Toronto - Niagara Falls day trip

[sprunt]

I'm going to Toronto for two weeks at the end of September and I'd like to do a trip to Niagara Falls while I'm there. The best way seems to be by bus (there is a train but the journey is longer than the bus journey andleaves you further from the falls with a fairly dull looking walk to get there) and the options are Megabus Canda or Flixbus Canada.

Megabus is significant;y cheaper - does anyone known if there's anyhing that makes the extra worth paying for Flixbus, which is still reasonably priced.

 

[Djgr]

I'm going to Toronto for two weeks at the end of September and I'd like to do a trip to Niagara Falls while I'm there. The best way seems to be by bus (there is a train but the journey is longer than the bus journey andleaves you further from the falls with a fairly dull looking walk to get there) and the options are Megabus Canda or Flixbus Canada.

Megabus is significant;y cheaper - does anyone known if there's anyhing that makes the extra worth paying for Flixbus, which is still reasonably priced.

I did this very journey about a month ago!

Outward by train. Back by bus.

In practice, the journey times are similar as Toronto traffic is heavy and unpredictable. However the train service is infrequent and prone to delays returning to Toronto if it is crossing over from the US. The sweet spot is the 820ish out from Toronto.

In terms of the buses, check two things in the timetable. Some start at Niagara and some don't. The latter are more likely to pick up delays. Secondly some buses seem to take a longer route to/from Toronto.

That said, a coach is a coach. It's not really that long a journey to get excited about "features".

Me. I'm glad I took the train because I like trains! I'm not likely to experience anything Amtrak-like in the near future given the current difficulties in the US. I'm also glad I took the bus back as I got to see more of Canada.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I did it on the Amtrak train. It was an interesting experience in itself, would do that again even though the timings weren't totally ideal.

The walk to/from the station certainly wouldn't be described as salubrious though!

To be fair the town of Niagara Falls is basically Blackpool without the trams and with a big waterfall.

 

[43094]

There are some loco-hauled GO Transit rail services which start / terminate at Niagara.

There's a regular bus (every 30 minutes, most of the day) from the railway station to the Falls.

 

[Djgr]

There are some loco-hauled GO Transit rail services which start / terminate at Niagara.

There's a regular bus (every 30 minutes, most of the day) from the railway station to the Falls.

And you can get a day pass that covers bus routes for many of the non-waterfall attractions

 

[davews]

I did this in 1989, train both ways. I found no issue with the train times and cannot even remember the walk from station to falls. Plenty of time a full day of exploring (but no time to walk across to the USA side. Longish wait on the return while they checked the USA passenger passports. Maybe it has changed in the last 40 years though.....

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The GO Transit timetable to Niagara Falls is here:
Note the completely different (more frequent) weekend train times.

https://assets.metrolinx.com/image/upload/v1776367920/Documents/GO/full-schedules/FS25042026/TABLE12.pdf

The Toronto area smartcard (Presto) gives you fares discount.
You might need that card anyway for the rest of your time in Toronto.

Tap to Pay With Credit or Debit

Tap your credit card, debit card, smartphone or smartwatch to pay your PRESTO fare on GO.

www.gotransit.com

 

[SuspectUsual]

To be fair the town of Niagara Falls is basically Blackpool without the trams and with a big waterfall.

The Canadian side is a lot less bad than the American side

 

[Bletchleyite]

The Canadian side is a lot less bad than the American side

I hate to think what the American side is like then!

(I went on Amtrak but to the Canadian side)

 

[Djgr]

The GO Transit timetable to Niagara Falls is here:
Note the completely different (more frequent) weekend train times.

https://assets.metrolinx.com/image/upload/v1776367920/Documents/GO/full-schedules/FS25042026/TABLE12.pdf

The Toronto area smartcard (Presto) gives you fares discount.
You might need that card anyway for the rest of your time in Toronto.

Tap to Pay With Credit or Debit

Tap your credit card, debit card, smartphone or smartwatch to pay your PRESTO fare on GO.

www.gotransit.com

Be aware that this does not include the VIA/Amtrak service nor (to my knowledge) are tickets interchangeable between GO Transit and VIA services.

The VIA service leaves Toronto at 8.20 arriving at 10.20, quoting from 28 Canadian dollars.

 

[SuspectUsual]

I hate to think what the American side is like then!

