Visiting the Niagara Falls is one of my reasons why I wanted to visit Toronto. I had never been to Canada before so another reason to explore this new country, city and the Niagara Falls. This is all in 5 days. Perfect for a city trip or part of your travel through Canada.
I booked the day tour directly online via Niagara Toronto Tours. The reason is that this is the most comfortable way of seeing a lot during the days, get good information on the sites you visit and meeting other people. For me as a solo traveler the last one is important!
The price of the full day guided tour was CAD 165 / 120 USD per person
There are busses and trains going to the Niagara Falls if you want to explore by yourselves, instead of a guided tour
There are two pick up points in the Toronto. I preferred the downtown location next to the CN-Tower at 8:15. During the trip our guide explained and told us many stories about the neighborhoods we passed by like the mines, lakes and wine fields. The bus is comfortable and the guide was funny, maybe too much talking in the early morning for me; I’m not a morning person.
Niagara by the Lake
The first stop is about 130 km or two hours driving, depending on the traffic to Niagara by the Lake. This a lovely, picturesque town offers unique shops, beautiful colonial architecture and several world-class wineries for tastings. It all looks luxury and expensive around here, with stunning houses. Lovely to stroll around and buy a good coffee to wake up from the early morning.
Bring some food and snacks for the trip, you will visit a very touristic location so prices are high
From here a lovely ride passing the most stunning houses along the Niagara River. The next stop was a stop with a perfect viewpoint over the river to the lake. You can even see the high towers of Toronto in the far back! Passing one of the biggest clocks in the world made with flowers. This clock is next to the Sir Adam Beck Pump Generating Station. This station next to the others in the area are producing a huge amount of hydroelectric power to the nearby cities at both Canada and US side.
The Niagara Falls
The highlight of this tour is of course visiting the Horseshoe Falls, American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. The bus parked at the far end of the Parking lot on the Canadian side; this way you could walk back and see first the Horseshoe Falls, named after the shape of the falls.
You could get a bit wet due to the spray of the falls; I was lucky with warm weather but bring a light jacket or raincoat when you are visiting the falls in colder times
In the beginning of the walk it was calm and serene, the water flowed calmly through some trees, no noise or whatsoever. But then!! The thunderous roar and noise started and a misty spay comes towards you; this was a great feeling and the immense water drop that you see here is hard to imagine. What is nature powerful!! I was lucky enough to have a clear day but also some mist arising from the water that hits the surface. I could not believe it. I had seen the Iguazu Falls too, at the border of Brazil and Argentina. Also so beautiful and intense, but the Niagara Falls are so unique because of the amount of water that falls over a wide range of cliff; which makes it the biggest waterfall in the world.
What do you think of the color of the water? Beautiful green turquoise setting off to the white foam and mist
I looked below to see another attraction that you can do that is called: Journey Behind the Falls. Here you descend into tunnels behind the waterfall, feel the power of the water from here and offers a unique perspective of the falls. This tour is and alternative for the Hornblower Cruise during the colder seasons.
It was busy at the Niagara falls on the side and to the Hornblower Cruise, but I did not mind, it is a tourist attraction and there was enough space to get close to make stunning pictures
Why you must do the Hornblower Niagara Cruise?
We had more than an hour at the Falls itself and then we had to gather at a point close to the Hornblower Cruise starting point. We received our tickets from the guide and went in line to head down into the boat. First some walks, then an elevator down several floors, more walks, a picture was taken and you receive a red rain poncho before heading to a water platform. Here it is waiting for the next boat. The boats run every 30 minutes so you don’t have to wait that long and still admire the stunning surroundings.
Our guide mentioned to us that in front of the boat you will get the wettest compared to the other parts; I went full force in front of the boat with my Gopro to make some photos from close by!
What an thrilling experience!! Loved this boat cruise, at a certain point you don’t see much because of the immense spay! A lot of birds looking for food in the swirling waters. Soaking wet but with a big smile we returned after staying out on the falls for about 30 minutes. You get so close to the falls to experience the huge power of the falling water. A must do when visiting the Niagara Falls!
The boat Cruise only runs from April to November, from December to March the Skylon Tower is the alternative tour
Clifton Hill
When you walk up the street next to the waterfall platform you will find the “Street of Fun.” Clifton Hill is a busy street full of attractions, restaurants, casino and other entertainment. Perfect to get some snacks before heading back to the bus. You can also visit the 236-meter-high Skylon Tower for amazing views. In some other tours a visit to have lunch at this restaurant is included. Not for me! Afraid of heights haha. The view must be amazing to se the surrounding region and the falls from above.
Did you know that the Niagara falls moved hundreds of meters due to erosion of the falls! Now they regulate the water that is going over the walls to protect the walls and the erosion is close to zero now.
Time to head back to Toronto, depending on traffic, but we arrived back at 17:00 at the pickup spot near de CN-tower. So still time to chill before your next dinner and enjoy the city of Toronto a bit more.
An alternative is to visit the fall at night. When the sun sets, the falls are illuminated with vibrant colors. It’s a magical sight that transforms the natural wonder into a spectacle of light
My Takeaway of the Niagara Tour
A day trip to Niagara Falls from Toronto is the perfect way to visit this very touristy natural wonder. From my view the Canadian side is more beautiful than the American side. Very nice to visit the Niagara falls during you visit to Toronto, making the city trip more vibrant and definitely check this one off your bucket list; perfect combination!
