Our relaxed, early morning travel style is something we love, so much so, we wrote a blog and 2 free downloadable travel guides on it, “Your Daily Slow Travel Planner + Bonus Slow Morning Blueprint” request your free copies at the top of the page or through one of our pop ups.

For more on Collingwood, checkout our other articles “Top 10 Things to do in Collingwood, Ontario: Hiking Trails, Shopping, Waterfront Views, & Nearby Small Towns”, and “5-Day Itinerary for Collingwood, Ontario: Hiking, Shopping, Villages, Beaches, & More”. For flights, car rentals, activities, and stays we use Expedia, if you make an account with them, you will earn travel dollars, with each booking, to go towards your next adventure. For tours, activities, and more, we use Get Your Guide or Viator.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means that if you choose to make a booking or purchase through one of these links, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend places, experiences, and products that we have personally used or genuinely believe add value to a trip.

1. Introduction:

Located along the beautiful shores of Georgian Bay and just minutes from the Blue Mountains, Collingwood, Ontario is one of the province’s most popular four-season getaway destinations. Known for its charming downtown, waterfront views, outdoor lifestyle, and incredible food scene, Collingwood offers the perfect blend of relaxation and adventure.

Whether you are planning a romantic weekend, a family vacation, a ski getaway, or a summer escape, this welcoming town has something for every traveller. From boutique accommodations and waterfront resorts to locally loved restaurants, cafés, and bakeries, Collingwood makes it easy to slow down and enjoy the best of Ontario’s Georgian Bay region.

This travel guide highlights some of the best places to stay, eat, and essential local and general travel tips to help you plan the perfect Collingwood getaway.

Lodging in Blue Mountain

The Dorchester

Lobby of the Georgian Bay Hotel, Trademark Collection by Wyndham

2. Where to Stay in Collingwood:

Collingwood offers a variety of accommodations, from downtown condos and boutique hotels to resort stays near Blue Mountain. Whether you prefer to walk to restaurants and shops or stay close to outdoor adventures, there is an option for everyone.

Boutique & Downtown Stays-

Downtown Collingwood Condos

Address: 144 Hurontario Street, Collingwood, ON

Located in the heart of historic downtown Collingwood, these modern condos are perfect for visitors who want to be close to restaurants, cafés, boutique shops, and the waterfront. With spacious layouts and full kitchen amenities, they are ideal for couples, families, and longer stays. There are multiple units sleeping 2 to 6 people. Pets allowed, A/C, street parking with a 9.0 rating.

Somewhere Inn Collingwood

Address: 128 St. Paul Street, Collingwood, ON

A stylish boutique hotel featuring Scandinavian-inspired design, cozy outdoor spaces, fire pits, and a relaxed atmosphere. Somewhere Inn is a great choice for travellers looking for a unique and memorable stay. Pets allowed, breakfast available, parking available. 9.8 rating.

The Dorchester Hotel

Address: 174 Hurontario Street, Collingwood, ON

Set in a beautifully restored heritage building, The Dorchester blends historic charm with modern comforts. Its central downtown location makes it convenient for guests who want to explore Collingwood on foot. Paid parking or street parking available, no pets, and a 9.8 rating.

Hotels & Resort-Style Accommodations-

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Collingwood by IHG

Address: 500 Hume Street, Collingwood, ON

A popular choice for families and travellers looking for convenience and comfort. This hotel offers spacious rooms, complimentary breakfast, an indoor pool, fitness facilities, and easy access to downtown Collingwood and Blue Mountain. It’s a 20 mins walk to the main shopping district, and a 15 mins drive to Blue Mountain Village, and it has a 9.4 rating.

Living Water Resort & Spa

Address: 9 Harbour Street East, Collingwood, ON

Located along Georgian Bay, Living Water Resort offers spacious suites, waterfront views, a spa, golf facilities, and resort amenities like a pool, hot tub and fitness center, pets are welcome, free parking and A/C. It is a wonderful choice for travellers looking to relax while staying close to everything Collingwood has to offer. It has a 9.0 rating.

