Is the CN Tower in Toronto Worth Visiting? Everything You Need to Know
Our first trip to Toronto was very short. We only had two days to explore, which made for an interesting dilemma – what were we going to do in Canada’s largest city? But one thing was sure, we had to tick at least one ‘obligatory’ attraction from the list. The big question was whether to take a day trip to the famous Niagara Falls, which would leave us only 1 day for the city, or stay local and visit the CN Tower, Toronto’s most distinctive landmark. In the end, the weather decided for us. Rain was in the forecast for Niagara, so we chose to leave it for another time.
Now, we’ll be honest – we’re not usually fans of the ‘must-see’ tourist spots – the noise and long lines often take the fun out of it. But the CN Tower surprised us in all the right ways. In the next sections, we’ll break down everything we learnt when visiting, so you can enjoy this iconic Toronto landmark as much as we did.
About CN Tower
The CN Tower is located in the heart of downtown and it’s visible from just about every corner of the city. It’s not just the most distinctive building in Toronto – it’s also home to the fifth-highest observation deck in the world.
The name CN refers to Canadian National, the railway company that built the tower. Construction took 40 months finally completing in 1976. For over 35 years, it held the record as the tallest freestanding building in the world at 1,815 ft (553 metres) until Dubai’s Burj Khalifa surpassed it. Even though it’s no longer the tallest in the world, it’s still the tallest freestanding structure in the Western Hemisphere.
The structure of the CN Tower is designed to withstand strong winds, but on particularly windy days, you may feel it sway a little. According to the CN Tower website, at the top level it can sway by almost half a metre (1.5 feet)! Isn’t that fascinating?
The 360-degree cityscape views are nothing short of epic. You can see downtown Toronto, the waters of Lake Ontario and of course, the Toronto Islands. On a clear day, the views stretch all the way to New York State.
Types of Tickets for the CN Tower
The CN Tower offers a few ticket types depending on how high you want to go and what kind of experience you’re after:
- General Admission ($45 CAD + tax, 2025)
It gives you access to 2 levels of the Main Observation Deck at 346 metres (1,136 ft). You can walk along floor-to-ceiling windows and take in the 360-degree views. There is also a glass floor section on the lower deck. - SkyPod Add-On (general admission + $12 CAD + tax)
For a little extra, you can go even higher to the SkyPod at 447 metres (1,465 ft), one of the highest observation platforms in the world. We personally skipped this since we felt the main deck views were more than enough, but that’s just a personal choice. It definitely looks like a cool experience!. - EdgeWalk ($199 CAD + tax)
This is the most adventurous option! You can literally step OUTSIDE onto the EdgeWalk and walk hands-free on a ledge at 356 metres (1,168 ft). It looks incredible!. - 360 Restaurant Reservation ( $75 plus tax)
This option includes general admission to the Main Observation Level and a reservation in the revolving restaurant which offers a slow, spinning panorama of Toronto while you dine. The price of the ticket matches the minimum spend in the restaurant and is later applied to your bill. - Toronto City Pass ( $130 plus tax)
This is a bundled admission ticket that offers discounts to the CN Tower and Ripley’s Aquarium, plus your choice of three of the following: Royal Ontario Museum, City Cruises Toronto, Casa Loma and Toronto Zoo.
Each option has its draw, but for us, the most important thing was avoiding the crowds. That meant either coming right at 10 am when the tower opened or booking a table at the 360° revolving restaurant. We chose the latter and we’re so glad we did as we loved the experience from start to finish. We’ll share more about that next, but for anyone wondering which ticket or experience to choose, this one is definitely worth considering if you want to pair those breathtaking views with a unique dining experience.
360 The Restaurant at the CN Tower
About the restaurant and why its cool
The restaurant sits inside the big ring you see on the CN Tower and the main observation deck is right below it. The novelty about this restaurant is that it revolves, as the name suggests! It takes 72 mins to complete one full spin so by the time you finish your meal, you’ve done a full 360. It’s actually the floor inside the restaurant that is revolving, not the ring on the CN tower! So you slowly travel from pillar to pillar and the main entrance and washrooms are always in a different place too! It’s a little disorienting at first but also kind of fun. The views on a nice day are gorgeous and you truly have time to take it all in. We loved every minute of it.
Getting to the restaurant in the CN Tower
Our experience getting to the restaurant was very smooth. There is a separate line for those with reservations for the restaurant, which means you get to skip the general admission line. We arrived 15 mins early and since it was a Monday, it wasn’t very busy. We were up at the restaurant in about 10 minutes.
The ride in the elevator was a quick experience as it only takes 60 seconds. There is only a small window and there is absolutely no time to take in the views (it’s the same for general admission). We were quite disappointed at first as we thought we’d go up slowly, but quickly forgot about that once we realized we’ll have 1,5 hours to enjoy the stunning views from our table.
Food at 360 Revolving restaurant
The food was very good overall. We went for the starter from the Indigenous menu which was a mushroom soup topped with foraged mushrooms and rice puffs. The portion was small but it was delicious.
For the mains, we ordered the veggie pasta with capers, sundried tomatoes and artichokes. It was a generous portion and we both enjoyed it. The capers were very obvious in this dish which I enjoyed. Andy’s only comment was that the sauce was a bit dry for his liking, but he still enjoyed the dish.
The other main course was cod with potatoes and braised veggies. It was beautifully presented and tasty, but noticeably smaller than the pasta.
For the desert, Andy (with his predictable sweet tooth) went for Death by Chocolate cake which was a chocolate cherry torte that was rich and as sweet as it sounds.
We also had a couple of drinks as we were celebrating my birthday – a glass of white sangria which was refreshing and delicious and a cider.
