Hi all

I am planning a trip to the US for my wife and I in July 2006, and think we can squeeze one night in at Niagara Falls. We would arrive in Buffalo at about noon (although earlier may be possible) and fly out of Buffalo mid-morning the following day. I don't want to hire a car (I'm from New Zealand and we drive on the left, not the right) so we'll have to catch cabs to and from the airport. While in Niagara we'd like to do the main sites, especially Maid of the Mist & Journey Behind the Falls. I have three questions:

1. Will one afternoon/evening (in the summer, when it should be light quite late - I guess?)/early morning be enough to see everything?
2. Can we get a cab from Buffalo direct to a hotel on the Canadian side of the Falls (and back again!)? If so, how long will it take on a Tuesday or Wednesday?
3. How long is the walk from the Canadian side hotels (eg Marriott or Sheraton) to the viewing areas on the Canadian side, and also from the hotels to the activities on the US side?

Many thanks

Grant

One afternoon and easrly morning is sufficient to see the falls and do the Maid of the Mist boat ride. There's nothing else other than the tacky souvenir shops and the juvenile games and establishments in the Canadian side area.

Topping for those who may know about taking a US cab into Canada.

bump

I would guess that renting a car would be much more economical than a taxi from the airport in Buffalo. The route is nearly all interstate highways (until you actually arrive in Niagara Falls, Ontario) so I think you'd be fine driving.

An afternoon/evening is fine, though you'll probably wish you had a few days.

Highly, highly recommend the Sheraton On the Falls (not to be confused with the Sheraton Fallsview). It's a short walk from the Maid of the Mist dock, with Journey Behind the Falls walkable from there. Note: You would want to go to Journey Behind the Falls first for tickets (timed, which will give you plenty of time to do Maid of the Mist and return - Maid of the Mist lines move quickly as they send one boat out after another).

The Marriott, Sheraton, etc., located by Horseshoe Falls are fine, though there is a very long, very steep hill involved going and coming. You can use the "incline railroad" (more a finicular), but it doesn't run early or late and there will be a bit of a wait in each direction in July).

With no traffic and no delay at the border, the trip from the Canadian side to the airport is about 30 minutes.

You can check www.weather.com for sunset times for your dates. The Falls, however, are also gorgeous at night.

You'll have enough time to view the falls and ride the Maid of the Mist. The Rainbow Bridge is a short walk, as you'll want to view the falls from both sides. On the American side, walk to Goat Island and view the water from the island's many vantage points. Make sure you have the proper I.D. (passports, for example) when you walk over the bridge.

Yes, you can grab a cab from the Buffalo airport to the Canadian side.

Make sure when leaving Canada to head back to Buffalo that you give yourself plenty of time to cross the border. July is a very busy time of year.

Have fun.

Getting from the US into Canada is easy - returning can be a bear.

Since NZ operates under the visa waiver program you are technically allowed to leave the US and return again without any special paperwork (as long as its Canada, Mexico or the Islands) - but I would just confirm this with your own state department before you leave.

And leave plenty of time to cross the border - sometimes it takes 15 minutes - but it can be much longer if any problem people turn up.

Hi I'm a local. Click on my name for some of my threads. Yes cabs do go over the border but you may want to consider niagara air bus. They go to a few airports, buffalo, Hamilton and Toronto. Maid of the mist is ok just remember July 1 is canada day and July 4 is independance day in the states border times will be longer. You can walk to many attractions from the hotels you mention and there is also a people mover.(little bus) not sure if they charge or not but you can check a lot of this stuff out on the niagara website. Cheers hope this helps.

Thanks all for the useful information. The Sheraton looks good but pricey, so I'll keep checking rates. I'm a coaward about driving on the right but will give it some more thought.

Thanks

Grant

Hi Grant,

If you only have a short period of time, check niagaraairbus.com as they have limos as well as shuttles. www.5-0taxi.com is an alternative from Buffalo but would likely be more expensive.

I would not recommend renting a car unless you had a few days to tour the Niagara area and see more than the Falls. Between rental fees and taxes, parking costs and gas, it would not be worthwhile for only one night.

Hope that helps.

gratn,
Since your from New Zealand - I was wondering if you took care of your Niagara Falls portion of your trip?

TobieT - thanks for the links. I'll check them out.

Doreen - yes, we're all set for July. I can't wait.

I'd highly suggest that you walk to the Falls. My Mom went last July and parking is like $14-17. I stayed a few years back at the Greengate Motel in March and we walked to the Falls and the walk was very enjoyable. There are many, many, many motels/hotels in the area so I'd just show up there and try to get a room.

Grant

I realize this is an older thread so perhaps you have alreeady finaiized your plans. Been a while since I visited the Falls.

Concerning driving on the right: If you do rent a car in the US or Canada remember that you not only need to keep to the right, but the steering wheel is on the left and some controls are reversed. Foot pedals are the same and almost all cars you would rent are automatic transmission. My experience in learning to drive on the left with right hand steering went pretty smoothly, in fact, I strongly suspect it would be much more difficult to master driving on the left with a left hand steering car.

Good luck and enjoy your trip.

Thanks Sam - I've driven a left-hand drive car in the Caribbean (but they still drove on the left like we do here). The Niagara Bus looks really expensive - about $US90 one way for my wife and I so I think I may need to give renting a car more thought, despite the parking charge (as to which, thanks Stephanie for the tip re cost).

deifinately walk to the american side and view the falls from goat island . its well worth the walk thru gorgeous rapid filled river and woodland.

Grant,
What day/evening are your plans for in July?

Cabs from Buffalo to the falls are $75 (Canadian) each way - at least they were last May. If you don't know, some drivers will take American $$ and not tell you you're overpaying (it happened to us). Renting a car is probably the most economical. The hotels on the Canadian side are right above the falls, and many have views of the falls. We stayed at the Marriott Fallsview - it was wonderful. It's about a 15 minute walk from the Horseshoe Falls to the bridge, another 10 minutes to cross the bridge. There's a "people mover" bus that stops at all the attractions. A one day ticket will allow you on and off all day. I do recommend walking over to the American side and walking along the rapids. There's a park surrounding the Falls and it's much less commercial than the tacky Canadian side. The Journey Under the Falls is Nice, but I'd recommend the Cave of the Winds over it, if you have to choose. And definitely the Maid of the Mist. Enjoy.

I'd look into staying at Niagara on the Lake, it is a quaint little town right next to the Falls in the middle of wine country. Canada's Napa Valley of you will. If you have the time I'd spend an extra day doing the Niagara wineries. They are known for their ice wine, if you don't have the time, make sure to pick up a bottle!