Of all the beaches, Kew is the most popular stretch of sand, with a wide boardwalk running east to Balmy Beach and west to Woodbine Beach. Restrooms and a snack bar in adjacent Kew Gardens make it easy to spend the day here. For more food options, head to nearby Queen St E for picnic supplies and restaurants.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby The Beaches attractions

1. Woodbine Park

0.42 MILES

On the western edge of the Beaches, Woodbine Park's wide grassy fields and waterfront views make it a popular spot for summer festivals and events, such…

2. Kew Gardens

0.48 MILES

A leafy, 6.5-hectare park fronting the like-named beach, Kew Gardens is a popular spot year-round, with facilities such as tennis courts and an Olympic…

3. RC Harris Water Treatment Plant

1.45 MILES

Commanding heavenly views of the lakefront from a priceless slab of real estate, the elegantly proportioned RC Harris Water Treatment Plant is an art-deco…

4. Tommy Thompson Park

2.01 MILES

A 5km-long artificial peninsula between the Harbourfront and the Beaches, Tommy Thompson Park reaches further into Lake Ontario than the Toronto Islands…

5. Riverdale Farm

2.83 MILES

On the site of the Riverdale Zoo, where from 1888 to 1974 prairie wolves howled at night and spooked the Cabbagetown kids, Riverdale Farm is a downtown…

6. Distillery District

2.88 MILES

Centered on the 1832 Gooderham and Worts distillery – once the largest distillery in the British Empire – the 5-hectare Distillery District is one of…

7. Todmorden Mills Heritage Site

3.09 MILES

In an idyllic setting by the Don River, Todmorden Mills is a late-18th-century grist mill turned saw mill, then brewery and distillery, then paper mill…

8. Evergreen Brick Works

3.36 MILES

Famed for the transformation of its once-deteriorating heritage buildings into a prime location for all things geotourism, this dynamic, LEED-certified…