Buffalo NY to Niagara Falls

[Guest_rms492_*]

Hello, I plan on arriving on the eastbound Lake Shore Limited in the morning at Buffalo-Depew. How or what is the best way to get from there to Niagara Falls Canada side? Besides a taxi, is there some sort of shuttle or bus company that can do that? How is the area around the Amtrak Buffalo-Depew area?

Thanks for any advice

 

[the_traveler]

To get from Buffalo-Depew to Niagara Falls, Ontario, a cab may not be feasible due to the distance. You can catch an Empire Service train - but they only run to Niagara Falls, NY (not to Canada), You could get a cab from that station to the border, and walk across the bridge. Or you could catch the Maple Leaf - which does go to Niagara Falls, ON - but that involves a long layover.

 

[ruudkeulers]

Hello, I plan on arriving on the eastbound Lake Shore Limited in the morning at Buffalo-Depew. How or what is the best way to get from there to Niagara Falls Canada side? Besides a taxi, is there some sort of shuttle or bus company that can do that? How is the area around the Amtrak Buffalo-Depew area?
Thanks for any advice

You have two options:

1. Take a cab from Depew to Buffalo Airport, about 3 miles. From the airport there's a shuttle bus going to Niagara Falls. Bus ticket is about $3.

2. Take the bus from Depew to downtown Buffalo and switch to bus #40 to Niagara Falls. Bus ticket about $2,50

Both buses stop close to the Rainbow Bridge which you'll only have to cross to the Canadian side.

Further bus information in the Buffalo area: http://www.nfta.com/

Ruud

 

[PetalumaLoco]

Just a little off topic; I recently visited both sides of the falls. I found the NY side to be less crowded, easier to get in and out of, less of a hassle (no border xing), way less built up and prettier than the Canadian side.

Just my 2c.

 

[PaulM]

How is the area around the Amtrak Buffalo-Depew area?

Based on biking from the station northward, it appeared to be 1 part suburbia, 1 part industrial park (it's near the Buffalo airport), and 1 part rural. What I would call no man's land.

On the west bound LSL the last NY sleeper makes the first spot a long way from the station. When I looked out my window on the left hand side, all I could see was darkness beyond a very large parking lot; it could have been either woods or fields.

FWIW, my brother left his car in the lot for 15 days with no problem.

 

[PetalumaLoco]

How is the area around the Amtrak Buffalo-Depew area?

Based on biking from the station northward, it appeared to be 1 part suburbia, 1 part industrial park (it's near the Buffalo airport), and 1 part rural. What I would call no man's land.

On the west bound LSL the last NY sleeper makes the first spot a long way from the station. When I looked out my window on the left hand side, all I could see was darkness beyond a very large parking lot; it could have been either woods or fields.

FWIW, my brother left his car in the lot for 15 days with no problem.

Eastbound boarding is quite a walk off the platform too.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Hello, I plan on arriving on the eastbound Lake Shore Limited in the morning at Buffalo-Depew. How or what is the best way to get from there to Niagara Falls Canada side? Besides a taxi, is there some sort of shuttle or bus company that can do that? How is the area around the Amtrak Buffalo-Depew area?
Thanks for any advice

You have two options:

1. Take a cab from Depew to Buffalo Airport, about 3 miles. From the airport there's a shuttle bus going to Niagara Falls. Bus ticket is about $3.

2. Take the bus from Depew to downtown Buffalo and switch to bus #40 to Niagara Falls. Bus ticket about $2,50

Both buses stop close to the Rainbow Bridge which you'll only have to cross to the Canadian side.

Further bus information in the Buffalo area: http://www.nfta.com/

Ruud

Both are excellent suggestions: last time I went I took the city bus from Depew to the Exchange Street Station which is downtown,the agent there stored my bags while I went and toured the City Hall,had lunch,looked @ the really neat old buildings downtown.I then caught the Maple Leaf @ Exchange Street Station,scheduled for 3:24PM to the Niagara Falls,Ontario VIA station. This is where the customs/immigration check is done on the train.Once it is over you are free to detrain and go downtown on the bus or hop a cab,the Greyhound Station is across the street also.

If you ride a regional or get off @ the New York Station its a fair ways from town and sort of desolute!Ill disagree with the OP that prefered the New York side,some of what they said is true(less crowds/not as touristy etc. but downtown is sort of 1950s/desolute and across the river in canada its 24/7 with plenty to do(casinos/eateries/the butterfly arboretum etc.)The combo tourist/bus pass they sell is a real deal,I forget what its called!Also you will use Canadian dollars on the Ontario side and if your lucky and like to gamble your winnings are tax-free in their vegas style luxury casinos!

Be sure and have your passport or enhanced drivers license,Amtrak will ask for ID info when you reserve your ticket to cross/its no problema usually!

Have a great trip,Im going this exact route in early October for canadian Thanksgiving,its a great trip!

