Niagara Falls

[mickeyspal]

Due to go in just over 4 weeks time, staying on the Canadian side of the falls for 3 nights .
Any must do trips ? We fancy the boat that takes you right up to the falls , and maybe a winery to try the ice wine.
Are things easy to book when you are there? And how easy is it to get around with no car?
We have transfers to and from Toronto included in our trip.
All info appreciated thanks

[cornishfrogboy]

Originally Posted by mickeyspal

Due to go in just over 4 weeks time, staying on the Canadian side of the falls for 3 nights .
Any must do trips ? We fancy the boat that takes you right up to the falls , and maybe a winery to try the ice wine.
Are things easy to book when you are there? And how easy is it to get around with no car?
We have transfers to and from Toronto included in our trip.
All info appreciated thanks

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You don’t need a car. It is all very walkable. The Megabus that took us from Toronto, dropped us in a Coach Park where there were Taxis. It did not cost much.

The Boat is called ‘Maid of the Mist’ and was not operating when we were there at Easter. I believe that operations commenced in May.

There is a tunnel behind one of the falls.

The Falls are fantastically illuminated at night.

If staying over and close to Horseshoe falls, there is a funicular railway to take you up the cliff to where the Hotels are.

We stayed in a ‘superior falls view ‘ room at the Hilton that had floor to ceiling windows giving what was most certainly a ‘superior’ view. It was also great value at £184 or so for the night and was 2 bedrooms plus a whirlpool bath.

The ‘Views’.

The very best pictures we got were taken at night by Horseshoe Falls.

Taken by my son with his iPhone 13.

The Horseshoe falls end (on the Canadian side), seemed much nicer than the area up by the Rainbow Bridge.

We departed over the US border by Taxi to Buffalo over the Rainbow Bridge and onward flight to MCO. In honesty, 3 days at the falls would have been a little too much for us. We simply wanted to see the falls.. and it was brilliant.

For more detail that may help and more photos, then the trip report link from my signature may be of considerable assistance. It is single thread.

[CarolynU]

The boat through the falls is amazing. Beware they give you ponchos but if you stand out the front you still get wet in a very fun way. I went in late Oct so wore a rain jacket and water proof trousers too and that was perfect. I wear glasses so remember you can’t see a thing unless you keep wiping them lol!
I was taking an organised tour which picked up all over Toronto. I booked it in advance and so did the falls, a winery and a lovely little town called Niagara on the Lake. It was decorated in fall colours in the shop windows with pumpkins etc and it was like stepping back in time. There were horse and carriage rides.
Have a lovely time.

[georgemac]

We were there in Aug 2018. When we were there the weather was a bit cooler than we expected - and we did not do the boat trip.
As others have said you can walk around Niagra easily on the Canadian side. Some parts we thought were a bit "Blackpoolish" but the falls and other parts are spectacular.
We had a car and on way across - visited the US National park at the other side, and I'd recommend walking over the bridge and visiting the falls from this side as well.

We did have a car and did day trip to Toronto which was great - we parked on the outskirts and took commuter train in. The food market in Toronto was amazing, but the stalls cooking only took cash and we had no Canadian dollars with us as we were only there for a couple of days and using credit card. I never asked but they might have taken US Dollars.

[mickeyspal]

That's brilliant thankyou all, we have booked it all as a package a year or so ago and got a great deal , we fly to Toronto transfer to the falls, 3 nights there then fly to new York 1 night there, then pick up a cruise around new England and Canada, finishing with a 4 day stay in Maine at my cousins house.

All in for all flights, transfers, hotels and a balcony cabin with drinks,tips and wifi was £2200 pp which was a bargain when you look at flights now.
Just booked a covid test for the cruise.its crazy we dont need one for Canada, and we dont need one for the cruise, but because the cruise docks in canada we have to do a supervised test, which will be 6 days before we dock in Halifax NS 🙄

[stanleycamel]

I can recommend this website for ideas

niagaraparks/

Another vote for Niagara on the Lake - it's a lovely little town (quite twee) with some nice places to eat and a world away from the main Falls area - might be worth an Uber trip.

I enjoyed the Riverside Boardwalk as it is a little further down from the falls and near the Whirlpool Rapids - you can get some great photos there and the speed of the rapids is jaw dropping at times.

I've been to the area a few times as I have family who live there - the helicopter trip over the falls in Winter is amazing but great at any time of year for a different view. There are some nice garden areas to walk around and they are so pretty in the autumn.

Enjoy the planning.

[FloridaNuts93]

We also did the aero car over the gorge, further down from the falls. That was brilliant! We also did behind the falls, and the boat ride ( think it’s called Hornblower now). Niagara on the Lake is lovely, with some decent restaurants. 😀

[mickeyspal]

I'm liking the sound of niagra on the lake , all these suggestions are great.

[anji]

From Niagara on the Lake try whirlpooljet.com for an amazing trip over the rapids!

[snowbelle]

I have been lucky enough to go to Niagara Falls a few times and you can never imagine how loud it is!
I can’t add much more to others posts but Niagara on the lake is beautiful.
It does get a bit chilly mid September so be prepared.
The ponchos don’t do much so be prepared to get wet 😄
Even more envious you are going to Maine , I would love to go back!