My husband I decided to take a seven day vacation in the Toronto Area. We will be flying in from NYC on Aug 28th and leaving on Sept. 3.
Can we get away with not renting a car?
Can anyone recommend a good hotel within walking distance to at least a bus/train station?
Any recommended itineraries?
I've been done a little research but I have always trusted these boards to give the best advice.
Thanks

Mostly, you don't need a car. Think of Toronto like New York -- lots of wlaking, and public tranist, but if youwanted to go to theHamptons, or in this case Niagara Falls, you'd probably want a car.

But parking in Toronto is much,much easier than new York.

Pretty much any hotel you read about in the other Toronto-based threads here is within walking distance of, mostly, a subway station, or, more rarely, a bus stop or a streetcar stop. Bus, subway and streetcars interconnect, and you use a paper transfer to swicth from one to another.

Give us an idea of interests, and budget -- again, think of toronto like NY and Chicago as far as hotels and retaurants go. There are no $100 a night bargains int he interesting parts of town, like there are in small cities.

You are best off by NOT renting a car to start with. Rent a car for a day or two in the middle, and go to the countryside or Niagara Falls.

BAK

Great! We won't reserve a car for the whole trip.
I have been looking at some hotels. Our budget for hotels is $150USD per night. We don't mind B&B's but they must have en-suite bathrooms.
We like to do historic things (forts, architectural digs, museums, churches, old houses, etc), however, at the same time, we like traditional tourist spots, casinos and adventure parks.
We definitely plan to go to Niagra Falls but we aren't sure if we should start our trip there and then metro it into Toronto, or end our trip there and cab it to the airport?
Does anyone know if there are any festivals during that time

Hi,Ingrid! You can't "metro it" from NF to To. Your best bet is to fly in/out of To & simply rent a car for the day that you want to go to NF. Niagara Falls is about 1.5 hours from downtown To. Or, you cld fly NYC/Buffalo. NF is very close to Buff airport. But then that leaves you w/ the problem of having to get to To & then back to Buff for your return flight on Sept 3 & I cannot really wrap my head around that one today! Maybe BAK can. Or, fly NYC/Buff on Aug 28th & fly To/NYC on Sept 3. I believe you can take a train from NF to downtown To (Union Station). Check VIA Rail.

The problem of flying into and out of Buffalo is getting from there to Toronto. You can easily rent a car, but it's hard to drop a US rental car in Canada, and then you need to get back to Buffalo. So now you need to rent another car, or keep the US-based rental car fro your whole visit.
So, the easiet thing is to fly into Toronto, and one day of your visit, rent a car first thing inthe morning, drive to Niagara, enjoy your day, and returnt he car that night. MAKE SURE the car rental company will accept the car back late in the evening, so you don't have to pay overnight parking.

There's no real advantage in trying to get from the airport to NF, or from NF to the airport.

$150us should work for a moderate, central, hotel. A lot of people like Priceline and the other on-line booking systems. Remember August is the middle of the tourist season.

In your budget range, I think you should take a l;ook at the Hotel Victoria on Yonge Street. Great location for lots of reasons; no pool, no meeting rooms and conventions, so the price is lower than otehr hotles. Good restaurant inside, plus lots more nearby. Close to subway, etc.

There are always festivals of some sort in Toronto in the summer. I don't know what's planned -- it could be ribs and jazz or model trains or dragon boat races or .... Plus, on those days, the Canadiian National Exhibition will be on. With that in mind, make reservations early, especially ifyou want moderate-priced hotels.

Think of the CNE as a giant state fair, plus more. Worth a day, probably.

Historical stuff ranges from Casa Loma to the first post office in the city to the original art gallery, and more.

Keep wathcing Fodors. there will be a million messages from now to your arrival day.

Niagara Falls has casinos. Toronto just has slots at a race track, as far as I know. There's usually a temporary casino at the CNE, too.

BAK

Thank you so much for all the info. We will be flying into Toronto Pearson on Aug 28th at 7:30 pm and leaving from there on September 3 at 2:30pm. I really like the idea of spending a day in NF.

We would like to stay on the Canadian side of the border for this trip. So does anyone know if there are any wineries in the area? Again, within no more than 1hr drive.

How does this itinerary sound...very generic...

28 Toronto
29 Toronto
30 Toronto
31 Toronto
1 Rent car from Airport day trip
2 Niagra Falls
3 Return car to Airport leave

If anyone has any ideas for daytrips we are completely open.

Thanks

There are quite a few wineries on the way to the Niagara Falls region from Toronto, and I have visited a few of them. You can just stop by on your way to NF.

I might be seeing a person later on today who used to be a tour guide in the region and I will ask her about specific winery recommendations. If I do see her, I will get back to you tomorrow.

Also, make sure you check out Niagara-on-the-Lake (on the way to NF); it's a lovely little town and worth a stroll through the main street.