 

[PetalumaLoco]

Both are excellent suggestions: last time I went I took the city bus from Depew to the Exchange Street Station which is downtown,the agent there stored my bags while I went and toured the City Hall,had lunch,looked @ the really neat old buildings downtown.I then caught the Maple Leaf @ Exchange Street Station,scheduled for 3:24PM to the Niagara Falls,Ontario VIA station. This is where the customs/immigration check is done on the train.Once it is over you are free to detrain and go downtown on the bus or hop a cab,the Greyhound Station is across the street also.
If you ride a regional or get off @ the New York Station its a fair ways from town and sort of desolute!Ill disagree with the OP that prefered the New York side,some of what they said is true(less crowds/not as touristy etc. but downtown is sort of 1950s/desolute and across the river in canada its 24/7 with plenty to do(casinos/eateries/the butterfly arboretum etc.)The combo tourist/bus pass they sell is a real deal,I forget what its called!Also you will use Canadian dollars on the Ontario side and if your lucky and like to gamble your winnings are tax-free in their vegas style luxury casinos!

Be sure and have your passport or enhanced drivers license,Amtrak will ask for ID info when you reserve your ticket to cross/its no problema usually!

Have a great trip,Im going this exact route in early October for canadian Thanksgiving,its a great trip!

Hmmm, only went to see the falls, not Las Vegas.

We did a bus tour for the Canadian side, it was mostly a waste. We got stuck at customs both ways behind tour coaches while customs opened all their luggage and we watched people walk clear across the bridge and car after car advance. We also did a fair amount of waiting every time we re-boarded as some people on the tour hadn't a clue how to keep time. We ended up being late for every stop and rushed thru every point of interest. Think of it as a bad Amtrak trip. We hadn't planned on visiting the NY side for the very reasons you admire the Canadian side, but the next morning decided to see what the NY side was like and were pleasantly surprised.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Appreciate the feedback,they must have really fixed up the New York side,I know the Ontario side up on the hill can be sort of cheesy and Bourbon Street like.and I no longer gamble but the Casinos are worth a look,especially the Falls one on top the hill!I may be lucky,Ive never had problems with Canadian customs/immigration here,it was usually the keystone cops from Homeland Insecurity that gave folks a hard time!

In all honesty Im glad I saw the falls etc. but evenm though Ill be passing through in Oct.oon the way from NY to Toronto I do not plan to get off the train here,just look as we cross the bridge,clear the authorities and roll up to Oakville for Thanksgiving!My return will be through Windsor to Detroit which has always been a much easier crossing in my experience!Im happy you enjoyed the NY side,bout time they started cleaning up that slum there, and what can you say about ugly american tourists

that ruin it for all of us?

 

[PetalumaLoco]

Appreciate the feedback,they must have really fixed up the New York side,I know the Ontario side up on the hill can be sort of cheesy and Bourbon Street like.and I no longer gamble but the Casinos are worth a look,especially the Falls one on top the hill!I may be lucky,Ive never had problems with Canadian customs/immigration here,it was usually the keystone cops from Homeland Insecurity that gave folks a hard time!
In all honesty Im glad I saw the falls etc. but evenm though Ill be passing through in Oct.oon the way from NY to Toronto I do not plan to get off the train here,just look as we cross the bridge,clear the authorities and roll up to Oakville for Thanksgiving!My return will be through Windsor to Detroit which has always been a much easier crossing in my experience!Im happy you enjoyed the NY side,bout time they started cleaning up that slum there, and what can you say about ugly american tourists

that ruin it for all of us?

Hah! on the return thru customs the US guys took pity on us, did a quick walkthru while the tour coach was still under scrutiny, then stopped car traffic so we could get thru the gate with no further waiting. I think it was 10pm before we got back to our car.

Didn't run into Ugly Americans that day, everyone behaved themselves. :lol:

BTW, we got down to Letchworth State Park in NY, 75m SE of Buffalo, and saw some outstanding falls, the highest at 107ft, and the first of which is beneath a trestle that soars over the river.

http://www.letchworthpark.com/

Quite worth the side trip. Excellent restaurant in the park too, great place to have lunch.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Beautiful pic,glad yall had a great experience!No matter what every one should have the falls on their bucket list!Thanks!

 

[JSmith]

Years ago (I wish they would do it again!) the Western NY Railway Historical Society chartered a special Amtrak excursion from Buffalo to Corning, NY that went through Letchworth State Park and over that trestle! Wish I'd been on that train.

 

[PetalumaLoco]

Years ago (I wish they would do it again!) the Western NY Railway Historical Society chartered a special Amtrak excursion from Buffalo to Corning, NY that went through Letchworth State Park and over that trestle! Wish I'd been on that train.

Hah, small world, we visited Corning glass that same day we visited the falls!

