Casa Loma is the most extravagant private residence ever built in Canada — a genuine early 20th-century castle on a hilltop overlooking midtown Toronto. Sir Henry Pellatt, the electricity magnate who built it, employed 300 people just to maintain the estate. He lived there for less than a decade before tax obligations and maintenance costs bankrupted him.
The castle has 98 rooms spread across multiple towers and a massive great hall. The conservatory has a domed copper ceiling. The stables are lined with Spanish tiles and mahogany, built to house 30 horses. An underground tunnel runs 244 metres from the main house to the carriage house, built so Pellatt could reach his automobiles without going outside in a Canadian winter.
The city of Toronto took ownership in 1937 and has operated it as a museum and event venue since then. The views over the city from the top of the towers are excellent. Allow 90 minutes to two hours.