Niagra falls from NYC
 

Hi, I will be visiting NYC with 3 friends in the first 2 weeks of September and one of the girls wants to do a day trip to Niagra Falls. Through google we have found companies that do a day trip and I was wondering if anyone has done a trip and what they thought. Any recommendations of companies to use and what we 'must' see and do would be greatfully appreciated. Also I suppose is it worth doing? They seem to be about a 14 hour day flying to and from NYC.

Thanks.

Niagra Falls is something to see. Niagra by the Lake is a little town with lots of shops and food. Worth a day.

To me a day trip to Niagara Falls from NYC just doesn't make sense. Many people think it's just a short distance away, but it's close to 400mi drive if you were to do this by car - nearly the same distance as SF to LA.

If you want to do this then flying is a must, and there is no need to pay a tour company. You can fly JetBlue JFK to Buffalo and rent a car there.

JetBlue has 6 or more flights a day, and with advance purchase you can get a pretty good deal - I've seen specials for as low as $49 each way.

You'd need to leave your hotel 2-2.5hrs before the flight to get to the airport, so factor in that time as well.

IMHO this is just a waste of time. You will be spending a lot of money and won;t have the time to see much - esp if their are flight delays you will have time to see very little. Also, is your paperwork in order? You will need a passport to get into Canada - and IMHO there is no point in going unless you see the Falls from the Canadian side (the front) - this is where all of the best views are.

Separately, you don;t say how long you have in NYC and if you've been here before. Unless you have a long time here you're going to miss better sights just to see a bunch of water falling. If your friend really wants to go, let her. There's no reason you have to be joined at the hip the whole time.

I'd suggest renting a video of the falls and get a spray bottle. It will be sort of like being there, and then you can leave the hotel and go out and see the sites, see a Broadway show, go to the opera at The Met, or go to the Met Museum, hear a concert at Lincoln Center or Carnegie Hall, then go have a great dinner, and in between do some fun shopping.

responders,

Cut baysidegirl a break. She will be in NYC for TWO WEEKS!


baysidegirl,

DON'T do this as a day-trip. If you really want to see Niagra Falls, you have more than enough time in NYC to do it as an overnight.

J62's suggestion for going independently is spot on. The three of you can share a room, budget rental car, and three budget RT flights (fly to Buffalo!) for less money than the guided day tour.

> Also I suppose is it worth doing?

I've been to Niagara Falls five times, and have enjoyed each visit. I can't emphasize enough that to do so from New York City is total insanity. It is NOT worth doing.

Bardo, she doesn't say how long she will be in Ny, just that she will be there in the first 2 weeks of Sept. I agree if she is there for an extended time, it is possible, but its just going to be a long day. Would definitely do it as an overnight.

To each his own, but calling Niagara Falls "just a bunch of water falling" or "get a spray bottle and watch the video" is sort of like saying "forget New York City, it's just a bunch of big buildings".

And by the way Niagara does NOT rhyme with Viagra.

But if you're young, ambitious, and seeing the falls (which really is an amazing sight) is important to you, then why listen to a bunch of strangers with obviously different taste than you have? Do it, but the advice is good about doing it on your own instead of paying a lot of money to a tour company to arrange it for you and probably throw in some unwanted shopping spree for tacky souvenirs along the way. And the advice is very good about not going unless you have your passports in order and can see it from the Canadian side (and perhaps from the boat -- the Maid of the Mist).

People make day trips from NYC to Atlantic City all the time, why not to Niagara Falls? I'd personally much rather do the Falls than Atlantic City -- it's all a matter of personal taste.

Ditto everything Patrick said. If I had two weeks in NYC and had not seen the falls, I would definitely make a two day trip there. Do it on your own, only go if you have a passport, stay on the Canadian side, try to see if you can stay a night that there are fireworks, and do the Maid of the Mist tour.

Because Niagara Falls is much farther than Atlantic City, it costs much more to get there (plane pus car rental and hotel) and it takes more time from an (I presume) limitd vacation.

As for people going to Atlantic City - well, I dont; get that either.

lol on the video and spray bottle. we are going to NF and NOTL in the first week of Sept. i've heard and read mixed opinions about this destination sp NF. but then, i'd still want to see it, if only once, just to see it. i bought 1 way ticket from YYZ to EWR a while ago, and paid $78 + around $60 in taxes. the same flight now costs around $90 + $60tax. we need to go to toronto for 1 night to take care of family matters. there are trains that go to NF from NYC. it's 8 hours on the train one-way. the difference between train fare and air fare isnt that much.

It is 125 mailes to Atlantic City and a bit over 400 miles to Niagara Falls.

To me the issue is how long they have in NYC. If they have a week or more, then maybe it's worth it to them to fly up there and back. If 5 days or less, I absolutely would not take time away from NYC to go to Niagara Falls. (And I wouldn't take time away from ANYPLACE to go to Atlantic City!)

if you do go,id fly into toronto and stay at one of the hotels that overlook the Falls.It is an incredible sight,but to me only worth it if your staying in NYC for more than a week

why would you fly into toronto? Fly into Buffalo - nonstop flights on Jet Blue and Delta from JFK and US Air from LaGuardia. However, as the others said, if you do it, it is best to do an overnight (and only if you have enough time to see all you want to see in NYC).

i like Toronto more than overnight in Buffalo--but maybe thats just me

bigbomoho: of course Toronto is more likable than Buffalo, but it is also much farther from Toronto to NF than it is from Buffalo to Niagara Falls. YYZ to NF, Ontario is a 90 minute drive. It's about 30 minutes from Buffalo Intl. to NF.

And no one said overnight in Buffalo. EVERYONE said overnight in NF Canada. It is just you.

And to the OP, there are no hotels in Toronto that overlook Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls is not near Toronto, although Toronto is a very nice city.

My advice is if you have more than a week in NYC, fly into Buffalo in the early a.m., rent a car and spend the day and night in Niagara Falls, Canada. The next morning I would go to Niagara on the Lake, just a short ride from Niagara Falls and spend the day there before flying out of Buffalo later that evening. Do not fly into Toronto, Buffalo is much closer and a much easier airport to navigate.