Georgian Bay Hotel, Trademark Collection by Wyndham

Address: 10 Vacation Inn Drive, Collingwood, ON

This resort-style hotel is located just a few minutes drive from downtown Collingwood and Blue Mountain. Guests can enjoy spacious accommodations, indoor and seasonal outdoor pools, tennis courts, mini golf, fitness facilities, and the on-site Gustav Chophouse & Bar. It is an excellent choice for families, couples, and groups. We stayed here and really enjoyed it. It has a 9.2 rating.

Accommodations Near Blue Mountain-

Hilton Grand Vacations Club Blue Mountain Canada

Address: 277 Jozo Weider Boulevard, The Blue Mountains, ON

Offering spacious suites, pools, hot tubs, fitness centre, and convenient access to Blue Mountain Village, this resort is ideal for travellers wanting to stay close to skiing, hiking, golf, and year-round mountain activities. They have free parking, A/C, and a 9.5 rating.

Crosswinds Townhomes

Address: 218 Crosswinds Blvd, The Blue Mountains, ON

Perfect for families and larger groups, Crosswinds Townhomes offer multi-bedroom accommodations with full kitchens, comfortable living spaces, and easy walking access to Blue Mountain Resort. Free parking, pets stay free, A/C, and a 9.4 rating.

Budget-Friendly Options-

Days Inn & Suites by Wyndham Collingwood

Address: 15 Cambridge Street, Collingwood, ON

A comfortable and affordable option close to downtown shopping, restaurants, and local attractions. Swimming pool, hot tub, fitness centre, A/C, fee parking, breakfast included, and a 9.1 rating.

Candlewood Suites Collingwood by IHG

Address: 502 Hume Street, Collingwood, ON

A great option for extended stays, offering suite-style accommodations with kitchen facilities and modern amenities. Parking for a fee, pet friendly, a 20 mins walk to the shopping district and a 15 mins drive to the Blue Mountain Village. With a 9.6 rating.

Cannoli from the Collingwood Coffee Co.

3. Where to Eat in Collingwood:

Collingwood’s food scene has grown into one of the highlights of visiting the area. From upscale dining and international flavours to cozy cafés and local dessert stops, there are plenty of delicious options to explore.

Fine Dining & Special Occasions-

Brunello at 27 on Fourth

Address: 27 Fourth Street East, Collingwood, ON

One of Collingwood’s top dining destinations, Brunello offers authentic Italian cuisine featuring fresh ingredients, classic flavours, and an impressive wine selection.

The Tremont Café

Address: 172 Hurontario Street, Collingwood, ON

Located inside The Dorchester Hotel, The Tremont Café offers seasonal cuisine in an elegant heritage setting, making it a great choice for date nights and special occasions.

Lakeside Seafood & Grill

Address: 9 Harbour St. E, Collingwood, ON

A local favourite offering seafood, steaks, and a welcoming dining experience for those looking for a more elevated meal, with great waterfront views from their patio.

Gibson & Co.

Brick Alleyway to Gibson & Co.

The 1858 Caesar Bar

Bars & Interesting Places-

Gibson & Co.

Address: 93 Hurontario St. Unit 3, Collingwood, ON

This interesting café & bar is just off the main shopping street, down a bricked alleyway, it serves coffee, beer, wine & whiskey, as well as light new American eats.

1858 Caesar Bar

Address: 158 Hurontario Street, Collingwood, ON

Located on the main shopping street this unique bar offers imaginative Caesar cocktails served in a trendy, industrial-style bar that has a patio. They also have a happy hour.

The Greekery

Views from the Cafe

International Flavours-

Fig & Feta

Address: 65 Hurontario Street, Collingwood, ON

A popular Mediterranean restaurant offering fresh wraps, grilled dishes, salads, and flavourful favourites.

