3 Days in Niagara Falls Itinerary
Time – July
Weather – HOT
1st day – Niagara Falls, Canada
2nd day – Toronto, Canada
3rd day – Niagara on the lake, Canada
We flew into Buffalo, NY and took a taxi into Niagara Falls, Ontario, CA. The airport is about an 1 hour and half away from the hotel. A taxi cost about $80. Ubers aren’t allowed to go across the borders, taxis are the only option. We didn’t rent a car because we planned on using the city bus system, which I would highly recommend, especially if you plan to stay around the area. A 48-hour pass for the WE GO city bus is $13.50. We did use an Uber a couple of times while in Canada, but only when a bus wasn’t available. Uber rides are expensive!
I used hotels.com to find a room, the location was pretty good. A city bus stop right outside the front door, which was so wonderful. Cost was okay, but the hotel room itself wasn’t the best… We stayed four nights at the Days Inn by Wyndham Niagara Falls Lundy’s Lane. I would look for something else but stay around the same area, of course, the closer you get to the sights the more expensive things will be.
Tip!
Firework show every night during the weekend at 10 p.m.
WEGO City Bus – $13.50 for 2 days.
1st Day – Niagara Falls, Canada
Skylon Tower – $14 to ride to the top. Highest point in Niagara Falls. A gift shop is at the top. At the bottom, there is a full arcade. They also take your photo and you can purchase if you’d like.
Journey Behind the Falls tour – I loved this tour, but be prepared to wait in line! You have to buy your ticket before hand and pick a time, then go back. They provide ponchos; you will need them. You journey through the tunnels behind/under the falls, showing how they were built for maintenance. Walking out beside the the falls, the water sprays you with a fine mist, which felt wonderful on the hot day. Cost – $20.
Hornblower tour – located only on the Canada side. The tour lasts for 20 minutes and costs around $25. If you see loads of people wearing bright red-pink ponchos, you’ve found it. The Maid of the Mist is only on the U.S. side.
Food
Breakfast – Don Magilligan’s, located in the Best Western hotel on Lundy’s Lane. Food was great! I had french toast with dried cranberries.
Flying Saucer Restaurant – The atmosphere is really fun, filled with so many aliens and space theme. It is located on Lundy’s Lane too. The food was pretty good and prices were average. The staff was very friendly.
Dinner – My Cousin Vinny’s, we loved this one! The food is so delicious; a little bit pricey, but most things in Canada are. We also tried Niagara Falls famous ice wine. If you get a chance, and don’t mind the cost, try it!
Wind Japanese Thai – This is a buffet style restaurant, but way more expensive at least compared to US buffets. You pay one price, which is unlimited for a total of 2 hours. If you don’t finish eating, you will be charged for the waste, so keep that in mind! The food was so great. This restaurant has great reviews online, and conveniently located across from our hotel.
2nd day – Toronto, Canada
We took a GO bus from Niagara Falls Union Station to Central Station in Toronto. The bus ride was about 2 hours long and cost $70 round trip. We spent a total of 7 hours in Toronto. The trip was great, although sooo hot! I hoped leaving the south would give us a reprieve from the heat but no chance. The city is beautiful, the people were very nice, food so yum, streets were clean, and some really cool art installations. Me, being the tree-hugger that I am, I noticed a good many of their buildings had green roofs or plants on roof tops.
Attractions
CN Tower – $45 CAD plus $7 if you want to skip the mega line. We did not get to do this one. The wait time was 2 hours, plus we didn’t want to pay that much for it, but it’s on a lot of must see lists. I would suggest buying tickets before.
Boat tour – they have several, along the banks of Lake Ontario, you can choose from. We chose the Mariposa tour, it costs $25 CAD and lasted about 45 minutes. We really enjoyed it. It takes you across the lake to the islands, and tells you the history of Toronto. I also enjoyed being able to sit down and feel a nice breeze.
Rec Room – located across from the CN Tower. The Rec Room is a big building filled with all kinds of arcade games; it was really cool. Plus they have bathrooms you can use.
Food
Earl’s Kitchen – this restaurant is amazing! We absolutely loved the food. I had fish tacos, which I have to try wherever I go. Located in downtown Toronto.
El Catrin – Really yummy Mexican food, but served in small portions. A little pricey for the size but very good. They serve some specialty meals featuring octopus or crickets. Located in the distillery district.
The Fix – Ice cream! This is a very small set up, there are no seats anywhere for you to eat your ice cream, which we really noticed because it was so hot. It is slightly pricey for the portion size but they make it a little fancy. Depending on what you get, they use cookies, wafers, or torched marshmallows!
3rd day – Niagara on the Lake
On our last day, we bought the Niagara on the Lake bus ticket, which costs an extra $14. This trip takes you through a ton of vineyards! You stop at the Fort George on the edge of the small NOTL community, because buses are not allowed on the roads. It is only a half mile walk into the city center. Shops and restaurants are in abundance.
We stopped at a wine tasting room, so we could try more ice wine. We bought a bottle of the late harvest ice wine, which is the cheaper version of ice wine, plus some red wine. There is also the Exchange brewery not far from the tasting room, of course, we had to stop there too.
Final Tips!
WEGO City Bus (a must), try Ice Wine, stay in Canada or at least go to the Canada side, and definitely buy the NOTL bus pass.
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