(I went on Amtrak but to the Canadian side)

To be fair, I did the Canadian side in 1992 and the American side in 2018, so perhaps the Canadian side has descended into tatsville during that time

In 1992 we went to Niagara-on-the-Lake and loved it. Went back in 2018 crossing the rainbow bridge and the Canadian border bloke asked us how long we’d be in Canada for. “About 90 minutes” seemed to confuse him somewhat

 

[Bletchleyite]

To be fair, I did the Canadian side in 1992 and the American side in 2018, so perhaps the Canadian side has descended into tatsville during that time

It wasn't that awful to be fair, it just had a bit of a Blackpool air about it! The walk from the station was a bit rough but didn't feel dangerous as such.

 

[Beebman]

I did it one Saturday 2 years ago with GO Transit from Toronto. The train was very busy and I was worried about everyone crowding onto one bus but WEGO had 5 or 6 vehicles waiting for the arrival. One point of interest on the train journey is where the line crosses the Welland Canal (part of the St. Lawrence Seaway), on the south side of the line there's some very impressive looking locks and the train slows down here so it's easy to take some photos.

I stayed on the Canadian side and I found it to be rather smart so maybe it's improved in recent years, indeed a Strategic Plan has been ongoing since 2023. I used my bus ticket to visit the Niagara Whirlpool which IMO is a must see and it has a cable car going over it.

 

[Djgr]

To be fair, I did the Canadian side in 1992 and the American side in 2018, so perhaps the Canadian side has descended into tatsville during that time

In 1992 we went to Niagara-on-the-Lake and loved it. Went back in 2018 crossing the rainbow bridge and the Canadian border bloke asked us how long we’d be in Canada for. “About 90 minutes” seemed to confuse him somewhat

I didn't love Niagara-on-the-Lake. To me it felt like a Disney version of a ten-a-penny UK tourist village/small town.

 

[sannox]

To be fair, I did the Canadian side in 1992 and the American side in 2018, so perhaps the Canadian side has descended into tatsville during that time

In 1992 we went to Niagara-on-the-Lake and loved it. Went back in 2018 crossing the rainbow bridge and the Canadian border bloke asked us how long we’d be in Canada for. “About 90 minutes” seemed to confuse him somewhat

I understand the Blackpool comments around the Calton Hill area with amusements etc, but the area near the falls is nice. The area with the Casinos and concrete 60s skyscrapers just feels weird!

Canadian side is nicer than the American and has the better view in my opinion. I enjoyed doing the boats and behind the falls. American side is OK around the park, but the city is pretty sketchy outside the falls area.

I didn't love Niagara-on-the-Lake. To me it felt like a Disney version of a ten-a-penny UK tourist village/small town.

It's a nice town, but I agree it feels like it now caters to tourists more than locals. It speaks volumes that so much of North America is strip mall central that genuine nice small towns are hard to find.

 

[Herriot2021]

Personally I'd recomend taking the GO train over the Amtrak alternative. There's no need to buy a ticket (tap on tap off with a contactless card, or a declining debit 'Presto' card), transfers to local transit are free and the on time performance is much better. As others have noted the trains are busy on summer weekends, but you can generally find a seat.

Besides the falls themselves (which are worth the hype in my opinion), the St Catherines museum (which is a long walk or short uber from the St Catherines station) is quite good and has an elevated viewing platform to watch ships in the locks from.

Niagara on the Lake does have a nice waterfront, but is very touristy in a Disney inspired way, there are many other 'cute' small southern Ontario towns that offer a more 'real' experience to choose from (including several with robust rail links to Toronto).

If you'd rather take the coach, flixbus and megabus are pretty similar so take whichever is cheaper on your specific date.

 

[Shinkansenfan]

If traveling on a weekend or public holiday, GO Transit sells a $10 day pass good for one of the weekend days. Unlimited riding across all GO Transit rail and bus lines. It is NOT a 24 hour pass.

This pass must be bought online via their website. Can’t purchase at ticket machines or via Presto card.

Oddly they ask you to input your origin and destination (never seen any day pass with such requirement); I suspect it is for statistical tracking.

 

[sprunt]

Thanks for all the replies.

I did this very journey about a month ago!

Outward by train. Back by bus.

Yes! Of course, that's the perfect way.

However the train service is infrequent and prone to delays returning to Toronto if it is crossing over from the US. The sweet spot is the 820ish out from Toronto.

