Hi! I'll be in Toronto for 2 nights and 1 full day. Arriving at Pearson Airport in the evening and then departing at lunchtime the day after next. Would like to see the Falls plus some nature & the local area. Which is better & more convenient? Stay at downtown Toronto or near the Falls? Where do you recommend? How do I go around places (no car)? thanks!

You can book a tour that will take you from downtown Toronto to the Falls, and it will deliver you back downtown around dinner time. I think it's also possible to take regular inter-city buses. But if you go to the Falls, you won't have much time to see Toronto and you'll spend a lot of time on the road (except have dinner each night; and our multicultural dining options are one of our best features).

Another option might be for you to stay in Niagara-on-the-Lake, which is a "theatre festival" town - some would say charming, some would say rather twee. NOTL is close to the Falls (about a 20 minute drive) and in the middle of wine country and some pretty scenery (although the drive from Pearson or Toronto is mostly dull highway). There are some great B&Bs in NOTL - it certainly has more charm than NF itself. Depending on when you'll be there, you could even catch a play (Shaw and late 19th-mid 20th century is the festival's focus).

But if you want to spend some time in Toronto during such a short visit, I'd recommend that you skip NF and NOTL.

NF is about 1.5 hours from downtown To in "non-rush hour" traffic during the week. Will you be here weekend or during the week?If you leave from downtown Toronto to go to NF you pass Pearson on your way to NF. So, consider renting a car @ Pearson when you arrive & drive to NF that night... about 1 hour & 15 minutes... easy drive..again depending on time of day....you shd be ok in the evening if late evening. That said, I drove from Pearson to Niagara area around 6:00PM on a week day last week & it was fine. I took Highway 407 which is the "toll highway". So...you rent a car @ Pearson, drive to NF, overnight there or in NOTL as Kate_W suggests, see"the Falls" the next morning. Then drive back to Pearson around noon. Drop your rental car @ the airport. Grab a limo/taxi/bus...whatever to Downtown Toronto & you have a full day in Toronto b/f you leave @ lunchtime the next day. Do you mean your flight leaves @ lunchtime or that you will leave for Pearson @ lunchtime? You shd get to Pearson about 2 hours b/f your flight. Or.....go w/ Kate's suggestion & simply head straight for Toronto when you arrive @ Pearson. Enjoy the evening in Downtown To & the following day & save NF & NOTL for another trip! BTW, when are you arriving...what time of year???

hi kate and wow! thanks for the good tips! my flight arrives at 7:30 pm May 7 (saturday) and leaves on monday May 9 at 1:30 pm so i should be at pearson around 11:30. i take it that downtown is just 15 minutes away fr pearson? i wonder if it's worth it to spend a night in downtown toronto (may 7) and explore the area until lunchtime and then head to the falls for an overnight then head for the airport the next day. i'm also considering staying at NOTL instead of going to DT Toronto and just do the NF AND NOTL bit. what time do places close at NOTL and how about downtown?

any recommendations for a B&B at NOTL? I'll be there by myself...is it better to stay at a B&B than a hotel?

Is there regular transportation between NOTL and NF? how abt fr pearson to NOTL? where can i get the bus schedule? P.S. I don't know how to drive!! haha!!

i'm very much interested in watching a play! do u know where i can get a schedule listing?

thanks so much! you don't know how big a help u guys are...it's my first time to go to your 'side' of the world!!

Here is a link to the Shaw Festival. http://www.shawfest.com/ Act now; I think tickets sell out very quickly for the early part of the season. The website also has lots of information about how to plan your visit (transportation, hotels, wineries, etc). Niagara Airbus provides a service from Pearson to NOTL. I'm sure there is also some kind of service that will take you from NOTL to the Falls and back.

I stayed at the Charles Inn last December and liked it, but don't know much about other options. I think there are a number "hotels" that are really big B&Bs - Charles Inn among them.
Also, we did a great winetasting at Lailey Vineyards nearby (a superb up-and-coming winemaker). The only good meal I've had in NOTL was dinner at the Charles Inn itself, but there are some great restaurants connected to the nearby wineries.

To where are you flying on the way back from Toronto? If you are flying to the US, you should get to the airport about 2 1/2 hours in advance, unless you're flying business class(you have to clear US Customs & Immigration at the Toronto airport and the lines are sometimes brutal, on top of regular security lines and check-in lines).

By the way, the trip from Pearson to downtown Toronto is probably closer to 30 minutes (by taxi) - at a cost of about $45. There is a shuttle bus that costs about $15, but will take longer.

I don't think you'll have time to spend the morning in Toronto, get to NOTL, visit the falls AND catch a play.

Aria, if your main focus is NOTL & NF, then why don't you consider flying into Buffalo? Niagara Airbus shuttle will get you from Buffalo (or Pearson) to NOTL or NF. www.niagaraairbus.com ( I think but I will check if you need it)

Unfortunately, the transportation links b/t NOTL/NF & Toronto are not well laid out. I wld have thought that that wld be on the main agenda for the ever-growing Niagara wine industry but it does not appear to be.

thanks! i checked the shaw website, unfortunately, i'll be there on may 8, mother's day, and they don't have a show.
i'll be flying back to tokyo, so 2 hrs. is ok? aside fr the wineries, what other things are going on at NOTL? i like nightly strolls, is it safe (i'll be travelling alone that time)?
booking directly at a B&B (using credit card via the net) -- is it recommended?
because of my flight itinerary, i can't use buffalo airport. thanks!

I would recommend lunch or dinner at Pellar Estates. Best dining experience of the year so far.

See http://www.peller.com/peller/