Going to niagara falls but want to go nyc
 

So Im planning a trip from buffalo ny to niagara falls but want to try to go to new york city, how many days should I plan this trip for?

When and where are you coming from?
Amtrak serves Buffalo, Niagara Falls (NY and ON) and New York City.

It's about 600 miles from Niagara Falls to NYC.... 8 hours by car, 12 by train, and 10 by bus... Plan accordingly ....

I'm flying in from California to buffalo

If you fly you can get from Buffalo to NYC in a couple of hours. Otherwise the trip takes all day - depending on means of transit, traffic, consructions etc. Car is fastest and train is slowest.

You can see Niagara Falls in one full day - or a second day if you also want to see Niagara on the lake.

Once you get to NYC you need at least 3 days to see much of anything - up to as much time as you have and you won't run out of things to do.

If you tell us when you are coming (important - many things in Niagara are open only April to early Nov since it's in the upstate snow zone) and what you major interests are people can give you more info.

the flight from Buffalo to nyc JFK or to Newark takes an hour, and you would need to add time for security at the airport. By bus, train or car its a full day trip.

The car is the fastest but where do you turn in the one way rental car in NYC? What is the drop fee?
There is probably a MegaBus to New York from Buffalo.
There is an Empire Service Amtrak train that leaves Buffalo about 4:30AM and gets into NYP in the early afternoon ($65pp Value ticket (coach)).

Im planning on going in August

August should be fine but crowded. Be aware that you need to go to the Canadian side of the Falls to get the best views and some of the activities - so be sure to bring your passport.

If you decide to drive double check with the rental agencies - I'm not aware of any that will let you take a car across the border. So this means either renting a separate car in Canada - you can cross the border easily by cab or bus - or doing without a car in Canada but renting one in NY. But only if you want to see sights on the way from Buffalo to NYC and spending at least one night on the road. Some of the places in between (Finger Lakes, Cooperstown) are well worth the time depending on how long you trip will be.

Otherwise I would just fly from Buffalo to NYC and the from NYC back to CA.

Be sure to go for a boat ride on Maid of the Mist when you're at the Falls!

I would want a day on both the US side and the Canadian side. I've not been to Niagra on the lake, but that would be a third day.

Why not visit Albany too? NYC in Aug is hotter than hell. so 10 days is good.

Albany?????

there are a lot of great places to visit in NY state - much of upstate is absolutely gorgeous (other waterfalls, lakes and parks) and there are a number of good historic sights. But Albany is kind of a mystery.

NY can be hot or just warm in August - not always in the high 90s or 100 as many really hot places are. So you can get 95 but 85 is also perfectly possible. Last summer as a matter of fact wasn't esp hot - not aton of days over 90.

Disregard the 7:35 am advice regarding rental cars. I frequently read here that you cannot take a rental car from the U.S. Into Canada. That is not true. It's done all the time. I've done it specifically at the border crossing that the OP will be using to get to Niagara Falls. Have a great trip.

Albany??? Uh, no.

>>Disregard the 7:35 am advice . . . <<

Just a hint -- time hacks will display for the time zone where the viewer is so that 0735 post KathyK mentions will be different depending on where you are. (It is 0435 where I am). It is better to identify the name of the poster and not the time -- in this case nytraveler.

"I'm not aware of any that will let you take a car across the border."

This is misinformation. Almost all the car rental companies allow this, though generally they don't let you DROP OFF the car in another country.

Thanks everyone all this has been very helpful