Travel Tips for Visiting Niagara Falls

Planning to visit Niagara Falls? Spend five minutes to read through the following travel tips and FAQs to know exactly how you should go about your trip.

Visiting Niagara Falls***Bud*** / Foter / CC BY-SA

1. How to get to Niagara Falls: Take a flight to Ontario, Canada or Buffalo, New York, depending upon which side you are approaching from. The Falls are about one-hour drive from Ontario Airport and around 35 minutes from Buffalo. You can rent a car, hire a cab, or hop onto a bus or a train.
2. Crossing from US to Canadian Side: If you are crossing from the US side to the Canadian side, make sure you have your identification documents with you. You’ll need them to enter the US side again. If you have ever been charged with DUI (driving under influence) in the US, there are strong chances that you’ll be denied entry in Canada at all land and water checkpoints. This has happened before.
3. Crossing International Bridges: When crossing the international bridges—Rainbow Bridge,  Whirlpool Bridge, and Lewiston-Queenstone Bridge—make sure you follow the transit times and have your passport with you.

1. Hotels in Niagara Falls: There are many hotels in Niagara Falls where you could lodge, but stay as close to the falls as possible.
2. Best Times to Visit: The best season to visit Niagara Falls is between May and September. July and August are the most crowded. The Falls look breathtaking when frozen in winters. If you are going there during peak season, expect long queues at major attractions such as Maid of the Mist, Cave of the Winds and Journey behind the Falls.
3. The Falls in Winter: All attractions are open in winter months, other than Maid of the Mist, Cave of the Winds and Whirlpool Jetboat.
4. Clothing: Light, casual clothing would do in summers, but weather can turn chilly during spring and fall. Make sure you have your walking shoes on.
5. Timings: Niagara Falls is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Falls are beautifully lit at night. There’s a spectacular fireworks display on certain nights of the week.
6. Pets: Pets are allowed in the parks as long as they are clean and don’t make a mess. Crossing the border, you’d need a vaccination report for the pet. Most of the hotels in Niagara Falls don’t allow pets.
7. How to Get Around: You should get around the area on foot or using the shuttle service in order to avoid parking woes. If you don’t want to walk for miles, your best bet is to ride the public transport system that goes through all major attractions in Niagara Falls Park.
8. Which Side is Better? It is said the you can see the Falls on the Canadian side, but you can feel them at the US side, basically because the latter has Cave of the Winds. That being said, the Canadian side is much more alive after dark and has casinos and nightlife close by.
9. What to do at the Falls: From the US side, you can ride Maid of the Mist, climb to Crow’s Nest, walk to Goat Island and from there to Cave of the Winds and Journey behind the Falls. From the Canadian side, you can walk from Table Rock to Journey behind the Falls and walk to the Maid of the Mist deck. There are many other attractions on both sides including the Three Sister Islands, White Water Walk and a number of walking tracks and bridges. It’s better to plan your itinerary before leaving the hotel.

Travel to the Niagara Falls***Bud*** / Foter / CC BY-SA