Minh’s

Address: 14 Balsam Street, Collingwood, ON

A local favourite for Vietnamese cuisine, including pho, vermicelli bowls, and fresh spring rolls.

Bocado Collingwood

Address: 31 Huron Street, Collingwood, ON

A stylish Spanish-inspired restaurant featuring tapas-style dishes, seasonal flavours, and a thoughtful wine selection. It is a great choice for date nights or sharing a meal with friends.

The Greekery

Address: Unit 2, 182 Jozo Weider Boulevard, The Blue Mountains, ON

Located near Blue Mountain Village, The Greekery serves Greek favourites and Mediterranean-inspired dishes in a casual, welcoming setting. We really enjoyed the Pastel de Natas here. They also have a patio with views of the village pond and the mountains.

Thornbury Bakery Café

Millennial Benny with Avocado

Nottawa General Store & Café

Cafés, Bakeries & Sweet Treats

Collingwood Coffee Co.

Address: 104 High Street, Collingwood, ON

A unique drive-thru coffee truck serving freshly brewed coffee, specialty drinks, and delicious, sweet treats. A local favourite, their homemade cannoli are a must-try, making this a memorable stop during your Collingwood visit. We stopped here more than once.

Probably Nothing Café

Address: 12 Hurontario Street, Collingwood, ON

A popular café offering excellent coffee, fresh pastries, and a relaxed atmosphere perfect for starting your morning. Located right on the main shopping street.

Bakery by the Bay

Address: 122R Hurontario Street, Collingwood, ON

A beloved local bakery offering fresh baked goods and sweet treats. It is a wonderful stop for visitors looking for something delicious to enjoy with their morning coffee or while exploring downtown.

Nottawa General Store & Café

Address: 4206 County Rd. 124, Nottawa, ON

Located in the small town of Nottawa, just mins from downtown Collingwood, this interesting café offers sweet treats, brunch, sandwiches, burgers, bowls, soups, salads, great coffee, wines, cocktails and more and all inside the unique General Store.

Thornbury Bakery Café

Address: 12 Bruce Street South, Thornbury, ON

Located in Thornbury a 25 mins drive from Collingwood, this popular bakery is worth the trip for fresh breads, pastries, sandwiches, and coffee. This café has been serving customers since 1901. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast here.

LIT Wine & Books

Address: 321 Hurontario Street, Collingwood, ON

A unique downtown experience combining an independent bookstore with a cozy wine bar atmosphere. It is the perfect place to browse, relax, and enjoy a glass of wine or a quiet afternoon.

Mr. Norm’s Nephew Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt

Address: 38 Pine Street, Collingwood, ON

A true local favourite with roots dating back to 1980 at their Wasaga Beach location. This beloved ice cream shop has been serving generations of visitors and locals with delicious frozen treats. You can now enjoy their new located just one street over from Hurontario Street, it is a must-stop for families and anyone with a sweet tooth. Plus, with endless possibilities on flavour add-ins you can’t try just one.

Royal Majesty Espresso Bar Bakery

Address: 9-190 Jozo Weider Blvd Blue Mountains, ON

Located right in the Blue Mountain Village, opens early so a great place to start you day with an espresso, or a smoothie, and a sweet treat.

4. Collingwood Craft Beverage Tour:

If you love trying new, local beer and spirits, a fun thing to do here is the Collingwood Craft Beverage Tour, 7 of the local craft companies teamed up to create this self-guided tour. It’s a walkable 6.5 km route through downtown Collingwood, you can take along the printable map that will take you to all 7 stops, #5 the Freshwater Distillery doesn’t have a tasting room, so they have 2 options of places that sell their product you can choose from.

