Planning a few days from Toronto to Niagara Falls and Environs
 

We will be in Toronto for five weeks this autumn. We plan to visit Niagara Falls and would like to stay at Niagara on the Lake. Is it possible to plan a trip like this using trains or buses and not renting a car? We are pretty flexible, so what would be a reasonable amount of time for our visit? We can do a different itinerary if someone has a better suggestion. This is a first time visit for us. Thanks.

I think since you have the luxury of five weeks that 3-5 days would be nice for this trip.
It is very easy to get transportation. the GO train from Toronto connects to train service to Niagara Falls. As well there are many tour bus lines that can get you there as well.
What kinds of things do you like to do? What is your budget?

We would like to spend max $150/night for a room. We like to walk, see pretty architecture and scenery, not particularly interested in the wine area, see the Falls of course, and just have a pleasant leisurely visit. Not interested in shopping or fine dining, but like good food.

We would love to use public transit to plan the trip if possible, but do not want to join a tour. Thanks.

There is no public transportation to or from Niagara on the Lake. The closest you can get is St.Catharines or Niagara Falls by bus or train, both about 20km from NOTL. You would have to take taxis in and out of NOTL, probably $30-$40 each way.
Within Niagara Falls, you can use the Falls Shuttle buses (until Oct 10) and the Niagara Parks People Mover buses (until Oct 24) to get around.
http://www.niagarafalls.ca/city_hall...ls_shuttle.pdf
http://www.niagarafalls.ca/city_hall...apside2011.pdf
http://www.niagaraparks.com/plan/peoplemover-buses.html

You need a car...

As Gary says, a car is really a good idea. I find when I'm in either NF (the city) or NotL (the town) I always wantto visit the other. The Welland Canal is fun to visit, and tehre's a good museum, but again, not easy to get to without a car.

A visit to the Canadian WArplane Heritage museum is of interest to many people, and a visit to the shore of Lake Erie, the "other side" of the city of Niagara Falls is fun.

BAK

For pretty architecture, Niagara-on-the-Lake and the nearby small village of Queenston have many preserved historic Victorian buildings and homes.

For scenery:
1) the drive on the Niagara Parkway, at least between Niagara-on-the-Lake and Niagara Falls (relatively short distance but a number of scenic stops). You can continue on this as far as Fort Erie if you have time - that portion is pleasant though less dramatically scenic but has some picnic spots along the river.
2) Even though you're not interested in the wine area, as you do like scenery you might still consider a self-driving (or bus) winery tour - through the vineyards adjacent to the Niagara Escarpment area, some of which also have views of the lake (and there are a few nice villages along this route). If the leaves are in fall colour, this tour can be quite beautiful.

A good spot to eat that is "not" fine dining might be the Olde Angel Inn in NOTL. There is a "Keg" overlooking the falls in NF in the Embassy Suites hotel (if you're not Canadian, Kegs are a chain steakhouse - not cheap, but not high end either and the food is unexciting but decent).

There are many very nice B&B's in NOTL. Prices tend to drop as the (Shaw) Festival Season winds down through the fall.

Thanks, fallsdude for all the websites. Very helpful.

Gary and BAK - I guess you are right; we need a car. I checked one of the big threes for a car rental for a week. Not too prohibitive. Any suggestions for a Canadian rental car agency we can use?

mat54: lots of good information. thanks. When does the Shaw Festival end? My Fodor's does not tell me. I'm from So Calif so I have never heard of Kegs, but we're pretty much vegetarians, so that doesn't work for us. Though on rare occasions, I do eat fish and my husband will occasionally eat chicken, not me though! Thanks, anyway for the suggestion. Any other ideas for food welcomed.

Anyone, what should we expect to pay for a B&B in early Oct? We'll try to avoid the Thanksgiving period. Is that a popular getaway time in Canada?

Shaw runs into October... the shaw festival website will give you a calendar...

