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2 Day Trip in Kingston, Ontario: 16 Places To Eat, Play, Stay

Looking to for a 2 day trip in Kingston, Ontario? This travel guide highlights some of the best restaurants, attractions and hotel in the city for that perfect weekend getaway!

Kingston is a quaint city rich in culture and history, but one thing I didn’t know is it has a bustling food scene as well to make it a well-rounded city.

It is located in the middle between Toronto and Montreal, and is at the gateway of the 1000 Islands and the UNESCO-designated Rideau Canal.

Did You Know? Kingston was the first capital of Canada, and is one of the Canadian cities with the highest restaurants per capita.

Also Read: Things To Do in Stratford, Ontario in Spring for Food Lovers


2 Day Trip in Kingston, Ontario: Travel Guide with best things to do, places to eat and stay incl. Chez Piggy, Pan Chancho Bakery, Fort Henry, Kingston Penitentiary, Kingston Trolley Tours and Bellevue House.

2 Day Trip in Kingston Itinerary

I explored the city on a two-day trip thanks to Visit Kingston.

In this travel guide, I got a great itinerary that features best things to do, where to eat and stay for a 2 day trip in Kingston.

Kingston Day 1 Trip Itinerary

Via Rail

Kingston is a good 2-hour train ride from Toronto.

I took the Via Rail leaving Toronto at 9:20am and arriving Kingston at 11:34am.

This was my first time being in Business Class, which includes meals and drinks.

Yes, my eating and drinking started even before I reached Kingston.

For the pre-lunch meal, I had their Chicken Tikka Masala.

Chicken Tikka Masala at Via Rail Business Class for Day Trip from Toronto to Kingston, Ontario

Alcohol is included in Via Rail’s Business Class too! I got the Vodka Orange. #Always5pmSomewhere

Vodka Orange at Via Rail Business Class from Toronto to Kingston, Ontario

Also Read: Top Restaurants in Toronto

Website / Address: 65 Front St W, Toronto, Ontario M5J 1E6


Delta Hotels by Marriott Kingston Waterfront

Upon arrival to Kingston, my first stop was to check-in at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Kingston Waterfront.

It’s not your typical big hotel, but there’s a small lobby, a restaurant and a bar.

The Delta Kingston Waterfront Hotel is the only Four Star Hotel in Kingston.

What’s amazing is it has waterfront views from every guest room.

The waterfront views from the room are spectacular as you can see from my video.

Check availability and pricing for Delta Kingston Waterfront Hotel on Booking.com / Agoda

Website / Address: 1 Johnson St, Kingston, Ontario K7L 5H7


Le Chien Noir Bistro

At 12:30pm, it was time for lunch at Le Chien Noir Bistro, one of the best French restaurants in Kingston serving French bistro classics and modern braisserie dishes.

We started with Escargots au Gratin with basil pesto cream and gruyère.

This was very unique since escargots are commonly served with butter garlic.

It’s very rich but I just love the basil pesto cream!

Escargots au Gratin at Le Chien Noir Bistro in Kingston, Ontario

Next was the Tuna Tartare which we got as main course with frites and salad.

The tuna tartare had avocado, sambal, soy, sesame seeds, green onion and served with wonton chips.

So fresh with a slight spicy kick! I loved it!

Tuna Tartare at Le Chien Noir Bistro in Kingston, Ontario
Frites at Le Chien Noir Bistro in Kingston, Ontario

Seeing lamb in the menu always piques my curiosity as I love lamb.

The Grilled Lamb Sirloin at Le Chien Noir Bistro was unique because it had Moroccan flavours to it: pearl couscous, dried fruit, toasted nuts, market vegetables, chermoula-garbanzo sauce.

Grilled Lamb Sirloin at Le Chien Noir Bistro in Kingston, Ontario

It was Canada’s 150 the year I visited so one thing that was unique this year is that Kingston’s food scene is paying tribute to Canada’s 150 Birthday by creating new dishes that prominently feature local ingredients.

At Le Chien Noir Bistro, they served the Hunter’s Poutine which has Québec venison, brie, sauteed mushrooms and roasted shallot jus.

Website / Address: 69 Brock St, Kingston, Ontario K7L 1R8


Kingston Trolley Tours

After the lunch, I headed to the Kingston Trolley Tours, one of the best things to do in Kingston that allows you to explore most of the Kingston’s best attractions.

