Winter day trips from Toronto will let you escape big city life for a little time in Ontario's beautiful, snow-covered landscape. You can get outside and do something active or cozy up indoors at a swanky spa. Whatever you choose, at least you won't be hibernating in your apartment.

Here are my picks for the top winter day trips from Toronto.

Trek across a suspension bridge

Snowshoe or cross country ski across a 420 foot suspension bridge, which offers panoramic views from the Niagara Escarpment. You can grab full or half day passes to a variety of trails from Scenic Caves Nature Adventures. The views after a fresh snowfall are sublime.

Try your luck at ice fishing

Lake Simcoe is a super popular ice fishing destination, partially because it's so close to the city. You can get started at Casey's Fish Hut or check out one of these other ice fishing spots in Ontario.

Fulfill your need for speed while snow tubing

Snow tubing is like souped up tobogganing and it's likely a lot safer too. There are plenty of great hills right near the city, so put on your snowsuit and feel like a kid again as you hit speeds in excess of 50kph.

Hop on the Parkbus and let someone drive for you

Not having a car doesn't mean you're out of luck when it comes to winter day trips. Join a Parkbus trip and head outside of the city. This winter, the company has a slew of excursions to Arrowhead Park planned, which will let you skate, tube, and cross country ski.

Soak up the season on a skating trail

Instead of skating around in circles at a public rink in the city, you can make a short drive to the Credit Valley Conservation Area and skate a one kilometre trail there. If you're feeling more adventurous, there are plenty of other trail skating options to explore further afield.

Cozy up at a spa

If you need a break and a little bit of R&R, why not spend a day at the spa? There are lots of good options near Toronto, including the winter friendly Scandinave at Blue Mountain.

Explore the quaint beauty of small town Ontario

You don't have to spend the entire day in the car to get a dose of the picturesque small towns that dot this province. There's tons to do in towns like Creemore, Cambridge, and Elora, all of which are just over an hour's derive from the city in light traffic. 

Throw on your skis

The Toronto area might not have any true mountains to ski down, but you can still race down the hills at nearby places like Hockley Valley and Dagmar if you don't want to travel too far. There are also plenty of other hills a little further away.

Get your fill of ice wine

The Niagara Ice Wine Festival runs for three weekends in a row starting on January 12. But throughout the rest of the winter, you can still visit most area wineries, which is ideal because the crowds are pretty thin and you can taste and learn more. 

Head across the border to the Queen City

Buffalo's a quick drive away and you can spend a day indoors enjoying the fabulous Albright-Knox and nearby Burchfield Penney galleries before heading to neighbourhoods like Elmwood Village and Allentown to check out the city's burgeoning restaurant scene.