Canada's biggest city gets written off as a place you change planes. That's a mistake. Toronto, home to about 3.3 million people and one of the most multicultural cities in North America, packs galleries, lakeside beaches, pro sport and world-class eating into a city that rewards a slow visit rather than a rushed stopover.

Culture first, and the city doesn't do boring museums. The spike-studded Royal Ontario Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art cover the classics, but Casa Loma — an early 20th-century Gothic castle complete with hidden tunnels and battlements — doubles as an art and vintage car museum. Then there's the Bata Shoe Museum, which holds 15,000 pieces ranging from Elton John's platform boots to the Dalai Lama's flip-flops. After dark, options run from drag nights and Latin music at El Convento Rico to CODA, a 9,000-square-foot electronic music venue that books both big names and underground DJs.

Sport is a genuine reason to visit. The Rogers Centre — still known locally as the SkyDome — hosts the Toronto Blue Jays, Canada's only Major League Baseball team, under a 31-storey retractable roof. Pre-game, Steam Whistle Brewing runs tailgate parties with smashburgers and plenty of die-hard fans to chat to. Indoors at Scotiabank Arena, you can catch the Maple Leafs' hockey devotees or the Raptors' basketball crowds.

The city's landmarks are best paired with its water. The 553m CN Tower ruled as the world's tallest freestanding tower from 1976 to 2007, and the lift ride up still delivers the definitive panorama. For the reverse view, a year-round ferry crosses to the Toronto Islands, where sandy shores frame the skyline — bright blue skies in spring, twinkling city lights at autumn dusk. Centre Island has the family-friendly Centreville Theme Park, while Hanlan's Point's Gibraltar Point Lighthouse ranks among Toronto's oldest buildings, with a ghost story attached: its 19th-century keeper John Paul Radelmüller is said to haunt the tower, allegedly murdered by British grenadiers after his homebrew.

Then there's the food, arguably Toronto's strongest card. Generations of immigration mean nearly every cuisine is represented and done well: pork and pineapple tacos at Mexican spot Itacate, pomegranate-glazed beef tenderloin with hummus at Lebanese restaurant Laylak, or a splurge at Canoe atop TD Bank Tower, where Canadian produce gets international treatment — think albacore tuna with saké beurre blanc. Serious eaters should head straight to Kensington Market for street food from everywhere: octopus balls at Takoyaki6ix, Tibetan momo dumplings at Tibet Cafe & Bar, boreka pastries at Moonbeam Coffee Company.

Don't miss the Distillery District, a pedestrianised pocket of cobbled streets and 19th-century buildings now filled with restaurants, bars and boutiques. In winter it becomes the Distillery Winter Village, strung with lights and Christmas stalls — go for the live carols, stay for the hot chocolate topped with toasted marshmallow.

Who's it for: anyone who wants a big-city break with outdoor time built in, food lovers who like eating around the world in a weekend, and travellers tempted to pair the city with wider Canada. Give it more than a day or two — Toronto isn't built to be rushed.