Yes, and given that the last two trains (it will be during the week) are at 1pm and 8pm means I'd be nervous about the 8pm being cancelled and getting stranded. From the timetable it looks like there are alternative bus connections to pick up the train down the line but if I'm going to do that I may as well get the bus all the way.

I did it on the Amtrak train. It was an interesting experience in itself, would do that again even though the timings weren't totally ideal.

Would using Amtrak not risk significant delays messing a day trip up? A couple of hours is fine when you're on a multi-day journey but not a day trip

The walk to/from the station certainly wouldn't be described as salubrious though!

I wouldn't say it looked like anything to worry about, just dull, a whole load of identikit North American houses.

To be fair the town of Niagara Falls is basically Blackpool without the trams and with a big waterfall.

Don't threaten me with a good time! Yes, the bit with the tourist attractions looks a bit sleazy but so what, I'm on holiday!

There's a regular bus (every 30 minutes, most of the day) from the railway station to the Falls.

That's good to know, thanks.

The GO Transit timetable to Niagara Falls is here:
Note the completely different (more frequent) weekend train times.

https://assets.metrolinx.com/image/upload/v1776367920/Documents/GO/full-schedules/FS25042026/TABLE12.pdf

And thanks for that!

 

[Djgr]

Thanks for all the replies.


Yes! Of course, that's the perfect way.


Yes, and given that the last two trains (it will be during the week) are at 1pm and 8pm means I'd be nervous about the 8pm being cancelled and getting stranded. From the timetable it looks like there are alternative bus connections to pick up the train down the line but if I'm going to do that I may as well get the bus all the way.

Would using Amtrak not risk significant delays messing a day trip up? A couple of hours is fine when you're on a multi-day journey but not a day trip


I wouldn't say it looked like anything to worry about, just dull, a whole load of identikit North American houses.

Don't threaten me with a good time! Yes, the bit with the tourist attractions looks a bit sleazy but so what, I'm on holiday!


That's good to know, thanks.


And thanks for that!

My take is that delays to Amtrak trains are the ones from Niagara Falls to Toronto and not the ones from Toronto to Niagara Falls, primarily because they start in New York and pick up delay.

Also buying a coach ticket on the day on the phone took around a minute. There is also a ticket office at Niagara Falls Bus station.

 

[Herriot2021]

T

My take is that delays to Amtrak trains are the ones from Niagara Falls to Toronto and not the ones from Toronto to Niagara Falls, primarily because they start in New York and pick up delay.

Also buying a coach ticket on the day on the phone took around a minute. There is also a ticket office at Niagara Falls Bus station.

This has been my experience as well.

 

[Coleridge]

I visited Niagara Falls two years ago, for the total eclipse.

I arrived by Amtrak from New York. The walk from the station into downtown was easy, and it's not worth paying for transportation.

We left by Flixbus to Toronto. Booked online in advance, we were able to select the pair of seats in the front of the bus and had a fantastic view the whole way. The bus left on time but the traffic was awful and we were pretty delayed getting into Toronto. But no regrets about taking the bus.

 

[sannox]

Niagara on the Lake does have a nice waterfront, but is very touristy in a Disney inspired way, there are many other 'cute' small southern Ontario towns that offer a more 'real' experience to choose from (including several with robust rail links to Toronto).

What ones do you recommend? I enjoyed Stratford and Picton and someone suggested Paris but haven't been.

 

[williamn]

Although the Amtrak train (which is operated by VIA within Canada - staff attitude and the cafe menu improve considerably) can pick up delays en route from New York it has a very generous amount of time scheduled for the border crossing, so a delay is often 'made up' by this. I used to take this train a fair bit while living in Toronto and never had any hideous delays.

 

[Ploughman]

I was there in 1982.

Went on an organised coach trip with a one night stay with about 50 of us from our base at Meaford.
It was Blackpool then.
Trip on the Maid was ok, forget the behind the falls tour you can't see anything except a wall of water.
Permanent wet T shirt with all the spray circling round every 20 / 30 minutes.
Ex LT London Transport RT Deckers giving tours.
Stayed on the Canadian side too much hassle with Border checks.

 

[Herriot2021]

What ones do you recommend? I enjoyed Stratford and Picton and someone suggested Paris but haven't been.

Paris is lovely, especially around the downtown bridges, it would be high on my list too.

Cobourg and Port Hope are nice (and easily accessed by Via trains towards Montreal and Ottawa). Kingston is a lovely city, not to be missed, but is much further afield and would require an overnight stay.

