CN Tower

candid CN Tower tips

 

Why the
CN Tower
is special

The CN Tower in Toronto, Canada is one of the highest and most striking free-standing towers in the world. It rises an astounding 553 meters (1815 feet) above the ground. On a clear day you can see about 100 kilometers (60 miles) away.

CN Tower
tips & insights

Skypod

The 447-meter (1465-foot) high Skypod is the CN Tower's observatory.

The other observatory

There is also a large ring-shaped protrusion (see photo) at about 340 meters or 1100 feet up.  It sports an indoor observatory, an outdoor viewing platform, an upscale revolving restaurant, and a casual cafe. The indoor observatory features a glass floor. Walk on it and you see nothing but empty space between you and the ground some 90 floors below. Not for acrophobics.

Going up

An elevator with a glass wall whisks you up the side of the CN Tower to the ring-shaped level. From there, an indoor elevator transports you to the Skypod.

Light show

The exterior of the CN Tower is spectacularly aglow at night with colorful LED lighting.

Visitor count

The CN Tower attracts roughly 2 million visitors a year.

Summertime

Waiting lines can be long during the peak summer tourist season. Try to avoid summer weekends - and arrive either before 10:30 a.m. or after 4 p.m.

Weather forecast

On low-cloud days, you might not see anything. Check the weather forecast before buying your admission ticket.

Stairway

There is a 1,776-step interior stairway, but it's closed to the public except for special walk-up fund raisers for nonprofit organizations.

Tallest?

Despite its amazing height, the CN Tower never earned the "tallest building in the world" title because - by expert consensus - it is technically a tower, not a building. And, it's not even the world's tallest tower. That designation  belongs to a rural communications mast in South Dakota, USA. The CN Tower, however, won the "tallest free-standing tower" accolade because the South Dakota structure is supported by guy wires. Unfortunately, the completion of the Burg Dubai in the Middle East ends that "tallest" distinction.

Construction

The CN Tower was built in 1976 as a communications tower and a tourism attraction.

Name

It gained its "CN" initials from its original owner, the Canadian National Railway.

  

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