Need quick and dirty info on Niagara Falls trip!
 

Hoping you all might be able to help me out with some quick info on Niagara Falls! Husband and I would really love to see it, and we're planning a trip to NYC in August for our 1st anniversary. Thinking about going to the Falls first and then on to NYC. My questions are: what is the best airport to fly into? Are there affordable places to stay close to the Falls (US or Canada)? Should I try Priceline? How would transportation work? What would you recommend as your top things to see/do while at the Falls? I'm thinking we'll be there 2 nights. Any tips/suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated! I'll start reading through past posts on this topic as well.

Try to post this on the Canadian board and maybe include where you're flying from...
We flew to Toronto from the UK to visit Niagara Falls. Ran into a visa problem when we tried to cross over to the US side. Apparentely Brits don't need a visa to fly to the States unless they try to enter via Canada!

I assume you'll be using a rental car between the Falls & NYC?

I'm sure others will reply about which airport & so on.

Definitely head to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. Much better view of the falls, plus better amenities. "Maid of the Mist" ride is worth it. There are miles of walking paths. There are nice gardens. The "whirlpool" is worth seeing (to the east walking along the path or drive). To the west (along the river) is a lovely tourist village Niagara-on-the-Lake.

'apparently' I can't spell today! :)

Fly into Buffalo on one of these low cost carriers - Jet Blue, Southwest, AirTran or Independence. Stay on the Canadian side. Almost all chain hotels are represented (Marriott, Sheraton, Hilton, Embassy Suites, Holiday Inn etc) but it is the high season so rates will be at their peak. You can rent a car from the Buffalo airport and it is a 45 min. drive. Then, fly to NYC on JetBlue, the only low cost carrier I can think of that flies from Buffalo to NYC.

On the US side, take the Cave of the Winds tour which takes you down next to the base of the bridal falls. Ride the Maid of the Mist from the US or Canadian side. The Canadian side also has two casinos, some shopping and tourist attractions like Ripley's Believe It or Not, Guiness Book of World Records etc. It it a bit tacky with all of the wax museums, but there is very little to do on the US side other than the Cave of the Winds and Goat island. From NF, Ontario, you can also take a day trip to Niagara on the Lake, a quaint town with great shopping and restaurants. You can also ride the Whirlpool Jet boat from NOTL, a ride that takes you through the whirlpool rapids.

Hope this helps - let me know if you are definitely going to stay on the Candian side and I can recommend restaurants, wineries etc (like the Peller Estates Winery, Inn on the Twenty etc.)

It depends on where you're coming from - and what kind of connections you can get. the closest airport is Buffalo. You can easily rent a car there and see both the US and Canadian sides. (Be sure uohae all the corect dovumentatin - passports etc) You will then have to figure out how to get to NYC - flying is the most efficient.

However - if Buffalo is not a convenient airport for you - Toronto is not really that much further away - it only took about 1.5 hours to drive - so that is another option that may be more convenient - or get you better fares.

Thanks so much for all of the great info, I appreciate it! You guys are awesome.

We are tentatively planning to fly from Colorado to Buffalo, I think. Then stay 2 nights near the Falls, then fly to NYC (on Jet Blue). I'm wondering if it would be absolutely necessary to rent a car? Are there buses or taxis or other forms of public transportation that we could use? Mainly we are just concerned with the Falls, a place to stay, and eating (and anything else within walking distance). Although maybe it would be more affordable to rent car?

To Kcapuani's excellent thoughts...
get a room with a view ON THE CANADIAN
SIDE...or
do your sightseeing (day and half) then
drive over to Niagara On the Lake
next day....artsy, and utterly charming..wine country. Lots of
B&B's, and sometimes we stay at the
Sheraton (not much $$$). I would drive
on to Toronto for another wonderful
day and take a flight from there to
NYC.

The cost of getting to Niagara Falls, Ont will probably equal the price of renting a car. But, then again, you'll have to pay to park at the hotel, which will run around $20Cdn.

www.infoniagara.com has info on a niagara falls taxi service from the Buffalo airport.

Once you are in Niagara, you can easily walk to everything, including numerous restaurants. Unfortunately most are chains - take your pick of Applebee's, TGI Fridays, Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood or Rainforest Cafe. Actually, the Fallsview Casino has a great restaurant and there are are a few new restaurants that are being built but I'm not sure when they will be opening. One is Wolfgang Puck's Cafe Tu Tu Tango.

Have fun!

monalua: Fly into Buffalo - the closest airport- and take a taxi to Niagara Falls. I believe it's about
$50 one way from Buffalo to NF.

I always recommend viewing the falls from both sides. The weather is always wonderful in August, and it's a short walk across the Rainbow Bridge to view the falls from both sides.

Another $50 cab ride to the Buffalo airport, and you're an inexpensive flight away from NYC.