With the wealth of local produce in the Fall, you will find dozens of Veggie options during your trip... things like butternut soup and ravioli... roasted veggies, amazing salads and flavored pastas... Stone Road Grille, and Hillebrand winery near the village as well as Zooma Zooma and On The Twenty in Jordan are good choices...

B&B choices are plentiful in October and rates are 25% less than summer... there are also package deals from the luxury hotels in NotL including the Prince of Wales, Queens Landing, Pillor and Post and Harbour Hotel... Overall rates should be about $100 to $150 for the best properties...

Canadian Thanksgiving is Monday October 10, but I'm not sure that affects the prices...

Garyt22: I looked at my Fodor's Toronto (I apologize, Fodor's!); they do mention that the Shaw season ends at the beginning of Nov. Nice to read the prices go down in Oct. Sounds good; it would be fun to stay at a high end place. Do people not travel on Thanksgiving weekend: I know it's not the huge holiday it is here in the US? Thanks for all the good info.

I am looking forward to seeing some beautiful autumn leaves, so a car will not be a real burden, though neither of us like driving very much. Any suggestions on a car rental place would be appreciated as well as anything else anyone wants to tell me. Thanks.

For Fall Colours, you might also want to consider some day trips north of Toronto. The Caledon Hills are relatively close but the Collingwood/Blue Mountain/Beaver Valley area is more extensive (a northern extension of the Niagara Escarpment) and is possible as a day-trip with an early start. Farther afield and potentially spectacular are the Haliburton Highlands and Algonquin Provincial Park - although the farther north you go, the earlier the fall colours tend to be (and they're unpredictable as to exact timing and intensity at the best of times).

Thanks, mat54 for all this information. It is very helpful.

I heartily endorse going to The Shaw Festival and renting a car.

yenta: We'll look into the Shaw Festival. In a week or two, we;ll start planning our Toronto trip, car rental and NOTL part. We have a 5 wk home exchange there. I'm looking forward to it.

Please read my trip report on Canada/Niagara/Niagara on the lake. We didn't need a car. www.flightofthedub.com

Tina.

I have been to the Shaw 2-3 times. You also could go to the Stratford Festival (even better than the Shaw) if you were willing to stay overnight. Toronto is a wonderful town for theater. I saw "The Lion King" on one visit.

I will be leaving for Istanbul for my summer home exchange soon.

mamodavis: Sadly, unable to access your link. Very disappointed. We would love to figure out how to visit NOTL and the Falls without a car. We're using a friend's computer currently, perhaps, we'll have better luck at home.

Yenta: We're away on an exchange right now, we do some serious checking about Shaw when we return home. Have a wonderful time in Istanbul. It should be a terrific trip.

You might want to consider using public transit to get to Niagara Falls, and then renting a car for the time you’re there. Driving in Niagara is a world away from driving in Toronto, or similar big cities. I agree with mat54’s suggestions for specific drives, and that certainly needs a car.
http://www.gotransit.com/publicroot/...&station=&new=

If you take the Go Transit bus to Niagara Falls, getting off at Hwy 20 & Stanley, you will be within easy walking distance to some of the car rental locations. You may also be able to arrange to be picked up from a specific bus. Also at that intersection, you’ll find the Ontario Travel Information Centre (with the green & yellow roof). They can be very informative, and it’s all free.
http://www.ontariotravel.net/TCISSeg...al?language=EN

For accommodations in Niagara Falls, check out TravelZoo. The major reputable hotel chains often do package deals at more reasonable prices. For Niagara-on-the-Lake, you should also consider B&Bs as they have many elegant ones that may just offer a more personal feel to your stay.
http://www.travelzoo.com/ca/hotels/ontario/

For entertainment, check out Niagara’s university theatre. I particularly like the artist on October 12th, so that might work for you. The university’s an easy drive from either location.
http://www.arts.brocku.ca/performanc...h=10&year=2011

Enjoy your visit!

Thank you, franka1, for all that terrific information.

annetti,
just so you know, I could open mamodavis' link to her trip report. They stayed in Niagara Falls and just took a taxi to NOTL one day.