The Kingston Trolley Tours office is located at the Kingston Visitor Information Centre, right behind the City Hall from the Market Square.

It’s south of the Confederation Park Fountain where you can get this perfect framing of the Shoal Tower National Historic Site.

Shoal Tower National Historic Site in Kingston, Ontario

The entire tour takes you on a 75 minute guided tour across 9 different stops.

You can hop on and off the trolley on each stop, and it takes 30 mins for the next trolley to arrive.

Kingston City Hall

Kingston City Hall is actually Stop 1 of the Trolley Tour.

Kingston City Hall and Market Square in Kingston, Ontario
Royal Military College of Canada

Stop 2 of the Trolley is Royal Military College of Canada which is the military college for the Canadian Armed Forces.

It also serves as a degree-granting university training military officers for all branches of the military.

If you walk left from the Trolley Stop, you will find the Fort Frederick Martello Tower, a National Historic Site and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Fort Frederick Martello Tower in Kingston, Ontario
Bellevue House National Historic Site

Stop 6 is the Bellevue House National Historic Site, a restored 1840’s home and gardens of Canada’s First Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald.

There are actual staff dressed in costumes to bring you back in time.

For Canada 150, the self-guided tour is free but you can get a guided tour from one of the costumed staff for $7.

Inspired by the ideals of the Picturesque movement, Bellevue House was built as a scenic landscape painting in the 1840s in the style of an Italianate villa.

Bellevue House National Historic Site in Kingston, Ontario
Expanse Lawn at Bellevue House in Kingston, Ontario

Website / Address: 1 Brock St, Kingston, Ontario K7L 1R7


Dianne’s Fish Shack & Smokehouse

At around 5:30pm starts the food tripping, kicking of the night at Dianne’s Fish Shack & Smokehouse, where a classic East Coast Kitchen meets the flavours of Baja Mexico.

Did you know? Dianne’s Fish Shack & Smokehouse was listed in OpenTable’s Diner’s Choice restaurants in 2019.

The restaurants serves complimentary fresh warm buns topped with sea salt and a side of whipped butter. The buns were like perfect pretzels – crusty salty outside and soft inside!

complimentary buns at Dianne's Fish Shack & Smokehouse in Kingston, Ontario

I had their Classic Margarita which features 1800 Blanco tequila, patron citronge and freshly squeezed lime (which is paramount!).

This was so refreshing I had two.

Classic Margarita at Dianne's Fish Shack & Smokehouse in Kingston, Ontario

I’m a sucker for calamari so, when I see it on the menu, it’s always something I want to get.

We got the Spicy Fried Rhode Island Style Calamari with fried pickled peppers and arbol chili mayo.

This was very fresh that you can really taste the squid.

Spicy Fried Rhode Island Style Calamari at Dianne's Fish Shack & Smokehouse in Kingston, Ontario

I usually try looking for something unique in the menu.

One thing that popped out at Dianne’s Fish Shack & Smokehouse was the Tequila Shrimp.

Served on a sizzling skillet, the shrimps were made on tequila-tomato broth with sweet & smokey pepper slaw and garlic.

Tequila Shrimp at Dianne's Fish Shack & Smokehouse in Kingston, Ontario

Website / Address: 195 Ontario St, Kingston, Ontario K7L 2Y7


Casa Domenico

Where to eat in Kingston for Italian? Our next stop was Casa Domenico for some Italian style cuisine prepared by Executive Chef David Faroldi.

Since we had calamari at Dianne’s already, I gravitated to the next similar item, Polpo alla Griglia, which is grilled octopus with hot peppers, black olives, parsley, capers, warm lemon potatoes, red onions and tomato oil.

This was probably one of the best grilled octopus I had – grilled to perfection and very tender.

We paired this with Red Rooster Chardonnay.

Grilled Octopus at Casa Domenico in Kingston, Ontario

Our second dish at Casa Domenico was the Carpaccio di Manzo, thinly sliced beef, extra virgin olive oil, capers, parmigiano, arugula with red whine vinaigrette.

I absolutely loved the mix of ingredients here but would’ve preferred less olive oil.

