Shopping - Toronto Hotels .com

Toronto is a shopper's paradise, accommodating every style and budget. For unique, high-end women's clothing, head to the Bloor Street West district, Toronto's equivalent of Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive. Stop by Augustina (138 Cumberland St.) for exquisite pieces in every category -- from silk lingerie to buttery leather handbags. For hip fashion where cutting-edge cool meets trendy retro, visit the Queen Street West area. In the Downtown West area there is the Kensington Market district, tailored for the shopper whose style runs toward the bohemian/gypsy vintage look. And for great bargains on fur, leather, or a one-of-a-kind wedding gown, head to the nearby Fashion District in Chinatown.

If discount and vintage shopping is your thing, be prepared to embark on a bargain safari, because Toronto is full of treasures. Begin with Honest Ed's Shopping Centre (581 Bloor St.), 160,000 square feet of discount shopping. Kensington Market is a great place to find a variety of things from clothing to exotic cooking spices and fresh meats. Toronto's underground PATH, with over 1,200 shops, offers all sorts of businesses in a range of affordable prices.

For independent, specialty bookstores and hard-to-find music, your best bet is an excursion to the Queen Street West area, with all-around good shops such as Annex Book City's (501 Bloor St. W.) more than 10,000 titles and Moog Audio-Slinky Music (442 Queen St. W.), which vehemently avoids top-40 charts and prides itself on carefully chosen hip hop, soul, jazz, reggae, rock, electronica, and world music.

Antique lovers must head to the Toronto Antique Centre on King Street where more than 25 shops sell everything from estate jewelry to Persian rugs. The Sunday Antique Market in the St. Lawrence Market's north building features more than 100 vendors every week. Yonge Street is home to the city's finest antiques--for the true connoisseur, this street with its shops displaying rare Napoleon III tables and rococo Fortuny lamps is not to be missed.