Bookshops, libraries, historic halls, and one beautifully placed hotel: a literary-inspired midweek getaway in Toronto.
By Kristina Smith
There are getaways built around dinner reservations, spa appointments, and timed itineraries. This one began with a simpler ambition: to spend a couple of days surrounded by books.
We wanted to browse without rushing, walk through places steeped in history, and follow our curiosity wherever it led. Toronto, with its landmark library, university corridors, museums, and wonderfully varied bookshops, gave us plenty of material.
Our home base was the Kimpton Saint George, a boutique hotel on Bloor Street where the Annex meets Yorkville. The location placed us within easy reach of the University of Toronto, the Royal Ontario Museum, and some of the city’s best cultural stops—yet the hotel felt totally removed from the commotion outside.
The lobby made an immediate impression. Warm woods, curved architectural details, rich textures, and original Canadian artwork give it the feeling of a beautifully considered living room. That sense of residential comfort was intentional: Toronto-based Mason Studio designed the hotel to reflect the character and eccentricities of the surrounding Annex neighbourhood rather than simply reproduce the city’s most recognizable landmarks.
The staff added to that feeling. From the moment we arrived, the welcome was warm and genuine; anything we needed was quickly and graciously handled. Upstairs, our room was modern, spotless, and quietly luxurious—the kind of space that makes returning early with a new book feel like an entirely respectable evening plan.
There were playful touches, too. Each Kimpton has what the brand calls a “closet smile,” an unexpected detail waiting inside the guestroom closet. Here, it takes the form of a white squirrel, a nod to the famously pale squirrels spotted around Toronto’s Trinity Bellwoods Park. A yoga mat was tucked inside as well, and, after two full days of walking the city, a good stretch session was very much in need.
Five Storeys of Stories
Our literary tour began at the Toronto Reference Library, the monumental red-brick landmark near Yonge and Bloor.
Designed by celebrated Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama and opened in 1977, the building unfolds around a soaring central atrium. Curved balconies rise above the main floor, connected by glass elevators and vivid red staircases that make moving through the library feel surprisingly theatrical. (Tpl)
We browsed its many levels slowly, pausing at railings to take in the scale of the space. But what stayed with me most was not the architecture or even the seemingly endless collections. It was the people.
At tables, desks, and tucked-away corners, faces bent over books and laptop screens seemed to reflect the remarkable diversity of the city itself. Some were studying together; others worked in deep concentration or read alone. In a time when so many public spaces expect us to buy something or keep moving, the library offered something that felt precious: a place to simply be curious.
From there, we made our way to Indigo in Yorkville. This was book shopping in an entirely different register—two polished floors of new releases, art books, gifts, and glossy stacks waiting to be considered. A pianist played during our visit, lending an almost cinematic quality to the browsing.
Naturally, we left with more books than we intended to buy.
An Education in Wandering
Back near the hotel, the University of Toronto’s St. George campus offered another kind of literary atmosphere. Historic stone buildings, arched doorways, modern academic spaces, and pockets of green make the campus feel like several eras layered together.
We wandered without much of a plan, which is perhaps the best way to explore it. Away from the main roads, courtyards and quiet paths appeared unexpectedly. Even in the middle of the city, the campus held a certain hush—the feeling that behind every heavy wooden door, someone was wrestling with a very big idea.
Just steps from Kimpton Saint George, the Royal Ontario Museum extended the day’s theme beyond the written word and into the broader stories we tell about the world.
The ROM is Canada’s largest and most comprehensive museum, with a collection of approximately 18 million artworks, cultural objects, and natural history specimens. Its galleries span everything from dinosaur fossils and gems to ancient artifacts, textiles, and works of art. We spent several hours wandering between civilizations and centuries.
Leave It to Chance
Our most unusual book-shopping experience required travelling a little farther west to Monkey’s Paw, an antiquarian shop specializing in what it calls “old and unusual” books and artifacts from the age of print.
Its shelves invited the sort of treasure hunt that online shopping can never quite reproduce. Here were strange titles, forgotten subjects, peculiar illustrations, and books that seemed to have waited decades for exactly the right reader to find them.
Then there was the Biblio-Mat.
Designed and constructed by animator Craig Small, this coin-operated vending machine dispenses a randomly selected vintage book in exchange for a $5 token. You insert the token, listen as the machine whirs and clunks into action, and wait for your surprise to drop. The shop describes it as the first device of its kind.
There is something delightful about surrendering the decision entirely. No reviews, algorithms, bestseller rankings, or carefully considered cover copy—just chance. We left carrying books we hadn’t known existed, let alone realized we were looking for.
A Place to Begin and End
Back at Kimpton Saint George, the lobby became our pause between chapters. Each evening from five to six, the hotel hosts a complimentary social hour, inviting guests to settle in with a glass of wine. In the morning, coffee and tea appear on the lobby credenza.
Artwork reveals itself throughout the property. In the guest rooms, Marble Moon by Ottawa artist and designer Laura Langford adds a sculptural focal point. On the main floor, Oasis, commissioned from Toronto-based Igbo-Nigerian artist Kanna Anigbogu, brings movement, mood, and imaginative storytelling to the hotel’s Canadian art collection.
When hunger interrupted our reading, we stayed close. The Fortunate Fox, located alongside the hotel and operated separately, provided both an easy dinner in their lounge and room service. The pizza was highly recommended and lived up to the enthusiasm. The following morning, a plate of pancakes made an equally persuasive case for a leisurely start.
By the time we checked out, our bags were heavier and our to-read lists considerably longer.
It had been a city getaway, certainly, but not one defined by Toronto’s biggest attractions or busiest districts. Instead, we experienced the city through its shelves, collections, campuses, creative spaces, and quiet corners.
A literary-inspired trip, we discovered, does not require a famous author’s former home or a festival packed with readings. Sometimes, it is simply a matter of choosing a neighbourhood rich in stories, leaving room in your suitcase, and allowing the next chapter to find you.
Wander Magazine was hosted by Kimpton Saint George. As always, all impressions and opinions are our own.