With 1.1 million cars on the road and 22,000 active building permits, Toronto is a nosy and bustling metropolis. While Toronto’s unique urban environment is what brings many students to the University of Toronto, sometimes you need an escape. This guide to Toronto’s Urban Oases will help you find the quieter parts of the city.

Knox College Quad

Surrounded by an 170 year old building, this garden at the heart of campus is an excellent space for studying, photos, and picnics. Enter the quad through the wooden medieval-looking doors facing St. George Street and enter an ivy-covered stone walkway. Home to tame squirrels and wedding photographers alike, go beyond the quad to study in the high-ceiling library Caven Library located in the building’s interior.

Directions: Walk (7 minutes) south from Innis on St. George Street

For the more adventurous: For a truly medieval experience attend one of the college’s afternoon choral sessions, held every Tuesday at 4:15 pm.

Riverdale Farm

Riverdale Farm is a working farm located on a 1800s homestead and former zoo. The farm is open everyday until 5pm and is home to a variety of barnyard animals, beautiful flower beds, and a duck pond. Visit the farm just before closing to witness the animals’ nightly transit between pens.

Directions: Take the 94 Wellesley bus (30 minutes) east from Harbord, or bike (15 minutes) east on Wellesley Street till it ends, then travel two blocks south.

For the more adventurous: Follow any of the paths down from the farm into the valley. An overgrown urban park with turtles and an abandoned animal pen await you.

The Toronto Islands

Perhaps one of Toronto’s most unique urban parks, the Toronto Islands host a 1960s amusement park, Centerville, two small neighbourhoods, a sheltered beach, and a nineteenth-century lighthouse. With beautiful gardens and a spectacular view of the city’s skyline, the islands are a must-see for all new Torontonians. Best explored on bicycle, take a picnic and your swimsuit to enjoy the warm and clean beach on the Centre Island’s south shore.

Directions: Take Line 1 (20 minutes) to Union Station and walk to the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal. Catch a round-trip ferry for only $4 with your student card.

For the more adventurous: Rent or take your bicycle to Ward’s Island and explore the quaint streets of Toronto’s smallest and most isolated neighbourhood.

Wychwood Park Neighbourhood

Wychwood Park is Toronto’s only gated community and the first neighbourhood in Canada to be granted heritage recognition. Acting as Toronto’s best example of urban planner Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City, the green neighbourhood is home to a large turtle pond, towering maple trees, and large brick houses. The enclaves exclusiveness gives visitors booth feelings of tranquility and unease. Visit the neighbourhood on a Saturday and shop at the Wychwood Barns Farmers Market after your visit.

Directions: Take a 25 minute bike ride north of campus past Casa Loma and along Davenport, or Line 1 (30 minutes) to St. Claire West Station and walk.