Hello to all

Planning to visit New York and Boston in December - would like to visit Niagra Falls can anyone suggest a good itinery? better to travel from NYC or Boston?

Any tips welcomed

Rgds to all

John

Niagara Falls is about 420 miles, or 7 hours or driving from NYC, not including traffic delays. From Boston, it's ~470 miles or 7.5 hours. And assuming the roads are fine and no winter storms.

Jetblue flies non-stop from JFK airport to Buffalo, with reasonable fares.

Niagara Falls in December may not be the best idea. This is the middle of the snow belt and the weather is likely to be extremely cold (wind temps below zero farenheit at night are common), windy and probably snowy.

Also - many of the attractions are closed in the winter - since it is simply too cold to do them. The Maid of the Mist boat ride runs only from end April through October - as do several other activities.

Since most of what you want to see/do is outdoors I would rethink this for a warmer time of year.

On the otherhand, the falls themselves are really amazing in winter -- the foam freezes and makes a fairyland-type spectacle. (And yes, the touristy stuff is pretty much closed up, but its kinda nice that way.)

It is not very common to have below zero wind temps in December in the Niagara Falls area, especially if it is early December. The average high for December 1 is 41 degrees and the average high on December 31 is 33 degrees. The weather is pretty unpredictable, though, and you may well see it significantly warmer or colder.

What are you hoping to see or do? How long do you want to stay there? The Canadian side has more to offer in the way of nice accomodations - I would recommend staying in the Fallsview area, which includes a number of hotels - Marriott, Sheraton, Hilton, Embassy Suites, Renaissance, etc, as well as the Fallsview Casino and Resort.

Also... since the area is world renowned for its Icewine, there are dozens of wineries and restaurants in the region open for tasting and touring... consider a stay in Niagara-on-the Lake with off season rates, and a full schedule of Holiday parades, decorated homes, and activities... a small village just 20 minutes from the Falls....

If you are driving, it really doesn't matter if you come from Boston or NYC: However, if you are flying or taking the train, definitely come from NYC. Airfare b/t Buffalo and Boston is sky high-you can fly to Florida from buffalo for less than flying to Boston.

Don't be scared by the winter season. The falls are beautiful in the winter. And We're real good at cleaning up snow so the weather doesn't close things down for very long. Niagara on the Lake, 20 minutes from NIagara FAlls is a charming town, and there are many wineries in the vicinity. Also, if you like casinos, there are 2 in NIagara Falls Canada, and 1 in Niagara Falls, USA. Niagara Falls, Canada has built lots of hotels and restaurants near the newer Casino and there seems to be lots of people there all year long. Also, there are some pretty good shows at Fallsview Casino (Canada) and Seneca Niagara Casino (US).

Enjoy your travels

Well - we're not sure that the OP is going to be there December 1 - it may be over the Christmas vacation.

We also don;t know where they're from - and they may not be anticipating the possibility of snow and below freezing temps - which are probable in December.

If you could spend a night or two I would recommend going into Canada and staying in the Fallsview area as Tom42 suggested. I've stayed at the Marriott in a fallsview room. You get a full view of all the falls (Horseshoe, American and Bridal Veil) in the privacy of your own warm and cozy room. They light the falls at night different colors and it makes the viewing more special. It was by far the nicest view from a hotel I've ever had. I love Niagara Falls and it's beautiful in the winter too.
Enjoy!
Annika

Thank you all for your suggestions - makes me feel like it maybe a good idea!
J