Beef Carpaccio at Casa Domenico in Kingston, Ontario

Website / Address: 35 Brock St, Kingston, Ontario K7L 1R7


AquaTerra

When you think the our Kingston food trip was done, our last stop was dinner at AquaTerra.

Located inside the Marriott Kingston Waterfront, AquaTerra focuses on New Canadian fare emphasizing on fresh and locally sourced ingredients.

The drinking continues as we start off with some cocktails. I got Gin and Tonic.

Cocktails at AquaTerra in Kingston, Ontario

AquaTerra serves complimentary amuse bouche and in-house focaccia bread from the kitchen.

The amuse bouche was short ribs and it was very tasty.

Short Ribs amuse bouche at AquaTerra in Kingston, Ontario

We started off with something I’ve never had before Gravlax: citrus cured salmon, leek ash, smoked Upper Canada yogurt, Mill Creek peas, K.O.O.C. olive oil, lemon gastrique, pea tendrils, rye croutons.

We paired this with the Anakena Vineyards Viognier.

Short Ribs amuse bouche at AquaTerra in Kingston, Ontario

Our next item was the Duck Terrine: duck confit, foie gras, blueberry cognac compote, brioche toast.

I’m a sucker for duck too so I really wanted to get this.

The terrine was creamy and very flavourful.

I found it went better with the in-house focaccia than the brioche.

Short Ribs amuse bouche at AquaTerra in Kingston, Ontario

Third appetizer was the Tartare: steak tartare, 63 degree Beking egg, crostini, roasted Enright Cattle Co. marrow bone, Mrs. McGarrigle’s grainy dijon.

This was my favourite dish we had at AquaTerra, especially after paired with Meerlust Estate Rubicon.

Tartare at AquaTerra in Kingston, Ontario

The Rubicon is an eye opener for red wine for me with its blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

Meerlust Rubicon at AquaTerra in Kingston, Ontario

For the main course, we chose the Seafood Special that night which had a combination of lobster, scallop and shrimp.

Seafood Special at AquaTerra in Kingston, Ontario

What a way to end the first day of my 2 day trip in Kingston!

After a great day of touring, eating and drinking, I was ready to get some sleep.

AquaTerra was the perfect last stop because I was already in the hotel and only had to take the elevators to my room.

Also Read: One Night in Middlesex County, Ontario

Website / Address: 1 Johnson St, Kingston, Ontario K7L 5H7


Kingston Day 2 Trip Itinerary

Pan Chancho Bakery

Day 2 started early at 7AM for one of the best places to eat breakfast in Kingston, Pan Chancho Bakery.

Pan Chancho was opened by the original founders of Chez Piggy restaurant, Rose Richardson & Zalman Yanovsky, to provide hand-made bread to be used in Chez Piggy.

It has since then grew to include a cafe and restaurant as well.

Waking up this early calls for some caffeine. I had their cappuccino.

Cappuccino at Pan Chancho Bakery in Kingston, Ontario

For my breakfast, I wanted something filling since I had a long morning of touring before lunch.

I went for the Steak & Eggs: 6oz Enright Cattle Co. rib steak, two over easy eggs, chimichurri sauce and roasted yams.

The steak was tender and juicy, and I enjoyed the addition of chimichurri sauce on it.

Steak and Eggs at Pan Chancho Bakery in Kingston, Ontario

Craving something really sweet after, I chose the Maple Butter Tart for dessert since Pan Chancho Bakery is known for it.

The tart was flaky and crusty with strong maple taste!

Maple Butter Tart at Pan Chancho Bakery in Kingston, Ontario

Also Read: Haliburton Highlands, Ontario Travel Guide

Website / Address: 44 Princess St, Kingston, Ontario K7L 1A4


Kingston Penitentiary Tours

After breakfast, I did the Kingston Pen Tours at 8:30AM where you get a tour of the high security Kingston Penitentiary with speakers who worked at the pen before it closed on September 30, 2013.

One of the popular attractions, Kingston Penitentiary National Historic Site held Canada’s most notorious criminals: Paul Bernardo and Clifford Olson (serial killers), and Tyrone Conn (famous bank robber).

North Gate of Kingston Penitentiary, Ontario
The Dome at Kingston Penitentiary, Ontario

Website / Address: 560 King St W, Kingston, Ontario K7L 4V7


Fort Henry National Historic Site

At 10:30AM, I headed to Fort Henry National Historic Site.

