THIS one is called Toes Over Toronto, " says Moose, our appropriately named tour guide, as he takes a step forward. We are standing above the main pod of the city's iconic landmark, the CN Tower, the sun is shining brightly and the visibility is so good it gives the illusion you can see the Earth's curve on the horizon. As I gaze from Lake Ontario to Niagara Falls, Moose breaks the early morning silence: "James, it's your turn." There are beads of perspiration on my forehead but they are nothing to do with the temperature.

Below our feet is a 5ft-wide metal grid platform and below that nothing; or at least nothing for 1,168ft. I gingerly follow Moose's lead until my toes are hanging over the edge. Welcome to EdgeWalk, Toronto's latest attraction which opened this month. Located a vertiginous 116 storeys up, it is an outdoor hands-free talk around the top of the tower where the only thing stopping you from plummeting to the ground is the platform and a couple of cables attached to an overhead safety system.

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For 30 minutes Moose challenges myself and my new-found tour buddies Carina, Nick, Soheyla, Mike and John as we circumnavigate the tower.

Each time we hang further over the drop until we reach the ultimate, The Titanic, where we lean as far forward as we can, the cables supporting us, and fling our arms out in Kate Winslet's famous movie pose. We look like a team of Icaruses ready to take flight.

As we come down to Earth (thankfully in one of the elevators) we chat about the experience before separating and promising to stay in touch. Hanging off the edge of high buildings does a lot for human bonding.

EdgeWalk should also do a lot for TO as the locals call Toronto.

Because, whisper it, the city has a reputation for being a little dull.

"You can't even get lost here, " bemoans a friend talking about the city's perfectly formed grid system of streets. Later I set out from my hotel to explore in an effort to challenge those preconceptions.

I'm staying at the new, centrally located Hôtel Le Germain Maple Leaf Square in a room with polished floors, marble walls and an open-plan bathroom with a glass-walled walk-in rain shower.

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There are huge picture windows with great views of the city.

A short walk takes me to the shores of Lake Ontario where a host of taut and tanned locals jog around the perimeter. All manner of boats depart from the quays here and I hop on one for an hour-long cruise to Toronto Islands, disembarking at Centre Island.

There are fairground rides, restaurants, cafés and miles of paths to explore. I hire a bike and meander to the Blue Flag beaches, at one of which clothing is optional.
On the return journey the views of the city from the water are as good as those from the CN Tower.

There's a cluster of skyscrapers around the tower and I make out the three stadiums that are home to five professional sports teams.

Past this core, the city becomes more low-rise in a series of themed and ethnic neighbourhoods. Over the next few days I explore some of them including Greektown where you can get the best souvlaki this side of Athens and Bloor-Yorkville, the city's answer to London's Bond Street.

To the east is Old Town Toronto with its red-brick buildings including the bustling St Lawrence market and the Distillery District, home to small artisan shops and the Mill Street microbrewery.

Evergreen Brick Works, where materials for the Old Town's bricks were once mined, is 10 minutes from town at the old quarry and home to one of the city's success stories. Set up by a local charity it combines nature, culture and community in one project. The quarry has been filled with water to create a wetlands area, the old brick factory is an art gallery and there are workshops on subjects such as organic farming.

Opened last September, it has been hailed as one of the world's top 10 geotourism destinations by National Geographic.
Queen Street West in the Entertainment District is packed with buzzing bars and restaurants.

I settle on Ultra, a bar that serves food in the early evening and turns into a club after 11pm. The décor has a baroque feel with its exposed brick walls, red uplighters, dark wood tables and ornate candle-holders. My meal, a green salad starter, an 8oz steak and chocolate tart is excellent value at less than £25.

The next morning I hook up with tour guide Betty Ann Jordan at West Queen West. Here, between the intersections of Dufferin and Bathurst, are 20 blocks of Toronto's Art District and some excellent vintage clothes stores, one-off boutiques and galleries.

Storefront windows are taken over by artists who display their work free, and there are a couple of real gems in Stephen Bulger's photography gallery and the Angell Gallery which starts its shows with opera and ends them with karaoke.

We end our tour with lunch at Union, a bistro that serves produce from owner-chef Teo Paul's organic farm. Betty Ann points out Sweaty Betty's, a bar across the street. It's where the likes of Drew Barrymore hang out when the illustrious Toronto International Film Festival rolls into town next month.
Toronto boring? It's edgier than you think.

GETTING THERE:
Virgin Holidays (0844 557 3859/virginholidays.co.uk) offers three nights at Hôtel Le Germain Maple Leaf Square from £1,066pp (two sharing), B&B. Price includes return flights with Air Canada (0871 220 1111/ aircanada.com) from London to Toronto.
EdgeWalk at CN Tower (edgewalkcntower.ca) is £108 including tour, photograph and video.
Toronto Tourism: seetorontonow.com