The math is mathing
Our total bill came to $222 plus tax, so $270 for two people. That’s definitely on the higher side for us as we typically spend about $100 for two when dining out. But hear us out!
The restaurant has a minimum spent of $75 per person which covers a 2 course meal (3 courses costs $90 at the time of writing in 2025). The key thing to remember is that it includes general admission to the main observation deck, which costs $45 per person plus tax on its own. So if you think about it, you’re really only paying about $30 per person for the meal itself plus tax and tip. Let’s break it down:
Two people doing the two-course menu = $150
Add 5% GST = $157.50
Add 18% tip (standard in Canada) = about $185 total
Compare that to paying $101.70 ($90 plus tax) for two general admission tickets with no food and the difference starts to make sense. Of course if you’re going to order drinks or desserts the difference will be more!
So yes, it’s more expensive than your average meal, but this isn’t just about the food. It’s about the views and the experience of dining high in the sky above the city. Down on the main deck, it’s crowded and noisy. Up in the restaurant, it’s more relaxing. So for us, it was absolutely worth it. If we hadn’t booked the restaurant, we’d probably have gone for dinner somewhere else anyway and spent a similar amount, without the views or the experience.
How to get a window seat
There are 2 types of tables at the restaurant – right by the window and those set slightly back, about 3 meters inside. The views from the inner tables are nice, but it’s not quite the same as window tables as you can’t look directly down at the city below.
The window seats are first come first served, so if you booked a table and none are available, you can take take the inner table or wait until a window table frees up. We read a review from someone who had to wait 35 mins for a window seat and she obviously wasn’t impressed.
We booked our table for 4:30pm right when the restaurant reopens after a lunch break. That turned out to be the perfect time! The restaurant is empty at 4:30 so you are pretty much guaranteed to get a seat by the window, and so we did.
Experiencing the CN Tower
Main observation deck
This is the main deck, which you enter by going down one short flight of stairs from the restaurant or by ascending in the elevator from the bottom of the CN Tower. As we said above, the elevator experience is very quick – 60 seconds with no views rand straight up to the main deck.
The main deck is a 360 degree circle with floor to ceiling windows and many awesome spots for photos. There is also View Bistro where you can buy wine, beer, coffee and pastries. There are a few tables right by the window where you can sip your drink of choice and enjoy the views of the city. It’s nothing fancy and the deck isn’t spinning like the restaurant. We feel that if you’re planning to spend money here, why not consider the restaurant for a much nicer experience.
On the main deck visitors come and go and everyone is competing for a good spot for photos. Because the views are truly amazing. And you may think that what is the point if you can see it from the plane too but its not the same. Also, if you are flying in from the west coast, you wont be flying over Toronto so wont see it from above.
Lower observation deck
Another short flight of stairs leads to the lower observation deck which features a see-through glass floor. The CN tower claims it can withhold the weight of 13 moose!! It’s quite small and didn’t make a huge impression on us personally, but it clearly amazed other visitors that were there at the time.
There are also a couple of spots with railings at a 45-degree angle where you can lean forward and see the city below from that perspective. Again, it’s cool, but not as thrilling as we expected from the photos online. That said, we are not scared of heights which could make a difference.
And then the final thing to see here is what the CN tower calls a terrace. We were expecting something more open with fresh air but it really wasn’t. There is still glass in front of you and only the upper part of the window is mesh. You can hear sounds from the outside and feel a faint breeze but really it did not feel like a terrace at all. Not quite sure what it adds.
All that said, it’s already included in the admission so why not explore and see for yourself if you like it.
Upper observation deck (Skypod)
The SkyPod takes you another 33 stories up to an even higher lookout, literally half a kilometer above the city. We didn’t go up to the upper deck since it costs an extra $12 plus tax per person, and we’d already splurged at the restaurant. So, we can’t really recommend it one way or the other, but if we hadn’t been dining at the restaurant, we probably would’ve gone for the SkyPod experience.
Don’t Get Scammed When Buying Tickets for the CN Tower
I consider myself to be very savvy online, but I almost got scammed when trying to book tickets for the CN Tower. I’m still shocked it happened to me and I want to share a word of warning.
In Google search, I typed CN Tower discount and the first result that came up was a page for the CN Tower. Since we were already on the subway on our way there and I was on my phone, I just clicked without thinking much about it. After all, what usually shows at the top of the search page? Some sponsored links and then the official website, right? Well, not this time.
The website looked EXACTLY like the real CN Tower site, with links for booking and everything. The only difference was a pop-up offering a last-minute 40% discount on all attractions that day. I got so excited that we could save money last minute that I immediately tried to book and entered Andy’s card details. Only to be told there was an error processing the payment and to try another card. So I entered mine and got the same error. I thought maybe the offer had timed out since it gave me 12 minutes to complete the purchase.
When we finally got to the CN Tower ticket desk, I tried to get the same deal in person and got upset when they wouldn’t honor the discount. The woman at the counter was adamant that the CN Tower doesn’t offer deals like that. I showed her the site on my phone and a few minutes later she came back and told us her manager said we’d been scammed. Apparently, the CN Tower are aware of that fake website but they can’t do anything about it and we weren’t the first to fall for it.
Long story short, we had to call our banks and cancel both credit cards just in case, leaving us with no cards for the rest of our stay. Not ideal!
I did all the things I shouldn’t have: I booked in a rush, didn’t check the URL before entering card details (it was cntower.digital instead of cntower.ca) and I let a countdown clock push me into making a quick decision.
It put a bit of a damper on the day, but in the end, it all worked out. We booked the restaurant the next day instead and it turned out even better than we expected. Maybe the universe knows better sometimes and it’s best to just go with the flow.
Thank you for reading our guide on how to visit the CN Tower. We hope it’s helpful for your planning!
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