ckramer

I will be visiting the east coast for the first time towards the end of the month(July)

I have 6-7 days.I would like to see New york, Niagara Falls and Washington DC (atleast the major touristy stuff).I will be travelling with my wife and 5 yr old daughter.
Would love to hear from folks as to how to plan the trip.

Reading thru' some sites, I thought of flying to NY, spending a 3 days there, renting a car to Niagara falls for 2 days and back. and taking a train/bus from NY to Washington DC and flying out from there after 2 days.

I don't think I need a car in NY and washington DC. AM I right ?

Any suggestions/ideas ?

HappyTrvlr

You really don't have enough time for Niagara Falls. Stick to Ny and Washington DC with your limited time. If I were you , I would only do either washington DC or NYC as they both have so much to see.

nytraveler

A car in either NYC or DC is worth than useless. But in the time you have you will barely scratch the surface of those cities. to do Niagara Falls is 2 days (if you do it by air) - if you try to drive it will take 3 days. IMHO a lot of falling water simply isn't worth it.

It;s pretty and if you're in the area anyway (we stopped on the way to Toronto) it's fine for a day - but really - how exciting is water?

HowardR

First of all, do you realize that it's over 400 miles from NYC to Niagara Falls? That translate into a minimum of a 7-to-8-hour trip including at least one stop each way.
As a previous poster has said, 6-7 days is, at best, barely enough to cover New York and Washington. So, to start, I'd forget about Niagara Falls. And even then, you'll get little more than a taste of the two cities in that period of time.

longhorn55

Agree with the above--limit your trip to NYC and DC. For bus transportation between those cities, look at Bolt Bus, MegaBus or Vamoose. You can get tickets on Bolt Bus and MegaBus for as little as $1 if you book far enough in advance. These are all reputable bus companies used by tourists, business people, college kids (including my own), families, etc.

gail

This is not a good idea - but if you must - Fly into DC and spend arrival day plus 2 more, taking an evening train or bus into NYC on Day 3. Spend Day 4, and 5 in NYC, taking an evening flight into Rochester, NY, renting a car there and sleeping in Rochester on night 5. Day 6 drive 1 1/2 hours to Niagara Falls, spend the day and sleep there. Day 7 spend a bit more time and then drive back to Rochester, return rental car and fly home.

You will feel rushed every minute of the trip and will feel like you are dragging an exhausted 5 year old with you.

An analogy. What if I said I had never been to the west coast and said I had 6-7 days and wanted to see Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego during that time? This is about the same trip.

And make sure you understand passport/ID/identity requirements for land arrival into Canada if you are going to Niagara Falls - the US side is not where you want to stay - and even if you are only going 1 mile into Canada, you need to have the required paperwork for all - including the 5 year old. Go to US Dept of State website to get latest info since there have been many changes in past 2 years.

nytraveler

For entering Canada and reentering the US you each need a valid passport (yes, the 5 year old too) and going without visiting the Canadian side (the front of the falls) is IMHO a complete waste of time.

SPQR

Children age 15 or younger do not need a passport to enter Canada or return to the US if it is a land crossing; however, they need an original birth certificate. If flying between the US and Canada, children are required to have a passport.

doug_stallings

If you have not yet begun planning your trip, you may very well find the cost of either a plane ticket or a car-rental to get you to Niagara Falls to be outside your price range. That's only two weeks away, and things in NYC and Washington are very busy in the summer. You really need to make your hotel reservations and (if you choose to do so) car-rental reservations asap, as in today or tomorrow.

But I'm with everyone else. I'd certainly skip Niagara Falls. If you want to see beautiful scenery, it's available within an easy day-trip of either Manhattan or Washington. So you could rent a car for just one day to see the countryside, though an overnight around Shenandoah NP would also be nice and (in my opinion) preferable to the exhausting trip to Niagara Falls.

MeganMcDonald

I agree with you nytraveler... going to Niagara Falls and not visiting the Canadian side is not worth it in my opinion. There is so much more to do and see on the Canadian side, not to mention the NY side is kind of dumpy. It is in a bad area of Buffalo and I am sure that you would much rather visit the Canadian side. The Canadian side has alot more to offer to a tourist there for the first time. As a New Yorker who lived in Buffalo for 5 years, please take my advice. There will be much more for your 5 year old to do on the Canadian side.

mclaurie

I agree those 3 stops are too much to cover in a week, but if you do, flying to Buffalo to see the falls is the only way to do it. The drive is long and boring and you don't have enough time to have fun along the way. Do 2 of the stops. There are flights from JFK and LGA to Buffalo and you can get a tour bus from the Buffalo airport to the falls. If budget is not issue, the only way to do the 3 places is to fly to NYC for a few days, then fly to Buffalo for an overnight, then fly to Washington and fly home from there.

Dayenu

With only one week I would fly into Buffalo, NY, can you rent a car and take it to Canada? Do you all have passports?

I would stay at the falls, than up to Toronto, spend a few days there.

ckramer

Thanks to everyone who replied.
my daughter doesn't yet have a passport.But a birth certificate might do.

I shall check out the option of covering two of the three places I had initially suggested.

ckramer

Based on your suggestions, I have modified my travel plans.

I postponed Washington DC for a later trip.

I plan to fly in to buffalo from SFO in the morning, spend the day there and fly out to NYC in the night and return back to SFO after spending 3-4 days there.

does this sound like an okay idea ?

sf7307

You will or will not go to the Canadian side of the falls? I don't personally recall, but everyone on this board seems to agree that the American side isn't worth the trip, but the Canadian side is great.

As for whether this is an "okay idea", sure it is, if you'd rather do Niagara Falls than Washington, DC!

ckramer

I'm not a US citizen.so I will need to get a visa to cross over to the Canadian side which I don't think I will be doing

MeganMcDonald

I think you are going to be dissapointed with the American side of the Falls. Personally, if you are not going to the Canadian side of the falls, I would have chosen to go to Washington, DC.

chadnycity

Your last reply confused me. Do you plan on staying the night in Buffalo or in Niagara Falls?

If Niagara Falls, both sides have their charms. The Canadian side is quite beautiful and manicured. It's also safe has lots to do and is better for a vacation. It also has the better view because from New York, you can't really see the horseshoe falls and that's the better of the two. On the other hand, the New York side has a little more of a park feel and that's nice for a couple of hours.

Sheraton on the Canadian side has amazing views and is reasonably priced. It's right over the bridge across from the New York side.

If you meant you're planning to stay in Buffalo, you may want to reconsider destination. DC is one of the most amazing places in the world. I don't mean to offend Buffaloers, but it's just not on the same level.

mclaurie

The OP has been clear. He/she's not a US citizen and would need a visa to go to Canada. (I don't know if this is true or not since we haven't been told what country she does come from). The plan is to visit the falls and leave by plane to NYC NOT staying in Buffalo. There are people saying a trip to the falls is not worthwhile without going to Canada.

Dayenu

There are also people who say going to the American side is worthwhile if you don't have a passport.

If you take the Maid of the mist, they have similar trips without crossing the border.