Toronto is home to a plethora of museums and galleries. However, visiting these arts and culture institutions sometimes come at a high cost. Want to visit them without breaking the bank? Here’s a list of the museums and galleries you can visit for free every day of the week:
Monday
Nothing to report; sorry!
(FYI: If you’re planning to visit an art/history institution on a Monday, maybe reconsider as a majority of the places listed below are closed on this day - with the exception of Gardiner Museum and Bata Shoe Museum. If you’re planning to visit on a Holiday Monday, some museums may be open; inquire hours on their respective website directly.)
Tuesday
Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) – Visit Canada’s largest art, world culture and natural history museum for free every third Tuesday of the month from 4:30pm-8:30pm. Advanced tickets/bookings are not required.
Wednesday
Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) – Considered one of the most distinguished art museums in North America with over 90,000 pieces of art on display, you can visit the AGO for free every Wednesday from 6pm-9pm. Tickets can be booked in advance on the Monday prior to visit; you can also get your ticket day-of at the box office.
(P.S. Are you 25 or under? You can visit the AGO for free anytime!)
Gardiner Museum – Experience this world class ceramic arts museum for free every Wednesday from 4pm-9pm. Advanced tickets/bookings are not required.
Aga Khan Museum – Located in Toronto’s North York district, the Aga Khan Museum is dedicated to showcasing Muslim art and culture, and is free every Wednesday from 4pm-8pm. Tickets can be booked in advance and are released online at 9am day-of; a limited number of day-of tickets are also available at the box office.
Thursday
Nothing to report; sorry!
(But scroll to the bottom to find a list of galleries/museums you can visit for free everyday)
Friday
Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) – Championing contemporary art that provokes ideas, creates discussion and challenges the current environment, the MOCA can be visited for free every Friday from 5pm-9pm. Advanced tickets/bookings are not required.
Saturday
Nothing to report; sorry!
(But scroll to the bottom to find a list of galleries/museums you can visit for free everyday)
Sunday
Bata Shoe Museum – Explore the 4,500-year history of footwear for free every Sunday from 12pm-5pm. Tickets can be booked in advance on their website or at the box office.
Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) – Along with Friday evenings, the MOCA offers “TD Community Sundays” on the first Sunday of every month for free admittance all day (11am-6pm). Tickets can be booked in advance or are available day-of at the box office.
Everyday
Harbourfront Centre & The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery – Housing multiple exhibition spaces that allows visitors not only to look at art, but also engage with it through a range of public events programming, these institutions are open Tuesday-Sunday from 10am-6pm, with longer opening hours on Wednesdays (until 8pm); also open Holiday Mondays from 10am-5pm.
401 Richmond – Industrial building turned arts and cultural hub, 401 Richmond houses 12 art galleries and artist-run centres; they’re open Tuesday-Saturday from 11am-6pm.
Other - Museum + Arts Pass (MAP) brought to you by the Toronto Public Library. Using your library card, you can get free tickets (up to four; generally two adults and two children) to a variety of Toronto museums and cultural attractions. Only available at limited library branches; see the list here. Institutions include:
· Aga Khan Museum
· Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)
· Bata Shoe Museum
· Black Creek Pioneer Village
· Gardiner Museum
· Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
· Ontario Science Centre
· Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada
· Royal Ontario Museum (ROM)
· Textile Museum of Canada
· Toronto Railway Museum
· Toronto Zoo
*all pictures used in this blog post are not mine; each picture is hyperlinked to take you to the website of origin - predominately the respective institution website*
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