Niagara Falls-- US side or Canada
 

We would like to do a weekend at the falls. We are in North East PA. We went to the Falls years ago with our kids. This year it is DH and myself. Is the view that different on the US side. Are hotels more reasonable on one side or the other? What hotels would you suggest ? Is it worth the extra to pay for falls views.? Any thoughts on NIagara Falls, either side, or Niagara on the Lake are welcome. Thanks. Fodorites are the best,

I am too old for the carnival atmosphere in Niagara Falls so we always stay in Niagara on the Lake. There are many B&B's in Niagara on the Lake but we preferred The Moffat Inn. I don't think that I have ever visited the falls on the US side so I cannot comment.

Niagara on the Lake has many restaurants and wineries and a walkable downtown.

Just today I received an e-mail from a friend who's just returned from Niagara Falls. They stayed on the Canadian side. She said the difference between the two sides was huge.
Said of US side ……there were no flowers, construction sites everywhere, and the buildings haven't been updated in 50 years or more. ….
They had a room with a falls view and loved it… but I don't know what the price was.

Its true, the difference is huge , with the Canadian side ( at the actual Falls) being far more manicured, full of hotels and tourists. NF Canada has had a huge falling off of US tourists since 9/11 so you can get some great deals on fabulous hotels, especially if you avoid Friday/Saturday. From that base , you can tour wineries, local places to eat and shopping. I live within an hour of NF so we know the area pretty well. That being said, Canadians cross the border in droves for the shopping at the Outlet mall NF USA, about a 10 minute drive from the falls.

Yes, the views on the Canadian side are much better, the Falls view hotels (Canadian side only) are definitely worth it.

The town is still sort of honky tonk and agree Niagara on the Lake is very pretty but there is no way I would give up a Falls view hotel - esp look for those with floor to ceiling windows.

We found great hotel deals.

The season of higher room prices starts easing when the kids return to school after Labor Day ... If you can wait, mid September to mid October will save you money... Go for a falls view room, but not too high as the best hotels are up on a cliff above the falls... Marriott ,Hyatt , embassy suites, falls view casino, the Oakes Hotel all have great rooms in a great spot...

Niagara on the Lake is a charming village just 20 minutes north in the wine region... Many choose to stay there and just visit the Falls... Plays run daily at the Shaw Festival and the dining options are plentiful... The wineries are stunning and you can drive around the Wine Trail and try samples for days...

There are dozens of B&Bs and twenty or more hotels... This may be the best way to visit the Falls...

The Canadian side is much nicer, but visit both sides so you can get a different view of the falls. Walk across the Rainbow Bridge to the US side, but don't forget your passport or toll. When we walked across, two young men were detained for trying to enter the US without a passport. We had a falls view room at the Marriott and it was worth it.

The Canada side is gorgeous and much nicer.
Niagara-on-the-Lake is charming. I'd stay there instead of at the falls.

I highly recommend the Afternoon Tea at the Prince of Wales -
http://www.vintage-hotels.com/princeofwales/dining.htm

We added the cheese course and the entire tea was wonderful but the cheeses were fabulous. Seriously consider doing this.

The Canadian side of the Falls is absolutely the place to stay. http://www.embassysuitesniagara.com/ We always purchase a package that includes a Falls view. However, you do want to take a few hours to drive to the American side and visit Goat Island. It is here you enter the Cave of the Winds and worth your while. We like Niagara on the Lake for an afternoon of wine tasting and maybe walking the cute little town but it's the Falls I go to see and I want that Falls view that I can see from my room while sipping a glass of wine at night and I love having breakfast and coffee in the mornings while watching the magnificent views.

Thin LOVES Niagara-on-the-Lake!!!!!

The Prince of Wales Hotel is fabulous.

I do not like Clinton Street, so tacky.

I wouldn't even consider staying on the US side and my husband is from Rochester.


Thin, Pennsylvania resident

Clifton Hill is what Thin hates, a collection of arcades, wax museums, rides, carny games and cheaper motels... Teens and kiddies love it... Thin hasn't been a teen or kiddie for decades.....

The OP states she is visiting NF with her husband, no kids.

So what is your point, Gary?

Thin

My point is that Clinton street is actually Clifton Hill and you are old....