I personally think if you only have two days, then you should enjoy the
falls and all the tourist things it has to offer. I'm not a huge fan of NOTL.

Whatever you decide, hopefully you'll post back and we can all help you!

Love all the great info everyone has provided on the falls. We're heading there in late July; staying in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Any suggestions for 1-2 day trip from the falls with 2 kids (13 & 10)? We'll be driving back toward Chicago, but can certainly head into NY, PA or other areas, if there is something worth seeing. Otherwise, we'll probably hit Cleveland and maybe Cedar Point in Sandusky. Thanks!

mona:

There is a huge variety of places to stay. I doubt you'll need reservations. It will be the high season but the amount of chain and family motels is amazing.

Perhaps you could just extend your stay in the Niagara area, or stay in Toronto. If your kids can't get enough of theme parks, there is Canada's Wonderland near Toronto. Also, African Lion Safari is worth a half day visit and is half way between Niagara Falls and Toronto.

Toronto has a nice waterfront area (although probably not as nice as Chicago's), a great science museum and several interesting ethnic neighborhoods (Chinatown, Greektown etc).

We went to the Canadian side a few years back and there was a pass you could buy that gave entrance to several attractions: the gondola, behind the falls, and several others. It was a very good value.

mona:

There is probably transportation to and from the falls from the airport you just have to do some research. If you want to stay right in the falls area it will be very easy to do so as most of the attractions are close by and there is a tram that goes from the parking areas to the main part of viewing the falls. When I went they didn't even check if you had a ticket from parking! I'd highly suggest staying over in Canada and you can easily walk over to the New York side via the Rainbow Bridge. I should say easy if you really enjoy walking and being outside. Personally, I could easily take a car and drive to the falls in about 5 hrs, park the car at the motel/hotel and just walk around the whole time. If you do away with the car dependency you might want to have some guaranteed reservations.

One thing to consider is the time to view the Falls. In August the tourists can be ten deep at the best viewing sites, so consider getting up at 6 or so (e.g. just after dawn) or viewing at dusk. If you can stand the early hour you'll get a fairly unobstructed view. Better yet, it will be quiet. No stores open, no boom box cars, no cacaphony of other tourists, and the temps will be pleasant.

I strongly suggest walking to both sides of the Falls, and along the steep enbankments, and the islands. It's a hike, but well worth it.

And while I'm thinking of it, give yourself a treat and read THE FALLS by Joyce Carol Oates before you go. It will give you a strong sense of the unique combination of history, poverty, popularity and creepiness that is Niagara Falls.

Hi all,

have been reading this very informative thread - just had a few questions for all the wise out there:

1. has anyone heard of the niagara airbus - like a shuttle bus that goes from buffalo airport to the niagara region?

2. once at a hotel in the niagara region, what do people think about the 4-5 hour tours being offered - are they worth it or is it just as easy to go around and look at the sights yourself?

3. is it necessary to have a car at niagara falls or is the public transport pretty good?

4. do the Canadian hotels take US$ or is it necessary to get currency exchanged?

Many questions, many posters, many answers. There isnt really public transportation from buffalo to Niagara Falls. Renting a car is probably cheaper in the long run than taking cabs. You would need it to get to places around, but not "in" the Falls area. The is a terrifc Butterfly Conservatory between the Falls and Niagara on the Lake. its neat. Niagara on the Lake offers excellent theatre all summer long, as well as really fine dining. You can find out more about it by goggling Shaw Festival Theatre. Interesting shops and art stores.
Pucks restaurant is open in Niagara Falls. Havent been there, but it is being advertsed in area newspapers. Also, there is a brazillian steakhouse which recently opened in Niagara Falls which is supposed to be good.

The casinos in Niagara Falls, both US and Canada have some great shows, so its worth checking out who will be there when you are.

We have made the drive from buffalo to Chicago many times. I would probably opt for the US route and stop in Cleveland, Sandusky or somewhere along the shorelines of the Great Lakes to break up your trip.

Happy Travels to all

Mona -- I would fly into Buffalo on Jet Blue & rent a car. Drive to NF, CANADA.

We stayed at the Days Inn. We had advance reservations & parking was free to hotel guests. I wouldn't go without a hotel reservation. This Days Inn was about 3 years old & was very nice. Usually Days Inns are not. The hotel was at the top of Clifton Hill & we just walked everywhere (except dinner).

We walked all the way down to the Falls & did Maid of the Mist & Journey Behind the Falls. We had lunch at Table Rock restaurant at the brink. We went to the nightly illumination. We went on the White Water Walk (opposite direction -- had to drive there). We would have done the Spanish Aerocar but it was too windy.

On our way back to Buffalo, we spent the day on the US side. The US side is different because you have to drive around to the various NYS Parks in order to go to the different overlooks; unlike the Canadian side which has one contiguous walking path. In the US we went to Cave of the Winds and the State Park overlooks.