Similar to Halifax Citadel National Historic Site, Fort Henry takes you back in time with the people wearing period costumes depicting what soldiers wore back then.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Fort Henry was built from 1832 to 1837 to replace the original fort constructed during the War of 1812 era for the British to defend against the Americans.

It was never attacked though.

On the way to the entrance, you’ll find the west branch ditch tower (there’s an east branch too).

These limestone ditch towers, each armed with a cannon on top, are 13-m in height and 9-m in diameter at the base.

West Branch Ditch Tower at Fort Henry in Kingston, Ontario

The Fort Henry guided tours start just before the drawbridge.

Drawbridge at Fort Henry in Kingston, Ontario
Fortifications at Fort Henry in Kingston, Ontario

Also Read: A Summer Day Trip in Port Hope, Ontario

Website / Address: 1 Fort Henry Dr, Kingston, Ontario K7K 5G8


Chez Piggy

After Fort Henry was lunch at Chez Piggy, one of the oldest and most popular restaurants in Kingston, opened since 1979 (Pan Chancho was opened in 1994).

Chez Piggy is at a former limestone stable and serves globally inspired dishes.

We started off with Gambas al Ajillo, a popular Spanish dish, which is shrimps on garlic and olive oil served in a sizzling skillet.

When you see the oil with garlic high enough to be midway of the shrimp, you know you’re in for a treat.

Travelling Foodie Tip: Dip the complimentary bread on the garlic oil, and thank me later!

Gambas al Ajillo at Chez Piggy in Kingston, Ontario

Next up is one of Chez Piggy’s most popular items, Châ Giô which are Vietnamese spring rolls with shrimp, chicken and pork.

Owner Zoe said they actually have to get one person dedicated to just making these rolls, as they can serve upwards of 200 orders in a day.

Châ Giô at Chez Piggy in Kingston, Ontario

It’s very interesting to see duck wings, especially after I told you my love for duck, so I just had to get the Lemon Pepper Duck Wings with Buttermilk Ranch.

The duck wings at Chez Piggy were big sized wings and meatier than chicken wings.

The lemon pepper was a nice touch especially when dipped with the creamy buttermilk ranch.

For the main, we got the Creamy Mushroom Gnocchi, which was such a delight.

The gnocchi was perfectly aldente and was breaming with flavour with the crème fraîche sauce, pecorino con pepe and sunchoke chips.

Creamy Mushroom Gnocchi at Chez Piggy in Kingston, Ontario

At this point, I was supposed to leave and go to the 1000 Island Discovery Cruise at 1PM.

However, it got cancelled due to weather.

So what does a foodie do? Order another dish.

I haven’t had much desserts in this trip other than the Maple Butter Tart, so I decided to go for dessert.

Hazelnut is one of my favourite for chocolate so, when I saw the Gjunduja Mousse with hazelnut, I wanted to try it.

Gjunduja Mousse at Chez Piggy in Kingston, Ontario

Website / Address: 68 Princess St, Kingston, Ontario K7L 1A5


The Common Market

I’m not so rushed anymore since the 1000 Island Discovery Cruise got cancelled.

I decided to stroll around the city, and get a cup of Mocha at The Common Market.

Their coffee beans are organic, locally roasted and rainforest alliance certified.

Cafe Mocha at The Common Market in Kingston, Ontario

My 2 day trip in Kingston ends here as I go back to the Delta Waterfront Hotel to pack my bags, check-out and take the Via Rail back to Toronto!

Website / Address: 136 Ontario St, Kingston, Ontario K7L 2Y4


VIDEO: 2 Days in Kingston, Ontario

Here’s a video recap of the 2 Days in Kingston, which I’ll be going in detail for this Travelling Foodie Guide.


MAP: Weekend Getaway in Kingston

Here’s a map with all the places to eat, play, stay in Kingston, Ontario for 2 days featured in this travel guide.


Hope this travel itinerary helps you decide how to spend two days in Kingston, Ontario with things to do, where to eat and stay in Kingston, Ontario.

You can follow exactly what I did, or change them up to suit your preferences. Either way, I’m sure you’ll have a great time like I did!


This travel guide was made in partnership with Visit Kingston. As usual, all opinions/thoughts are 100% my own.

You can learn more about Visit Kingston on their website.


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