Parking in Niagara & Toronto
May 10th, 2017, 05:58 AM
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Parking in Niagara & Toronto
I'm in the middle of planning our summer driving trip to Niagara Falls & Toronto. It never occurred to me that our hotel may charge for parking.
While we don't mind driving in cities, what will we encounter when we attempt to park? Is there street parking? I'm assuming that would be metered.
We're wondering if it may be better/ easier tho use some type of public transportation to get around.
Our party has two adults and a teenager, but one of the adults does have a walking disability. We can use handicapped parking when available.
Thank you in advance for any advice.
While we don't mind driving in cities, what will we encounter when we attempt to park? Is there street parking? I'm assuming that would be metered.
We're wondering if it may be better/ easier tho use some type of public transportation to get around.
Our party has two adults and a teenager, but one of the adults does have a walking disability. We can use handicapped parking when available.
Thank you in advance for any advice.
May 10th, 2017, 06:58 AM
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Yes there is street parking and parking lots in Toronto and Niagara but most people would say it isn't cheap.
Public transportation in Toronto is good but it depends on where in the city you are staying and where it is you want to visit in the city. It can take an hour to get from one place to another by public transport vs. 20 minutes by car for example.
Most Toronto city hotels now charge for parking. Hotels farther out do not. You can stay in somewhere like a Hampton Inn or Holiday Inn, in say Burlington to the west of the city, with no parking charges and drive to the downtown core in a half hour. A city centre hotel may charge $25+ per day for parking.
In Niagara, there is a big parking lot right across from the Falls. It is a flat rate of $20 for all day.
Public transportation in Toronto is good but it depends on where in the city you are staying and where it is you want to visit in the city. It can take an hour to get from one place to another by public transport vs. 20 minutes by car for example.
Most Toronto city hotels now charge for parking. Hotels farther out do not. You can stay in somewhere like a Hampton Inn or Holiday Inn, in say Burlington to the west of the city, with no parking charges and drive to the downtown core in a half hour. A city centre hotel may charge $25+ per day for parking.
In Niagara, there is a big parking lot right across from the Falls. It is a flat rate of $20 for all day.
May 11th, 2017, 04:18 AM
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You can park free with a handicap permit displayed in both Niagara Falls and Toronto in public or street parking... you must pay in private or hotel lots... there are restrictions on public overnight parking...
The problem is availability. .. weekends in tourist areas may push you into the pay lots...
The problem is availability. .. weekends in tourist areas may push you into the pay lots...
May 11th, 2017, 01:38 PM
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I recommend both sides. The US side has a nice park and you are actually closer to the Falls. The Canadian side seems a more impressive but distant view. I think parking is farther away on the Canadian side but I may be wrong. If the visitors had no disability, unlike this particular case, I believe you could walk across the bridge and do both sides.
May 11th, 2017, 03:50 PM
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Overnight parking at a hotel in downtown Toronto can easily run $30+ (I'd like to know the location of the previously quoted figure). Toronto traffic can by horrendous; park the car and use city transit for sightseeing.
The ride to Niagara Falls should be a breeze, expressway all the way. But urban density has made the Gardner, 403, and Queen Elizabeth Way potential parking lots at any time of the night or day. Double the suggested times of transit. (By the way, the QEW was Canada's first expressway and named for the mother of our current Queen Elizabeth. Take comfort from such trivia as you gnash your teen in traffic.) Your hotel will offer plenty of guided tours. Doing it yourself allows you to see more of the historic (to us) Niagara area. It is the heart of Ontario's winemaking, although not the only locale for a very big business, and the wineries are very visitor-oriented as a Google search will show. To me, the Falls blend scenic splendour and touristic riff-raff, including a major casino and a Ripley's.
The ride to Niagara Falls should be a breeze, expressway all the way. But urban density has made the Gardner, 403, and Queen Elizabeth Way potential parking lots at any time of the night or day. Double the suggested times of transit. (By the way, the QEW was Canada's first expressway and named for the mother of our current Queen Elizabeth. Take comfort from such trivia as you gnash your teen in traffic.) Your hotel will offer plenty of guided tours. Doing it yourself allows you to see more of the historic (to us) Niagara area. It is the heart of Ontario's winemaking, although not the only locale for a very big business, and the wineries are very visitor-oriented as a Google search will show. To me, the Falls blend scenic splendour and touristic riff-raff, including a major casino and a Ripley's.
May 12th, 2017, 07:53 AM
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SeaF, you recommend both sides but don't seem to have been to the Canadian side.
You can stand literally over the drop with only 3 feet between you and the water. This is what your eyes see.
http://www.canada-maps.org/ontario/i...gara-falls.jpg
You can see the people are right over the drop in this picture.
http://newyork.nl/wp-content/uploads...uig-Canada.jpg
The parking lot is across the road and perhaps a couple of hundred yards away, depending on where in the lot you are parked. It's a big parking lot.
Southam, the last time I stayed downtown was in the Admiral Hotel at Harbourfront. Parking was $25 per night for hotel guests. Across the street is a large parking lot where it was $20 per 24 hours I believe. That was 3 or 4 years ago now. You used to be able to park for free on the little street beside the LCBO on Queens Quay for free but I don't know what the situation is there now. It is entirely possible to park for free in downtown Toronto IF you have enough local knowledge to know where to find it. But that doesn't help tourists at all.
This might:
http://www.blogto.com/tech/2013/09/h...ts_in_toronto/
You can stand literally over the drop with only 3 feet between you and the water. This is what your eyes see.
http://www.canada-maps.org/ontario/i...gara-falls.jpg
You can see the people are right over the drop in this picture.
http://newyork.nl/wp-content/uploads...uig-Canada.jpg
The parking lot is across the road and perhaps a couple of hundred yards away, depending on where in the lot you are parked. It's a big parking lot.
Southam, the last time I stayed downtown was in the Admiral Hotel at Harbourfront. Parking was $25 per night for hotel guests. Across the street is a large parking lot where it was $20 per 24 hours I believe. That was 3 or 4 years ago now. You used to be able to park for free on the little street beside the LCBO on Queens Quay for free but I don't know what the situation is there now. It is entirely possible to park for free in downtown Toronto IF you have enough local knowledge to know where to find it. But that doesn't help tourists at all.
This might:
http://www.blogto.com/tech/2013/09/h...ts_in_toronto/
May 16th, 2017, 01:06 PM
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