Elmira is a nice spot, but the connection to Toronto requires a mainline train, tram and heritage railway (I find that sort of thing fun, but it's a bit of a slog). The heritage railway (Waterloo Central) is currently diesel only, but steam service should resume when an overhaul is complete in the next few months.

Stouffville and Newmarket are pleasant but very much part of the Toronto commuter orbit. That said, the GO service is frequent and affordable which makes access easier.

Elora and Creemore will require a car but are great and very scenic.

My personal favourite is Bracebridge, though rail service is currently suspended (Ontario Northland will likely announce a service resumption date soon, and coach service is available in the interim).

 

[Djgr]

Although the Amtrak train (which is operated by VIA within Canada - staff attitude and the cafe menu improve considerably) can pick up delays en route from New York it has a very generous amount of time scheduled for the border crossing, so a delay is often 'made up' by this. I used to take this train a fair bit while living in Toronto and never had any hideous delays.

One interesting quirk of boarding at Toronto Union station is that those heading to the US and those heading to Canada (Niagara Falls mainly) are placed in two separate queues and sent to different sections of the train.

 

[AdamWW]

One interesting quirk of boarding at Toronto Union station is that those heading to the US and those heading to Canada (Niagara Falls mainly) are placed in two separate queues and sent to different sections of the train.

Curiously, going the other way doesn't seem to work like that. (Or didn't a few years ago, anyway).

Once people had got off at Niagara Falls and gone through immigration on the platform they just mixed in the waiting room with everyone starting their journey there.

Also buying a coach ticket on the day on the phone took around a minute. There is also a ticket office at Niagara Falls Bus station.

I haven't tried that but did try - and fail - to get a ticket from VIA from Niagara to Toronto. I couldn't persuade their web site to take any of my (UK) payment cards.

 

[k-c-p]

I did Toronto-Niagra-Toronto on the Amtrak/Via train in 2017. Apart from 30min delay both ways all went well. I used a Wego day pass to get around in Niagra Falls.

Some ideas for the Toronto-Montreal route that I visited

• Kingston: Nice town on the waterfront
• Brockville: The old rail tunnel has been turned into a nice attraction by putting in lighting. Cruises to the Thousand Islands in the St Lawrence river are fun.
• Smith Falls: The Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario is worth a visit. And the town is nice too. You can also stroll along the Rideau Canal.
• Montreal: If you can make it this far: The Exporail musuem in St Contant is a clear recommendation.

 

[Gordon]

Dare I say it here but car rental is an option for a hassle free trip to Niagara...let me explain a bit

Myself and my wife did a Toronto add on to a Cunard transatlantic crossing in August 2019. After a few days in New York, we took the Maple Leaf from Penn station to Aldershot (Ontario, not Hampshire!), as I had chosen a nice hotel away from the centre of Toronto, at Burlington Ontario.

I chose Burlington as it was (a) a cheaper hotel compared to central Toronto) and (b) because it is 'on the way' towards Niagara. In order not to be restricted to public transport and to be able to see some countryside 'on a whim' we hired a car in Burlington and dropped it off at YYZ immediately before flying home to LHR.

One of the days we had the car we drove to Niagara. (on another day we drove to Mount Nemo park). The car proved the ideal way to get to Niagara with no hassle and on our 'own schedule'. It also allowed us to see the rest of the Niagara area 'on spec'

Our route that day was as follows - it was one of may favourite tourists days in 60 years or world travelling):

Burlington - Queen Elizabeth Way - Glendale - 405 - Queenston Heights Park (large car park with loads of space) - walk to Floral Clock which is the northern terminus of Niagara Falls Canada bus route which runs all the way down the river to the falls. We walked or used the bus all day before returning to Queenston, then driving along the river to Niagara on the lake, Mississauga point (view across the lake to Toronto including curvature of the earth!) - 87 to Lakeport and back on Queen Elizabeth Way.

As an aside, as members of the RHS we were pleased to find that Burlington was a stones throw away from Canada's RHS main HQ in Hamilton. The difference between Wisley and Hamilton is that at Wisley there is no garden through which run triple headed GEs on heavy freight!

 

[gordonthemoron]

I did Niagra from Toronto on a Go Transit day pass in April, on a Saturday, out by train and returning by regular double decker bus and switching to train about half way, Go trains look weird but are comfortable enough. In Niagra I used Uber as I was visiting micro breweries