You can drive the route as well, but we are suggesting walking, so that everyone can enjoy themselves, you could always take an Uber at the end to take you back to your accommodations or if you end up driving, you’ll likely need a designated driver. Stop 6 is the Northwinds Brewhouse which has happy hour deals between 3 and 5pm, and they also have a great looking menu, perfect for dinner. Other stops along the way offer food too, great for snacking. The last stop Side Launch Brewing Co. closes between 6 and 7pm depending on the day, where the Northwinds is open until 11pm so you could do #7 then end up for a longer more relaxing dinner at #6.

Black Bellows Brewing Co. – 40 Simcoe St. Collingwood, ON
The Collingwood Brewery – 10 Sandford Fleming Dr. Collingwood, ON
Freshwater Distillery – there is no tasting room here, but products are available in 2 locations – Sõl Kitchen at 19 Hurontario St. and Dags & Willow at 25 Second St. both in Collingwood.
Georgian Bay Spirit Co. – 395 Raglan St. Unit 2D, Collingwood, ON
Heretic Spirits – 395 Raglan St. Unit 1A, Collingwood, ON
Northwinds Brewhouse & Kitchen – 499 First St. Collingwood, ON
Side Launch Brewing Co. – 200 Mountain Rd. Unit 1, Collingwood, ON

Downtown Murals

5. Essential Local & General Travel Tips:

Book early during peak seasons. Winter ski weekends, summer holidays, long weekends, and fall colour season are the busiest times of year.
Downtown Collingwood is very walkable. Staying downtown allows you to easily enjoy restaurants, cafés, shops, and the historic streetscape.
A vehicle is recommended. While downtown is easy to explore on foot, having a car makes it much easier to visit Blue Mountain, Thornbury, beaches, wineries, Wasaga Beach, and other nearby attractions. We rent our cars through Expedia.
Make restaurant reservations. Popular restaurants can fill quickly, especially Friday and Saturday evenings, if there is a place you have your heart set on trying, booking in advance is recommended.
Dress for changing weather. Georgian Bay weather can change quickly, especially in spring and fall. Layers and an umbrella are always a good idea.
Explore beyond downtown. Some of the best food experiences, cafés, bakeries, and scenic stops are located throughout the surrounding communities.
Visit local businesses. Collingwood’s charm comes from its independent shops, restaurants, cafés, and family-owned businesses that give the town its unique character.
Sunrise and Sunset Times. Check daily sunrise and sunset times before your trip to help you plan your days, especially for great lighting for photography, beach walks and in the summer, better temperatures. Check it out here!

Using Points. Whether it’s Airmiles, Aeroplan, hotel chains, or credit card points, collect them religiously and use them for travel!! We have stayed in some amazing places using points, some we normally wouldn’t have even looked at because of the price, we’ve used points for flights and rental cars too. They are so satisfying to use, but you have to get to know what is a good value and what isn’t. For example, if you’re using Airmiles for flights, the points cover the flight cost and you pay the taxes, so generally the taxes cost us in the range of $200/$300, which is reasonable, but if we fly to Europe from Canada, the taxes were over $700, (we were told this was because their airport taxes were higher) we were shocked, it didn’t make sense to use the points for that, so you have to get to know how to best work you’re points, but once you do, you’ll be hooked!

Start your off Day Early. Start your day off early, this will always be our suggestion! When we say early, we’re talking 6:30/7:00am, but we know that’s not for everyone, so just get started as early as you can and always keep in mind open/closing hours and open/closing days for the attractions that you really want to see. If there is something you really want a photo of without people in the shot, start there! For more information on the advantages of getting up early, check out our posts “Three Significant Reasons to Get Up Early, while Travelling” & “How to See More, Avoid Crowds and Capture Better Photos”.

Speaking the Language. For some people speaking different languages comes easy and for some, it does not, I’m the latter. Although it’s not easy, we always make an effort to learn at least the pleasantries when we’re travelling. It’s one of our many favourite things to do! We also carry a language pocketbook with us, and we have google translate on our phones! We also like the free language app, Duolingo for some fun!