Razzle_Dazzle

To follow up on specific winery recommendations, I was given two names which you might consider on the way to Niagara Falls:

1. Kittling Ridge: perfect for white wines and icewine.
2. Hillebrand for reds.

Razzle_Dazzle

I would recommend Vineland Estates. Have lunch on the deck (excellent restaurant) and enjoy the panoramic views of the vineyards. You might also try Cave Spring in Jordan village, which is co-located with the superb On the Twenty restaurant. There are also a number of interesting shops in the Village.

A couple of comments:
Museums: ROM - Royal Ontario Museum is definitely a must see
For a truly unique museum try the Bata Shoe Museum
If you are at all interested in Amerindian archeology - on your way to Niagara Falls detour to Crawford Lake Conservation area for a couple of hours - a restored Huron village with a very interesting lake and some great cliffs where buzzards soar

Excellent suggestions! Keep them coming...

Does our itinerary work? Can anyone recommend any hotels or b&b's for the trip? Our budget is $150.00 per night both in Toronto and in Niagra Falls.

Here's a link to my trip report from June; I stayed at Pantages and loved it. It's on Expedia right now for around $150; I'm not sure what you can do for August, but it's certainly a great place if you can get a deal.

I didn't have a car and had absolutely no problems...including Niagara. Toronto is terrific--have a great trip!

D'oh! It would help if the link were actually there, eh? http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34505548

Here on my reco's for Toronto (I don't believe I am repeating anything mentioned above):

- Beaches - a must at the end of August, take the street car (#501 I believe) and get off at Queen and Woodbine, walk east taking in all of our cafes, shops and restuarants, then head down to the lake for a walk on the Boardwalk - a great way to spend an afternoon, with lots of nice restuarants for that evening.
- China Town - Spadina & Dundas area for a great cultural experience and dim sum (yum!)
- Cabbage Town - old houses, beautiful area (I don't have a street location)
- Toronto Island - catch the ferry at the bottom of Bay Street, take the one going to Wards Island - lots of cute cottage type homes, fairly artsy - then you can walk east to Centre Island.

Do not miss Niagara on the Lake - the wineries and the town are great - you will not regret it (it will be crowded, but still totally worth it).

Old Fort Niagara (just north of the falls on the American side) is a wonderful piece of American history. The fort has been meticulously maintained and has the "French Castle"....the oldest building on the Great Lakes.

www.oldfortniagara.org

You must book a table at Pellar Estates Winery in Niagara on the Lake.

Food, wine, service are fabulous.

http://www.peller.com/peller/index.html

Re car rental - check with rental co but you should be able to pick up, say, downtown and return to airport saving a trip. If budget is an issue, note there is a airport concession fee like most airports which may only be payable if you return to airport (but check this out).
Re Niagara Falls - your plan of 1/2 nights is good as one day is a rushed trip but doable. Be sure to do Maid of the Mist as it gives you an on the water perspective of what the Falls is all about. If you like live theatre, Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL) is home to the Shaw Festival offering great theatre and will be in full swing in AUgust/September.
Re Toronto - The Canadian National Exhbition (theex.com) will be on and as BAK describes, is one big state fair. The Ex has its champions and critics - I'm on the champion side. If you like airshows, the Canadian International Airshow s/b on at the EX Sept 3,4,5, starting at 1:30pm It is supposedly the best airshow in North America and is best seen from The Ex. Given you leave on Sept 3...many of the aircraft do rehearsals during the morning/noon hour at the EX on Fri Sept 2 - this isn't publicized. Alternately, most use the Toronto Airport as their takeoff and landing base and will be active on Sept 3 when you are leaving.
You might check out citypass.com which gives you six attractions at approx half price (CN Tower, AGO, ROM, Zoo, Science Centre and Casa Loma). Science Centre is a subway and bus ride from downtown. Zoo is in northeast corner of Toronto and transit from downtown isn't very convenient but is just off 401 expressway if you have your rental car.

Woodbine Race Track, near aiprort, has some of the best live horse racing (thoroughbred and harness) in North America and approx 2,000 slot machines. Naigara Falls now has two full casinos.

Toronto Hotels - Hopefully, US$150 should get you in most hotels except the Four Seasons, Park Hyatts, etc., but it is peak season. You might try Fairmont Royal York for its character (renovated older railroad hotel) as well its location and connected indoors to subway system.

Practical tip - Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)has all day pass (good after 9:30am during weekdays; all day Sat; bargain on Sunday as up to 2 adults and 4 children can use one pass) at C$8.00 per person.

Enjoy!!

I live in Toronto, and here are a few suggestions:

-Make sure to check out Niagra-On-the-Lake when going to Niagra falls. Its a quaint little town, filled with unique shops and gorgeous renovated old mansions lining the streets..complete with white swans and horse drawn carriage rides.

-You could visit Caso Loma, a beautiful castle just north of the city.

-You will also be here at the time when the Canadian National exhibition is on -also called "The CNE/Ex". Its a fun place to take in some rides, meet lots of people and its located right off the lakeshore/downtown TO area.

-You can also take a ferry accross the lake to 'Centre Island', its cute and has some great spots for picnics, walks an views of the City.

Have fun!