20 THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN NIAGARA FALLS, CANADA

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Everyone knows the Niagara Falls as one of nature's greatest gifts, but did you know that around them a city has been mounted in the image and likeness of Las Vegas? And what can you cross the Niagara River suspended in a cabin that a Spanish engineer built over 100 years ago? If you think that in the area of Niagara Falls the only place worth visiting are the waterfalls themselves, you are very wrong, my Mother, they have mounted here! It is clear that the falls are the main protagonists of this corner on the border between the United States and Canada, so prepare your camera: you will take a thousand photos. But we assure you that you will continue having fun in many other places. Next we will tell you 20 things to see and do in Niagara Falls (the village of Niagara Falls). At the end of the article we leave you useful information to help you plan your visit.

1. Approach the Table Rock Welcome Center, where they will advise you to enjoy your visit to the fullest. They will inform you about everything that is cooked in Niagara Falls and is the place to buy any of the tourist passes.

2. Because yes, it is true that there is more to do here, but the main protagonists are them: the legendary Niagara Falls. Can be seen free from the walk that passes in front of them, so there is no specific viewpoint to recommend. But we mark you on the map (below) two especially interesting points, to see the two waterfalls, because there really are two: Horseshoe Falls (Canada) and American falls, separated by Goat Island.

3. Ride in a Hornblower Niagara Cruises and enjoy a cruise That will make your hair stand on end. It is almost impossible not to get excited at the noise of the falling water and the force of the blizzard against your face. The price is 28.95 CAD and they circulate since mid-spring, when the river has completely thawed. More info. These boats are the ones that make the visit if you are in the Canadian part, in its neighbors the United States works the mythical Maid of Mist. Curiosity: more than 2.5 million liters of water fall every second, almost nothing!

4. Another way to approach the falls is through the Journey Behind the Falls, a network of two tunnels that run through the back of the waterfall and reach two outdoor platforms right at the base of the falls. If you cannot enjoy the boat because you arrive out of season, it is a good alternative to feel its strength closely. It is accessed directly from the Table Rock Welcome Center itself and the price is 19.95CAD (included in the tourist passes, which we talked about in the Tips article to visit Niagara Falls).

5. Do you want to experience the fury of the falls, without risking much or nothing? You can do it thanks to Niagara's Fury, a 4D show that will make you enter into the waterfalls (eye that there is rain and snow ... even if they are sticking). Price: 15CAD (included in the Adventure Pass).

Incredible noise made by the Falls 🙂 it is beautiful to be there, a few meters from them!

6. Something that many travelers do not decide is to rent a bike and make one route through the vineyards and wineries in the area. We were advised by our friends at HI Niagara Falls and we have to prove them right: this walk was the best thing we did in Niagara Falls. Pedaling on the banks of the half-frozen river, through lovely parks and little houses, and reaching the beautiful town of Niagara on the Lakes, was a great plan.

7. But this route has a mandatory stop: a wine tasting in any of the more than 50 wineries of this region. Although wine production here is relatively recent (approximately 40 years), it is gaining popularity, especially thanks to its specialty: ice wine. It is a unique wine that is made with super ripe grapes and in their first freezing processes. It has a very sweet taste and is perfect to accompany with desserts, but hey, just as it is also divine (well, di-wine). We were lucky that in the hostel they gave us a coupon with tasting of 3 wines (a white, a red wine and the ice wine) in the Inniskillin Winery and uhhhh how rich everyone was!

8. Your final stop on the bike route will be Niagara on the Lake, a wonderful little town that seems anchored in the 20s and 30s of the last century. Take time to walk the streets, have tea or coffee, try local sweets or take advantage of a brunch. You're going to love it. And point another stop: Mississauga Beach from where there is an amazing panoramic view of Lake Ontario (when we went there were still ice islets floating!). If you look and a clear day, you can see across the lake the skyline of Toronto 'ntero (I had to say hehe).

9. If you have time and want to step on American soil, we recommend you visit Youngstown, a quiet and peaceful corner that is on the right bank of the Niagara River. We only saw it from Niagara on the Lake, but it looked great! Next time we will return with more time (we would not mind doing a housesitting around here, but better in summer XD).

10. Did you decide to cross the border? Then take the opportunity to enjoy the falls also from the American side. Doing so is super simple, you just have to go through the Rainbow bridge (Do not forget your passport hehe at home). Once there approach to Goat island from where there is a very good panoramic view of the falls.

11. Although there is an even faster alternative: Whirlpool Aero Car or Spanish Aero Car. It is a cable car designed, built and assembled by Spaniards over 100 years ago, which crosses the Niagara River from one end to another. You will pass the border only for a few minutes! But the really interesting thing is to be hung at 60 meters high during the 10 minutes of the round trip to the United States.

12. Those 60 meters stay in nothing if you go up to the Skylon tower, 160 meters high, from where you will have great views of the waterfalls. Yes, it is that monstrous tower that looks like a UFO and has dominated the waterfalls since 1965. On its upper platform there are two restaurants, one of them rotating which turns 360 degrees every hour. The entrance to the viewpoint costs 14.50CAD. More info and reservations.

