Looking to escape Toronto this weekend? August is one of the best times for a short Ontario getaway, and you don’t need to plan an exhausting road trip to make a weekend away feel like a real vacation. Within a few hours of Toronto you’ll find wineries, theater, small towns, beaches, gardens, historic streets and some of Ontario’s most beautiful countryside.
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Weekend Getaways from Toronto for Senior Travellers – Where to Go This Weekend
Niagara-on-the-Lake
Distance from Toronto: About 130 km
Driving time: Approximately 1½–2 hours
Best for: Couples, wine, theatre, restaurants and a relaxed overnight stay
Stay: 1–2 nights
And this particular weekend provides an extra reason to go: the Niagara-on-the-Lake Peach Festival takes place Friday, August 7 and Saturday, August 8, 2026.
On Saturday, Queen Street will host the festival from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., celebrating Niagara’s peach harvest with local food, fresh produce, live music, a peach market, peach treats and other activities.
Another reason Niagara-on-the-Lake works so well is the Shaw Festival. The Shaw Festival also operates its Shaw Express service from Toronto on selected dates.
Stratford — Theatre, Restaurants and a Beautiful Ontario Town
Distance from Toronto: About 150 km
Driving time: Approximately 2 hours
Best for: Theatre, culture, restaurants and couples
Stay: 1 night
The city makes an excellent weekend destination for travellers who enjoy theatre, good restaurants and simply walking through an attractive small city at a slower pace.
Stratford is best known for the Stratford Festival, one of Canada’s most important theatre festivals. Part of Stratford’s appeal is that the city itself is compact enough for a leisurely weekend.
Prince Edward County — Wine, Food and a Slower Weekend
Distance from Toronto: About 200 km
Driving time: Approximately 2½–3 hours
Best for: Wine, food, countryside and couples
Stay: 1–2 nights
If you want the weekend to feel more like a proper escape from Toronto, head east to Prince Edward County. Here you can go to vineyards, farms, restaurants, small towns, beaches and get the Lake Ontario shoreline or explore Picton or Wellington.
Prince Edward County is a destination where having fewer plans can actually make for a better weekend.
Elora & Fergus — A Small-Town Escape Close to Toronto
Distance from Toronto: About 115 km
Driving time: Approximately 1½ hours
Best for: Small towns, scenery, cafés and a relaxed one-night getaway
Stay: 1 night
Elora and Fergus make a particularly easy weekend getaway because the two communities are close together and only around 90 minutes from Toronto under normal driving conditions.
Elora has become one of Ontario’s most popular small-town destinations, thanks to its historic architecture, dramatic gorge and attractive downtown, and the nearby Fergus adds another historic town to the same trip.
Niagara Falls — Rediscover a Canadian Classic
Distance from Toronto: About 130 km
Driving time: Approximately 1½–2 hours
Best for: Scenery, couples, first-time visitors and an easy overnight trip
Stay: 1 night
You may have visited Niagara Falls years ago—or perhaps dozens of times. But there’s a reason it remains one of Canada’s most popular destinations.
The Falls themselves are still spectacular, and staying overnight allows you to experience Niagara at a much more relaxed pace than a rushed day tour from Toronto.