Toronto Path and SkyWalk: a journey through downtown Toronto’s underground walkways

Today, we’re heading into the heart of downtown Toronto to explore the Path and SkyWalk.

According to the Guinness World Records, the Path is the world’s largest underground pedestrian network with retail space, spanning 30 km beneath Toronto’s downtown!

Our journey begins at the street-level CF Eaton Centre, named after the Eaton department store chain, the largest in Canada in the late 19th to early 20th century.

Today, Eaton Centre houses 235 stores, including giants like Nordstrom, Hudson’s Bay, and Saks Fifth Avenue, spread across 8 floors of the Hudson’s Bay building and along a 4-story gallery. The office tower of Eaton Centre rises to 36 floors!

It’s bustling here now, weekends being prime time for Torontonians and city visitors to shop, especially with the holiday season in full swing! Eaton Centre is always adorned with season-themed decorations and, of course, discounts and offers.

Located between Dundas and Queen subway stations, Eaton Centre can be accessed directly from them without stepping outside. Eaton Centre’s walkways are part of the Path system.

After a brief outdoor break on Toronto’s main street, Yonge Street, which spans 56 km from the waterfront of Lake Ontario in Toronto’s south to Lake Simcoe in the north, passing through major cities like Richmond Hill and Newmarket, we head into Toronto’s Financial District and enter Scotia Plaza, one of Scotiabank’s business buildings, descending directly into the Path from its lobby.

Unlike the sections passing through Eaton Centre’s galleries, the Path beneath the Financial District is deserted on weekends. You’ll only encounter tourists exploring this Toronto landmark.

From the Path, you can access all major streets and squares in downtown Toronto and even enter the lobbies of most business skyscrapers, owned by banks and organizations.

Each company owning buildings above the Path tries to decorate and brighten their part uniquely. Here, you’ll see corporate colors of all major banks: white, red, green.

The atmosphere becomes even more festive here during holidays. Stores, boutiques, and cafes in the Path are closed on weekends.

Of course, you’ll find a completely different scene on weekdays when the offices above are bustling with life. Weekdays bring lively trade, with eateries and restaurants opening their doors: the Path hosts over 1200 retail spots, first opening in the 1970s! The system continues to expand today.

A rare treat: in this vending machine with colorful pastries, you can buy a rainbow pastry even on weekends!

It’s not just banks and large companies with access to the Path; we’re now in the section belonging to the Sheraton hotel.

Expansion works around Union Station are currently underway, with the construction of the first pedestrian tunnels of the system starting in 1900! The first connections that initiated Toronto’s Path were tunnels linking Eaton Centre to the Eaton Annex building near the old City Hall.

Meanwhile, we descend to another subway station accessible from the Path: St. Andrew station.

The part of the Path above ground is called SkyWalk, a 500-meter covered walkway between Union Station, the CN Tower, and Rogers Centre.

SkyWalk opened in 1989 to facilitate transit between the stadium and Toronto’s transportation arteries: the subway and GO trains. Architecturally, it’s a whimsical structure of glass and metal.

One of Toronto’s main attractions is the CN Tower, standing 553 meters tall and the final point of our journey through the Toronto Path!