13. Walk the White water walk, a walk of about 600 meters that passes through the gorge that has shaped the Niagara River over time. The water in this area is very rough and the waves can reach several meters high! The ticket is worth 13CAD (included in the Adventure Pass) and to get off you will have to take an elevator, so forget about the steps.

14. The falls must be visited during the day, but also overnight. When the sun goes down, the falls put on their best dresses: red, green, blue, white ... As you can guess, the Canadian government has not made custom suits, but in them colored lights are projected, which by the way, they look great. But this is not all, with a little luck, you can attend the show of Fireworks longest in Canada, and with the best possible scenario ... that of the falls, obvious! Here you have the program. That with a little luck, if you are one of those who always have the draws, it is likely that the lottery will touch you here, with the event Cascades of Fire, where the fires are accompanied with music.

15. Do you travel with children? Surely you will enjoy the views and experience of the Niagara SkyWheel, a huge ferris wheel that caresses the sky of Niagara Falls. You can book your tickets without a queue here.

Uff, give respect eh, but once you're up you forget all the evils XD

16. Get lost by Clifton hill, the most entertaining street in the city, where striking attractions, rare characters and fun things to do, especially for the little ones, are not lacking. There are museums, amusement parks, houses of terror, cinemas and much more (you can even play miniature golf among dinosaurs!). And there are even casinos! It is a species of Canadian Las Vegas, mounted on the banks of the falls, which is usually quite surprising.

17. The best thing about Clifton Hill is that there is a brewery, the Niagara Brewing Company, where to taste craft beers and very rich local brands. From 15 to 16 and from 19 to 20 there is happy hour (beer for $ 6), and from what we read, if you walk around the area and are attentive, there are people distributing free tasting flyers (yes, cups of those to rinse your mouth, but what do you want, they are free!). We tried the Amber and it was very tasty, if you want to snack something try the nachos with guacamole.

18. For those who do not have budget problems, the perfect plan is this: first, a good dose of adrenaline going up to a helicopter to make a panoramic flight over the falls. The flights last only 12 minutes but it is enough time to have an unforgettable memory. Price: 149CAD (about € 100), book here. There is also the option of a plane flight. And then relax in the Christienne Falls View Spa It offers beauty packages (manicure, pedicure, baths, massages, facial masks ...) with views of the waterfalls! We already anticipate you, cheap is not.

19. Another option to see the bird's eye falls is to get on the zip line of the Mistrider Zipline and fly over the river for about 600 meters, before landing at the Horseshoe waterfall viewpoint. You can book your experience here.

20. Finish your Canadian experience by watching a ice hockey match, the national sport of the country. The home team is the Niagara IceDogs and is based in the city of St. Catharines, north of Niagara Falls. The seasons are usually from September to April, look to see if there are games for when you go on their website. We do not agree on game day, but we do enjoy this sport in Toronto ... an experience!

Cliffton Hill, Las Vegas of Canada

We leave you this map with all the points to visit and places of interest in Niagara Falls:

You have already seen that there are lots of things to see and do in Niagara Falls, so it is best to spend at least a couple of days and enjoy them all.

Useful information

:: Where to sleep in Niagara Falls?

We spent 2 nights at HI Niagara Falls and we loved it: family management, very careful, and with a clear ecofriendly philosophy that we love. They also rent bicycles (do not hesitate to make the trip to Niagara on the Lake) and they will give you a thousand and one tips to make your stay as pleasant as possible. There are bedrooms and private rooms, breakfast is included and is located two blocks from the train and bus station, in the Downtown part. The common areas are well maintained and on the ground floor they have a TV room with fireplace, pool table and reading room the beautiful sea. Very, very, highly recommended, frankly we had pipes around here 🙂 It belongs to the HI Canada hostel chain.

:: How to get to Niagara Falls from New York?

We arrived on the Maple Leaf train. We leave New York (Penn Station) at 07:15 and arrive around 17 at Niagara Falls. It is not necessary to get the ETA (at least if you are Spanish or Italian) since when you arrive in Canada all you have to do is show your passport and answer a couple of questions from the immigration agent. You do not have to pay anything. The train ticket came out for 88USD per person. You can book on the Amtrak website. or on the Wanderu transport comparator website.

There is also the option of arriving at bus Direct with Greyhound (night or day), or go by bus to Buffalo, overnight there, and take another bus to Niagara Falls (ON).

:: How to get to Niagara Falls from Toronto?

It is a journey of 2 hours and a half by bus. There are several companies that do it like Megabus, Go Transit or Greyhound. We did the reverse route and paid 19USD each. There is also the 98th train that leaves at 08:20 from Union Station and arrives at Niagara Falls at 10:16.

:: How to get around Niagara Falls?

If you don't want to do it by bike you can buy the daily pass from the WeGo bus network. It costs 9CAD for 1 day (unlimited trips). There are several lines, but beware that if you want to get to Niagara on the Lake, you have to pay an extra 7CAD (each section). The good thing is that you can use both bike and bus, since buses can carry up to 2 bicycles in the front. We did it that way and I think it was the best.

:: Tips for visiting Niagara Falls

In order to plan your visit to the Niagara Falls, we have written this article with tips to visit the Niagara Falls (and not screw it up).