Phone service. When travelling in Europe we use Hippocket Wifi, but they also service Canada and the United States. So, for people travelling to Canada from another country, this could be a good option for you. They are based in France, but you can simply order it online and they ship it directly to you 3-5 days before you leave for your trip. It comes with a small carrying case, charger, (including a car charger if needed) and an addressed, stamped return mailing envelope, so you simply drop it off in the mailbox at the airport/ferry terminal/train station before heading home. The great thing about this is that if you are traveling with other people, you can all use it and share in the cost or if you’re a family you can all use it. You can have up to 8-10 users at the same time. If you have multiple users, I recommend getting the unlimited options, as the 1GB/day option may not be enough. The unlimited works out to be approximately 7.00 to 9.00 euros per day, including all shipping, (because they are based in France, they charge you in euros). It’s a great option, check it out here!

**Any pricing, opening/closing hours and days listed here are as of July 2026 and are subject to change, so be sure to check before you go. I like this website: for all your current information, Collingwood.ca.

Sunset Point Beach

6. Our Favourite Photo from our time in Collingwood:

We often talk about choosing our photo based on a feeling we had when we captured it, this definitely helped us make our choice for our Collingwood favourite photo. It was a clear, early morning, quiet, cool, and when we got to Sunset Point Beach and sat and watched this stunning sunrise, it filled us with calm and joy. The contrasts of the dark water and skies with the perfect orange horizon, the interest of the little bit of rocks and trees on the land, made for a beautiful image, well worth getting up early for. When taking sunrise photos, make sure you get to the spot you want to see the sunrise about 15 to 20 mins before the posted sunrise time, to start photographing, as well, make sure you checkout the weather, as cloudy mornings are usually not quite as pretty. The only edit we did to this photo was to actually darken it just a tad as it made the colours a little richer. Checkout sunrise/sunset times for Collingwood here and the weather forecast here.

7. How to make Collingwood Maple & Toasted Whisky Apple Crisp:

When you visit the Collingwood area, you’re bound to notice two things, the stunning rows of apple orchards flanking the Blue Mountains, and the rich heritage of the local distilling by the bay. This recipe brings the best of the region straight to your table. It combines the crisp, tart Ontario apples with deep, organic Canadian maple syrup, and a splash of Collingwood Canadian Whisky. What makes this whisky special is that it is uniquely finished with toasted Maplewood staves, creating a creamy, vanilla-caramel flavour that elevates a basic apple crisp into a true gourmet travel experience.

Stay tuned for the recipe coming next week, (July 21^st).

Plan. Travel. Capture.

8. References:

For our Collingwood Travel Series, we created our top things to do, itinerary, and tips and recommendations from our own experiences we had through multiple visits to this beautiful area, as well, we received recommendations from locals, which helped shape our adventure. In addition, we like to explore the official tourism websites, (Collingwood.ca) attraction sites, public transportation resources when needed (like buses, and ferries), and a few local food blogs to see what local foods piques our interests. Google Maps for driving and walking distances, and tour apps for any activities, like Get Your Guide, Viator or Expedia. We hope you find these tips & Recommendations helpful when planning your own adventure to this beautiful Canadian Town.

On Hurontario St.

9. The Wrap Up:

Collingwood is more than just a gateway to Blue Mountain—it is a destination filled with character, incredible food, welcoming accommodations, and year-round charm. Whether you are enjoying a boutique downtown stay, relaxing by Georgian Bay, discovering local restaurants, or treating yourself to a coffee and fresh baked goods, Collingwood offers the perfect balance of relaxation and adventure.

With its beautiful surroundings, friendly community, and endless opportunities to create memorable experiences, it is easy to see why visitors return to Collingwood season after season.

Whether it is your first visit or a favourite annual getaway, Collingwood is a destination worth discovering.

Planning a trip to this destination?

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Plan Better. Travel Slower. Capture More.

Thank you,

Beth

Beth de Verteuil

Wild Meadow Studio