An afternoon of shopping at Toronto's Eaton Center

Published on June 23, 2024 at 4:00 pm

Discover the Eaton Center, a sumptuous shopping centre in the heart of Toronto. For an afternoon of shopping in Ontario's capital, the contemporary building is bursting with boutiques and luxury brands.

Opened in 1977, it was one of the first shopping centres to open in the heart of the city in North America. The skyscraper is also home to the Marriott Hotel, as well as offices. Millions of visitors pass through the Eaton Center every week. Just a stone's throw from Toronto's old centre, the shopping centre offers shops, restaurants, cafés and events of all kinds.

Come and discover one of Canada's finest shopping centres, in Toronto's business district.

Under the Milanese-inspired glass roof.

Summary

Eaton centre: the town's first shopping centre
A pioneer in Toronto's history
Shopping at the Eaton Center
Eaton centre Toronto: our 3 best restaurants 🥧
What to do around Eaton Center

Eaton centre: the town's first shopping centre

The Eaton Centre is a real estate complex, shopping centre and skyscraper. It was named after the Eaton's department stores' chain, which was very well known in Canada in the late 1800s. The huge building houses offices, a university, a Marriott hotel and, among the many shops, one of Canada's famous department stores, 'The Bay'.

A pioneer in Toronto's history

The Eaton Centre is one of the first shopping centres to open in the city centre. It was built by Eaton in partnership with the Cadillac Fairview development company and the Toronto-Dominion Bank. The first part of the centre opened in 1977.

The shopping centre was inspired by Milan's Vittorio Emanuele gallery. The vaulted glass sections inspired shopping centres throughout North America. Today, it is one of Toronto's most popular attractions. It attracts more than a million visitors a week.

Le Eaton center est un centre commercial de luxe.

Shopping at the Eaton Center

The Eaton Centre offers 4 whole floors of shops and boutiques. All the top brands are there.

Looking to update your wardrobe? Adidas, Gucci, Lacoste and Nike are just waiting for you.

There are plenty of restaurants and bars to choose from on your shopping trip.

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Eaton centre Toronto: our 3 best restaurants 🥧

👉🏼 JOEY Eaton Centre

Joey is a trendy, friendly Canadian restaurant chain where you can eat good, simple, quality food. The atmosphere is reminiscent of a bistro, and the staff are generally attentive. The restaurant has a terrace for outdoor dining.

Address: JOEY Eaton Centre, 1 Dundas Street West, Toronto. ⏰ **Opening hours: **open daily from 11am to 1am.

👉🏼 Ruby Thai Kitchen & Shanghai 360

Ruby Thai Kitchen serves superb Thai dishes such as pad thai or khao pat. The restaurant welcomes you for lunch and dinner!

Address: 260 Yonge St #007/F15, Toronto. ⏰ Opening hours: open daily from 10am to 9pm, Sundays from 11am to 7pm.

👉🏼 Yogen Fruz

Ever heard of frozen yogurt? It's like ice cream, but with yoghurt. It's much lower in calories and just as tasty as a classic ice cream. You choose what you want to add on top - chocolate scoops, topping or even a coulis - and that's it!

Address: 220 Yonge St, Toronto ⏰ Opening hours: open from 10am to 9pm every day except Sunday, from 11am to 7pm.

Practical information

🚗How do I get there?

To get to the Eaton Center by metro, you can stop at "Dundas" or "Queen" station.

⏰ Opening times and days

The shopping centre is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

👨🏼‍🦱 👩🏼‍🦰 Who is this activity for?

Fans of shopping will be able to spend all day in the shopping centre. However, this is not necessarily the case for everyone. Some people prefer to do other things while they wait.

What to do around Eaton Center

👉🏼 Toronto Old City Hall and its clock tower

The Old City Hall is a Romanesque Revival building built in 1889. It is one of the city's oldest and most emblematic structures. The clock tower is over 100 metres high. Toronto City Hall is located just opposite the Eaton Center. ⏰ It is open from 8.30am to 4.30pm, every day except weekends.

Admission is free and guided tours are regularly organised.

👉🏼 Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), for artists

The AGO contains over 9,000 works of art. It is a modern museum that organises permanent and temporary exhibitions of contemporary art.

⏰ The Musée des Beaux-Arts is open :

10.30am to 5pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
10.30am to 5.30pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
10.30am to 9pm on Wednesdays and Fridays.

💰 Admission is free for under-25s and costs $25 for over-25s.

The Museum of Fine Arts is 11 minutes from the Eaton Center.

by Lena COLLINS | Staff Writer

Political science and communications graduate from McGill University, Lena is a new addition to the Paris easyVoyage staff writing team as of September 2023. Avid backpacker and tri-national, her pieces truly make us dream!

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