Woodbine Beach

If the weather’s warm, you can expect Toronto’s busiest beach, in the east end neighborhood aptly called The Beach, to be packed. But don’t worry: the eight-kilometer-long Woodbine Beach has plenty of room to spread out, play volleyball and enjoy a coastal bike ride. Visitors expecting a typical lake beach are sometimes shocked—Lake Ontario, like all the Great Lakes, is actually massive, giving one the impression of being at the ocean. You can drive or take the bus if you really want, but the nicest way to get there is to grab a bike (there are plenty to rent downtown from the city’s bike-share program: Bikeshare Toronto) and ride along the Waterfront Trail for 20 or 30 minutes.