone city at the point where Lake Ontario narrows into the St. Lawrence River, with the Thousand Islands archipelago just downstream. The day trip pairs Kingston's compact historic downtown with a boat tour into the islands, which is really the only way to experience that landscape properly.
Highlights: Fort Henry National Historic Site · Kingston waterfront and Confederation Park · Thousand Islands boat cruise from Kingston or Gananoque · Kingston City Hall (1844) · Wolfe Island ferry
Bruce Peninsula & Tobermory
The tip of the Bruce Peninsula, where Georgian Bay meets Lake Huron, known for turquoise water that looks more Caribbean than Great Lakes. Tobermory is the small harbour town serving as the base for Bruce Peninsula National Park and Fathom Five National Marine Park, both built around the peninsula's limestone cliffs and clear water.
Highlights: Bruce Peninsula National Park and The Grotto · Flowerpot Island ferry from Tobermory · Fathom Five National Marine Park (shipwrecks) · Georgian Bay crystal water · Little Tub Harbour, Tobermory
Algonquin Park Day Trip
Ontario's oldest provincial park, a vast expanse of lake and forest reached via the Highway 60 corridor, which cuts across the park's southern edge. A day trip here is really a day on Highway 60 — stopping at trailheads and the Visitor Centre — since the interior is accessible only by canoe and multi-day portage.
Highlights: Lookout Trail (1.9 km, stunning park views) · Algonquin Visitor Centre · Wildlife spotting — moose, beaver, deer along Highway 60 · Track and Tower Trail (7.7 km) · Algonquin Art Centre
Multi-day tours from Ontario
If you have longer than a day, these are organised multi-day trips that start here.
Browse multi-day tours from OntarioWe may earn a commission from bookings made through this link.
Day trip tips
Make the most of your excursions.
Start early — most popular day-trip destinations get crowded by mid-morning.
Check return transport times before you leave — missing the last train or bus can be costly.
Carry water, snacks, and layers — weather and food options can be limited at smaller destinations.