 

[Andy Gathercole]

Hi I am planning on doing the trip in reverse, picking up the 11:59PM train to Chicago from Buffalo Depew, whats the best way to get there by public transport from the US side of Niagara Falls on a Sunday evening? Greyhound show a service Niagara Falls to Chicago transferring at Buffalo at 10:45 PM but wont allow me to book just to Buffalo as carrier is NYT(?) but I cant find any information on who what NYT is and how to book tickets and would an hour be enough time to grab a taxi to Depew station and what would the costs be?

Sorry Im a Brit so pretty clueless on US states and names etc

 

[dart330]

I am doing the same next week. We decided to catch the Maple Leaf train at the Niagara Falls train station and head East to Utica, NY and then board the Lake Shore Limited West to Chicago. This is because train 49 is often an hour or more late into BUF, sometimes not getting in until 3am!

If you need a ride to the train station I would contact one of the private car services that have set rates. We are using www.a-touch-of-class-niagara.com If you go buffalo's airport website (www.buffaloairport.com) they have a list of ground transportation options that would also serve the train station since they are very close to one another.

 

[Joeker]

Agree with previous poster. Poor to none public transportation especially on Sunday evening. Suggest private car service as best option.

There are only vending machines at the Depew station. Suggest you eat before you arrive. Its in an industrial area devoid of night life.

This train is often tardy, just check arrival time online or thru phone.

 

[the_traveler]

Hi I am planning on doing the trip in reverse, picking up the 11:59PM train to Chicago from Buffalo Depew, whats the best way to get there by public transport from the US side of Niagara Falls on a Sunday evening? Greyhound show a service Niagara Falls to Chicago transferring at Buffalo at 10:45 PM but wont allow me to book just to Buffalo as carrier is NYT(?) but I cant find any information on who what NYT is and how to book tickets and would an hour be enough time to grab a taxi to Depew station and what would the costs be?
Sorry Im a Brit so pretty clueless on US states and names etc

I'm not sure either what NYT stands for. But just so you're aware, the Greyhound station in Buffalo is downtown, and many kilometers from the Depew station, which is on the eastern edge of Buffalo. A better choice may be taking Amtrak from Niagara Falls, NY to Depew.

Also as dart330 suggested, taking the train farther east to Utica is a great idea! I had a friend do just that a couple of months ago. Besides getting on the Lake Shore Limited earlier (and maybe getting to sleep earlier), you can also get dinner on the train!

Either way, I hope you enjoy your holiday!

 

[Nathanael]

Hi I am planning on doing the trip in reverse, picking up the 11:59PM train to Chicago from Buffalo Depew, whats the best way to get there by public transport from the US side of Niagara Falls on a Sunday evening? Greyhound show a service Niagara Falls to Chicago transferring at Buffalo at 10:45 PM but wont allow me to book just to Buffalo as carrier is NYT(?)

We have very little actual Greyhound in upstate NY. You can figure out who the actual bus company is for Greyhound routes here:

http://extranet.greyhound.com/revsup/pfsm/carriers.html

In this case, it's NY Trailways.

http://www.trailwaysny.com/

NY Trailways stinks as a service. They don't put all their schedules online, so in order to find out the schedule and locations you'd have to call them:

http://www.trailwaysny.com/html/english/pop_up_fares_faq2.asp#cities

Finally, as noted previously, the Buffalo Trailways station is many miles away from the Amtrak station.

In short, this will not work for you.

Local bus service won't work for you either, it's designed for commuters only.

but I cant find any information on who what NYT is and how to book tickets and would an hour be enough time to grab a taxi to Depew station and what would the costs be?

Enough time (about 30 minutes). And how much do you expect a 30-mile taxi ride to cost? This site:
http://www.taxifarefinder.com/rates.php

Says it'll be about $100. (Remember you have to tip.) This may be a lowball estimate, I'd expect it to cost a bit more.

Pretty expensive, but I've spent that sort of money on taxis on occasion.

Sorry Im a Brit so pretty clueless on US states and names etc

First, remember to calibrate your perspective using Google directions to check distances. New York State is larger than the UK.
The other alternative you have, instead of taking a taxi for 30 miles, is to take Amtrak from the Amtrak Niagara Falls station to Buffalo-Depew -- or, better, further east, to Rochester or Utica.

If you've got the time and like trains, this is a very nice option as you get to see more of upstate NY. Hang out in Rochester or Utica for a few hours. Utica is a proper small town with a classic downtown train station. Rochester is a proper 19th century American industrial city; the train station isn't original, but it's downtown and there's lots of local color within walking distance. (The Buffalo-Depew and Syracuse train stations are in much less interesting locations; the cities are interesting but you'd have to run around them by taxi.)

From either city you can then catch Amtrak back west to Chicago. This would take up an extra day, or at least half a day, though, since the last train east from Niagara Falls leaves at 2:30 PM on Sunday, and at 12:35PM on all other days.

Look at Amtrak's "Empire Service" schedules to see your options; there are three trains east from Niagara Falls each day.

The Amtrak Niagara Falls station isn't next to the Falls but it's not far away, a 3 mile taxi ride rather than a 30 mile ride.