Casa Loma

On a rise above the city stands something unexpected: a great Gothic castle of turrets, towers, and battlements, with grand halls, secret passages, and terraced gardens, built not by a medieval king but by a modern businessman. This is Casa Loma, the city's own fairy-tale castle and one of its most-loved attractions.

The castle was built in the early twentieth century, completed around 1914, by a wealthy financier who made his fortune in the city's early electric power and wanted a home to match his ambitions. He spared no expense, and for a few years lived in baronial splendour.

The result is a sprawling mansion in the style of a European castle, with nearly a hundred rooms, towers you can climb, oak-panelled halls, a grand conservatory, and stables reached by a long underground tunnel, all on a scale the city had never seen.

The owner's fortunes did not last. Within a decade, changing times and heavy debts forced him to give up the castle, and the great house passed out of his hands, an early and dramatic rise-and-fall that is part of its story.

Since then the castle has served many purposes and is now a museum and event venue, its rooms furnished to recall its brief gilded age, so visitors can wander the halls, climb the towers, and explore the tunnel and stables.

The towers reward the climb with wide views over the city and the lake beyond, and the contrast of the castle's battlements against the modern skyline is one of the quirks that make it memorable.

The terraced gardens, open in the warmer months, are among the finest in the city, with lawns, flowers, and fountains stepping down the hillside, a popular spot in their own right.

The secret passage and the long tunnel to the stables delight visitors, especially children, giving the castle a sense of adventure beyond the grand rooms, and the stables themselves were as lavish as the house.

The castle has appeared in many films and shows, standing in for grand houses and fortresses, so parts of it may feel oddly familiar even on a first visit.

It sits on a hill in a residential district a little above the centre, reached by a climb or a short ride, and the approach up to the gates builds the sense of arriving at a real castle.

A few practical notes. Entry is ticketed, often with timed admission; the gardens are seasonal, so summer adds to the visit. Allow a couple of hours to take in the rooms, towers, tunnel, and grounds, and wear shoes good for stairs.

Climb a tower for the view, walk the grand halls, and slip through the tunnel to the stables, and the strange dream of a modern man who built himself a castle comes to life. When you walk back down the hill into the ordinary streets, the turrets stand behind you, a fairy tale on the city's edge.