What is the best (fastest, easiest and/or cheapest) way to get from Toronto to Niagara Falls? I have read about GO Transit but there are four of us so renting a car may be more cost effective. Or is there a better option? We will be staying at a downtown Toronto hotel and plan on taking a day trip to Niagara Falls late next week (Thursday, Friday, or Saturday depending on weather). We wouldn't need a rental car for anything besides the day trip to Niagara Falls as we plan on spending the remainder of our time in downtown Toronto. Thanks for the help!

Rent the car... that would allow you to drive the Niagara Parkway and stop at a few of the beautiful Wineries as well as visit Niagara on the Lake on the way to the Falls...

the other options will just dump you at the Falls and limit your day to a gawk at the water...

Once you decide, we can help you plan the maximum route for your day trip, including stops and possible lunch and dining options...

Agree w/ Gary. Rent a car for that day. I wld try to avoid Friday traffic. If you can, go Thursday or Saturday. I wld prefer Saturday. Leave TO Saturday morning around 10:00. Arrive NF around 11:30AM. Then head back to TO around 3:30.( 4 hrs of NF & area wld be enough for me). That wld be on a Saturday. If Thursday, then I would probably not head back to TO until around 7:00PM b/c of heavy traffic b/t 3:30-6:30PM. And, I wld leave TO later on a Thursday...maybe 1:00PM. (But just b/c I wld not want more time than that in NF).

OB1

The Queen Elizabeth Way from Toronto to Niagara was Canada's first expressway -- it was named for the mother of our current queen. Your plans should build in extra time for delays. Particularly the section west from Toronto to Hamilton can turn into a parking lot at any time of the day or night. Having said that, the QEW is fairly scenic for a superhighway, squeezed between the western shore of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment, and crossing a couple of major bridges for scenic views.

I would give the Falls a full day... start early and come back after dinner... leaving the City is easier in the AM and traffic begins to thin as you pass the major arteries...

PS. OB1 its time for you to revisit the Niagara region...with over 100 wineries, the parkway, the Falls, and the amazing restaurants, I could keep you busy for 3 days before you sober up...

Gary, I know the area well.

And, I don't think the OP will be drinking if he/she has to drive back to Toronto.

OB1

Thanks for the feedback! We have decided to rent a car. Any suggestions for restaurants and wineries to stop at on the way there or back? We would be open to any type of restaurant.

This is my first time posting here so please let me know if it would be more appropriate to start a new post for this question.

the easiest place to research is in the "search the forums" box above... simply type in Niagara on the Lake and you will get dozens of posts on restaurants, attractions plus Niagara Falls info...

Exiting at Niagara on the Lake will put you on HWY55 or Niagara Stone Road... one of the better wineries is Trius at Hillebrand... not only do they offer a great tour, but you can sample some wines and they also have a great restaurant(although somewhat pricey) that overlooks the vineyards...

If you want good food that's less, continue along 55 to the Village, where you will find the Niagara on the Lake Golf Course... the restaurant there overlooks Lake Ontario and also has a patio...

In the Village itself there are Irish Harp and Angel Inn British Pubs as well as sandwich shops, bakeries, ice cream and smaller restaurants. a short walk around the village can be a fun part of your day...

leave the village by passing the tower and drive along the famous Niagara Parkway... the parkway follows along the Niagara Gorge... there are two major wineries just off the parkway, Peller and Inniskillin if you want a taste... in addition there are smaller wineries on the Parkway... Reif is a worthwhile stop if you have time...

along the parkway, you will pass the Canadian Power Plants, Floral Clock, Botanical Gardens, Butterfly Conservatory, Niagara Parks Golf course, as well as the many Falls attractions along the way... this twenty minute drive ends at the Falls itself where you can find some parking and gawk for awhile... have fun

My wife and I are seniors and will be in Toronto for the first time. We plan on a day trip to Niagara Falls so would like to learn the best way to do this visit. Thanks, Ken

Ken ... take the above route and choose whatever stops you like...

Gary, thank you so much for the tips!

My family of 6 will be staying in Toronto in August for a couple of days and were then going to rent a car and drive to Niagara Falls to stay a few more days to explore this area before we have to drive back to Toronto for the nect leg of our trip, a flight to Quebec City.
Problem is whilst the hotel I found in Toronto (with 2 rooms to sleep us all) is very nice and reasonably priced, the hotel I have booked in Niagara is much more expensive and goes up even more on the weekend nights we will be staying.

I am wondering now after reading the above posts.. whether we should just stay in Toronto and drive to Niagara instead of staying there. We are going to rent a car anyway.. Is there enough to see for 2 days to make it worth driving there both days?

There is plenty to do for 2 days in Niagara, especially if the kids are above 6 years old thru teenage...

The drive to and from Toronto is listed as about 100km or 60 miles, but traffic can make it up to two hours each way... it can be very frustrating... plus the cost of gas in Ontario and parking offsets the higher room rate...

Niagara in the summer offers free concerts, evening fireworks, festivals, and the famous lighted Falls... there's also Whirlpool JetBoats, Niagara on the Lake, and all of the attractions listed above...

If you are doing Niagara once, do it right... driving back and forth for two days is a bad choice...

Thanks Gary22, you answered my question. We would not enjoy extra driving time just to save some dollars on accommodation and good point about the cost of gas and parking for 2 days.

It is a once in a lifetime trip (we are from Australia) so we will stick to the original plan. Thanks..!

busywithfour: make sure you don't stay at one of the many cheap motel along Lundy's Lane. While there are some good ones, it's really difficult to know by looking online. Leaving your hotel booking til the last minute could also prove problematic as rooms book up fast-especially on the weekends.
Good Luck!

Thanks Carina, I have a booking at the Days Inn already just was a bit dismayed at the price especially on the weekend. But thanks for the tip.. as it's hard to know what is good when doing it online. Thanks again.

Hi busywithfour,

You should check out the Skyline Inn. Their rates are usually really good and it is attached to the waterpark for really easy access. Not fancy - but well located. We have stayed there a few times with our hockey team for tournaments and everyone has always been happy with it.

http://www.skylineinnniagarafalls.com/

Thanks jamierin, I will check that out.