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Our main Toronto-visit goals were to see a Toronto Blue Jays baseball game and meet the writer and creator of the Biff Bam Pop website, Andy Burns. As we worked to round out the rest of our itinerary, it only seemed right to visit the most obligatory tourist attraction in Toronto, the CN Tower.
We are fans of a good view, but I gasped at the ticket price. Is the view that good? Will I feel amazed standing inside the engineering wonder? Is the CN Tower worth visiting?
Read about our experience seeing a Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Game
Check out the BIFF BAM POP website
Timed tickets can be purchased online or onsite. To avoid long lines and have more time choices, purchase your tickets ahead of time online. We purchased the earliest entrance, 9am ticket. The hope was to avoid the mass of tourists that can accumulate later in the day. At 9 am we walked right in and had a minimal wait for the elevator.
Things To Do at The CN Tower
High Speed Elevator
The high speed elevator is at the top of the list of activities that make the CN Tower worth visiting. The elevator ascends over one thousand feet in 58 seconds at 15 mph. Your ears start to pop as the ground and buildings whiz by the elevator’s glass windows. It’s a thrilling ride, but not frightening.
Main Level
The day begins on the tower’s main level. The morning sunshine illuminates the window art. The view is stunning. The soring buildings set against the water are outstanding. Perched high in the air, looking over the city of Toronto, I felt that the CN Tower was worth visiting.
Arriving first thing in the morning allowed us to get pictures before the main level became crowded. My favorite design feature was the mirrored ceiling. The pristine white space and large bright windows made me feel like I was in a surrealist painting.
After several laps around the main level, getting every possible photo, we made our way to the lower level.
There is a café on the main level where you can grab poutine, a sandwich, or a dessert. The café has tourist prices, so we enjoyed breakfast at a local coffee shop before we arrived.
Lower Observation Level
As we enter the CN Tower’s lower observation level, I’m pleasantly surprised. The lower observation level has activities. By mid-morning, the tourists are in full force. Fortunately, thanks to the timed ticket system, the crowd feels like a steady creek, not a flood. We have the outdoor terrace to ourselves. While wandering the lower level, we spot an orderly line. Not wanting to miss out on an experience, we join the queue. The line is for the OverView. The OverView is a section of windows that slant towards the ground. Visitors step onto a platform, grab the bars, and lean out over the window.
If you have a fear of heights, this can be terrifying. For us, it was something neat to do. There is a staff member who manages the line and makes sure everyone gets a fair turn. The OverView is included with the general admission ticket.
My favorite attraction on the lower level was the glass floor. Again, if you are afraid of heights, this is very scary. If you don’t have acrophobia, it’s fun to walk across the floor while staring at the world below. We spent a good amount of time exploring every inch of the clear floor.
Though your experience may differ, we visited on a window washing day. It was quite the show.
Like all obligatory tourist attractions, you exit the CN Tower through the gift shop. The shop is extensive. If your Canadian visit is short on time, you can find CN Tower-themed trinkets, Toronto-themed gifts, and Canadian-themed souvenirs.
Things We Didn’t Do
We opted for the lowest cost general admission ticket. This ticket included a ride on the high speed elevator, the main level observation area, and the lower level observation area. You can choose add-on options like skip-the-line and anytime arrival for an additional cost. If you arrive first thing in the morning, the skip-the- line isn’t necessary.
The Top
You have to pay extra to go to the top of the CN Tower. The Top is the highest observation area in the Western Hemisphere. It is 33 stories higher than the main observation area. It is said that on certain days you can feel the tower sway. When we first saw the additional price, it didn’t seem ridiculous, but seeing the extra cost added to the general admission ticket gave us pause. We decided to skip The Top.
The EdgeWalk
The EdgeWalk is at the top of many people’s bucket lists. Visitors take a walk on the outside perimeter of the tower. The only thing keeping you safe is a harness. At $200 or more, depending on the date, your ticket includes the walk, photos, a video, and entrance to the other tower attractions, including The Top. It does look like a content creator’s dream just for the video and photos. The activity looked exciting. We weren’t scared. It just wasn’t something we personally needed to splurge on. If it is on your bucket list, take the walk. YouTuber Mr. Morrow (Nate) has a great video about his The EdgeWalk.
The 360 Restaurant
Always up for a unique restaurant, we were on the fence about dining at The CN Tower. 360 is a rotating restaurant, providing diners with dazzling views of Toronto’s skyline. There is a required amount of money that you must spend per person per meal. Lunch or Dinner includes a general admission ticket to be used after you eat. This makes the overall cost less intense. However, the menu prices add up quickly, and we had a feeling we would end up spending over the required amount. I relied on fellow bloggers and vloggers to help me make a final decision. The overall consensus was that the atmosphere is fantastic, but the food is just okay.
Conclusion
On our first visit to Toronto, Canada, how could we not visit one of the city’s most famous tourist attractions? Is it a tourist trap? Perhaps, but it is a fancy tourist trap. There is nothing cringy or cheesy about the CN Tower. Yes, I imagine the tower costs a lot of money to maintain, but I still feel like it’s a bit overpriced. I could see a family of four or more feeling priced out of a visit.
Living fairly close to New York City, we aren’t strangers to paying a high price for a view. Once you take in the view at 30 Rock and the Empire State Building, there isn’t much else to do. The window art, clear floor, and OverView activities help make CN Tower worth visiting. I didn’t expect the extra fun, and we ended up spending more time at this attraction than we thought we would. There are plenty of bathrooms. The building is clean, well-maintained, and the views are spectacular.
Should you visit the CN Tower? It depends on what you like doing and how much you want to spend. If you are traveling on a budget, it is probably a skip. If you are afraid of heights, pick a different activity on firm ground. On a hot or inclement weather day, it makes a nice indoor activity. You can move at a slow pace. You are here to gaze at the view and quietly ponder life. If you are afraid of heights, pick a different activity on firm ground. We took advantage of all of the ways to see the views included in the general admission ticket. I don’t think it’s the kind of attraction you would do every time you visit Toronto. Seeing the CN Tower once, was worth the visit.
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