Buffalo to Toronto
 

I'll be on a business trip in Toronto and I'll be extending it a few days to see the sights (including Niagra Falls). My husband will meet me but he'll be flying into Buffalo, arriving around 8:00 p.m. Can anyone give me advice on where/how we should meet? How long does it take, including clearing customs to travel from Buffalo to Toronto? What's the best mode of transportation? Is it a good idea for me to rent a car in Toronto and pick him up? Thanks for any advice!

Hi Helen,<BR>I have made the trek from Buffalo to TO many times. I would allow about 2 hours from the Buffalo airport to downtown Toronto. I don't think that there should be a big line up at the border at that time of night. If he's coming on the weekend, I would suggest taking the peace bridge in downttown Buffalo as the Queenston-Lewiston bridge gets backed up with traffic fairly quickly on the weekends. The Peace bridge has a lot more customs booths.<BR>Hope this helps.<BR>

I'm just thinking about your question about whether you should rent a car in Toronto and go to Buffalo to pick your husband up. I can see a couple of potential problems with this: I'm not sure (other people might be able to help with this part of it) about driving a rental car across the border. Might not be a problem, might be a hassle. The big consideration for me would be that assuming it's a 2-hour drive between cities, you'd pretty much have to be leaving Toronto during the rush hour to get to Buffalo in time to meet his plane. That would add a LOT of driving time (and potentially a LOT of frustration) to your evening. If your husband wants to see Toronto as well as Niagara, it might make more sense for him to catch a bus. By the time he arrives in Buffalo, the traffic will have finished. If you do decide to pick him up in Buffalo, I'd suggest going much earlier in the day - perhaps settle in somewhere in Niagara Falls and plan to spend the evening/night there once your husband arrives.

Helen, where are the two of you flying home from - Toronto or Buffalo? <BR><BR>Anyhow, I don't know about rental cars being driven between Canada/USA - maybe you should check with one of the car rental companies for that info. If renting a car is easily doable, and your husband doesn't mind driving in unfamiliar territory, then that might be your best bet. Late at night, you can cross the Peace Bridge without any delay and drive from Buffalo should be no more than 90 minutes. <BR><BR>Other options are to meet in Niagara Falls. Your husband can easily get ground transportation from the Buffalo airport to the Falls and I'm sure you can find transport from your hotel in Toronto. Or, you can take Amtrak from Toronto to the Falls.

Great tips, thanks. My husband arrives on Wed. night and he flys home out of Buffalo on Sunday morning. I fly home out of Toronto on Sunday. If we meet Wed. night in Niagra Falls, Canada, will he have any trouble getting transportation there from the Buffalo airport?

Why not have your husband rent a car in Buffalo and drive to Toronto? That will save you an extra 2 hrs driving and he can return the car to Buffalo and youwon't have to worry about public transportation. We've crossed the border many times and never had a problem. My husband has rented a car in Chicago and driven to Toronto - no problem but I agree - ask the rental car company.

Your husband will not have trouble getting to Niag. Falls Ontario from the Buffalo Airport. A taxi will cost approx. $55. There may be cheaper shuttle. Check out the website for the Niagara Frontier Transit Authority at www.nfta.com, click on Buffalo Airport, and from there check ground transportation. Have fun and be sure to view the falls from both sides.