Walking is the cheapest way to see Niagara Falls and often the best. This page groups the main routes by effort, from easy paved strolls to a steep gorge descent. Two of the routes are in New York, one is in Ontario, and one links them across the Rainbow Bridge. Easy: paved routes Niagara Falls State Park loop (New York, about 5 km, 2 to 3 hours). The park is a 400 acre landscape designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and opened in 1885.

Couples have honeymooned at Niagara Falls for generations. The mood is strongest in the evening, when floodlights tint the cataracts, and on the Canadian side, where hotel towers and restaurants line the Fallsview district. This sample weekend mixes both banks and the old town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, with prices in Canadian dollars unless marked USD. A weekend plan for two Friday evening. Check in on the Canadian side and book a window table for dinner.

How long you need at Niagara Falls depends on how much you want beyond the falls themselves. The cataracts, a boat ride and a tunnel walk on both sides fit into two full days. Add Niagara-on-the-Lake, Fort George and a gorge hike and you are at three or four days. Beyond five days, the falls become a base for Buffalo and Toronto. Choose by length Days What fits 2 State park, boat, Cave of the Winds, Journey Behind the Falls 3 Add Niagara-on-the-Lake, Fort George and icewine 4 Add the gorge trails and Old Fort Niagara 5 to 7 Add Toronto by train and Buffalo museums A three-day plan Day 1 in New York (USD).

A family trip to Niagara Falls works best when you match each outing to your children’s ages and the weather. The sights are spread over two countries, so budget in US dollars for New York and Canadian dollars for Ontario, and bring passports for everyone, babies included. Good for toddlers and under-fives Niagara Scenic Trolley. Green trolleys loop around Niagara Falls State Park every 15 minutes with a driver who narrates.

Niagara Falls makes a convenient base for day trips because wine country, two historic forts, a major art city and Toronto are all within two hours. Here is how far each one is and what a visit involves. Destination Country Distance Drive time Niagara-on-the-Lake Canada 20 km about 25 minutes Old Fort Niagara, Youngstown USA 25 km about 20 minutes Buffalo USA 32 km about 30 minutes Toronto Canada 130 km 1.

Tickets at Niagara Falls depend on which country you are standing in. US attractions sell in US dollars and Canadian ones sell in Canadian dollars with 13 percent HST on top. The notes below explain what each ticket buys, when it runs and how to get it. Which ticket rules apply Buy online: Maid of the Mist, Journey Behind the Falls (timed entry through Niagara Parks) and most Canadian attractions. Buy in person: Cave of the Winds, sold only at the Goat Island windows or the Ralph C.

The easiest way to plan Niagara Falls is to start with what costs nothing and then add paid attractions. The falls straddle the US and Canadian border, and the two sides do not share tickets, currency or buses. New York quotes US dollars. Ontario quotes Canadian dollars, usually before 13 percent HST. Free things to do Walk Niagara Falls State Park in New York, which never closes. Stroll the Queen Victoria Park promenade in Ontario, with its straight-on view of both falls.