Niagara Falls in June

[boxcar479]

Okay guys, heres the plan. In June I want to take my wife to Niagara Falls as a surprise 2nd honeymoon. Should i make plans for the Buffalo station or the Niagara Falls NY(NFL) or Niagara Falls ON(NFS). Which city provides the best public transportation and views without having to rent a car? Now part 2 I want to leave Niagara Falls and go to Seattle using a two zone AGR redemption(roomette accom.) I think I will have to start the reward part at Toledo(?) Where should I stay/depart from to get there? :help: I would like to take the Empire Bldr.,But if I am going to burn an AGR award, to get the most bang for the buck, I might take the Southwest Chief out to LA, and then on up to SEA. Once I get to SEA I have already booked another AGR bedroom award from SEA back home to FTW. I even got lucky and got bedroom E all the way thru I am in such a dilemna Any help/advise will be greatly appreciatted

 

[Long Train Runnin']

There is NOTHING to do on the American side of the falls. You should plan on going to Canada if you are going to spend more then a couple days there. The Canadian side has nice hotels and casinos as well as many many tourist attractions. Neither side has very good public transportation though. Although in June the Niagara Falls People mover will be running on the Canadian side they are propane powered buses that run around the tourist areas of the falls. I guess they stop kind of close to the train station in ON. Best bet go to Canada take a taxi to your hotel, then you can use the people mover. You will grow tired of the attractions on the New York side in half a day.

 

[icbrkr]

What I did during my last trip to Niagara Falls was to spend the few bucks and get on one of those tour buses. It picked us up from the hotel, took us to both sides of the falls and to all the major attractions. I think I might have spent maybe $80 tops for 2 people.

I definitely agree - Canadian side is much better than the US side. I thought about going up there (in June actually) via train but the layover at Buffalo just killed it for me.

 

[the_traveler]

Remember if you go to Canada, you will need your passport or passport card to get back into the US!

To get to TOL, I would buy a COACH ticket from BUF to TOL. The cost IIRC is about $30-40. (The LSL only stops at BUF.) I would take a train to BUF - the station in Depew is only a few miles from the airport (with many car rental agencies to chose from). It is an hour or so drive to the Falls.

 

[TransitGeek]

Niagara Frontier Transit Authority provides service from BUF to the falls (which I know because I plan on being there this July).

Take #6 from BUF to downtown Buffalo, then #40 or #60 (local and express, respectively) to downtown Niagara Falls. $4 will buy you a day pass on board, which will cover the whole trip. Rail bonus- Buffalo has light rail, which is covered by your pass, so you could always toss another train into your signature.

Schedules and routes subject to change, check with NFTA at www.nfta.com for details, but I guarantee it'll be cheaper than a rent-a-car.

 

[Gord]

There is NOTHING to do on the American side of the falls. You should plan on going to Canada if you are going to spend more then a couple days there. The Canadian side has nice hotels and casinos as well as many many tourist attractions. Neither side has very good public transportation though. Although in June the Niagara Falls People mover will be running on the Canadian side they are propane powered buses that run around the tourist areas of the falls. I guess they stop kind of close to the train station in ON. Best bet go to Canada take a taxi to your hotel, then you can use the people mover. You will grow tired of the attractions on the New York side in half a day.

In NF, Ontario, the maim bus terminal is right across the street from the Via station (approx. 2 miles from the Falls itself) and local transit buses do go fairly close to the Falls. IMHO the People Mover is a rip-off, it was about 7 bucks acouple of years ago. There are lots of taxis at the Via station and they are the best bet to get to the major hotels, especially if you have baggage. There is a lot of tacky, touristy stuff on the Canadian side but the parks along the river and the Falls themselves are spectacular, particularly at night when they are lit up and the crowds have subsided.

Aside from the Maple Leaf, Via also runs trains to Toronto from NF which take about 2 hours. There is also frequet bus servoce to Toronto.

Gord

 

[boxcar479]

There is NOTHING to do on the American side of the falls. You should plan on going to Canada if you are going to spend more then a couple days there. The Canadian side has nice hotels and casinos as well as many many tourist attractions. Neither side has very good public transportation though. Although in June the Niagara Falls People mover will be running on the Canadian side they are propane powered buses that run around the tourist areas of the falls. I guess they stop kind of close to the train station in ON. Best bet go to Canada take a taxi to your hotel, then you can use the people mover. You will grow tired of the attractions on the New York side in half a day.

In NF, Ontario, the maim bus terminal is right across the street from the Via station (approx. 2 miles from the Falls itself) and local transit buses do go fairly close to the Falls. IMHO the People Mover is a rip-off, it was about 7 bucks acouple of years ago. There are lots of taxis at the Via station and they are the best bet to get to the major hotels, especially if you have baggage. There is a lot of tacky, touristy stuff on the Canadian side but the parks along the river and the Falls themselves are spectacular, particularly at night when they are lit up and the crowds have subsided.

Aside from the Maple Leaf, Via also runs trains to Toronto from NF which take about 2 hours. There is also frequet bus servoce to Toronto.

Gord

Does the Maple Leaf go to this Via station that you say is two miles from the falls? Is the Maple Leaf the best way to cross to Canada if you have baggage? I will probably fly from DFW to BUF, stay in Niagara Falls,Ontario a couple/few days. Then start my trek to Seattle from there, using the Maple Leaf, LSL,then the Zephyr? Would this be a good plan? How would you do it.

 

[Long Train Runnin']

There is NOTHING to do on the American side of the falls. You should plan on going to Canada if you are going to spend more then a couple days there. The Canadian side has nice hotels and casinos as well as many many tourist attractions. Neither side has very good public transportation though. Although in June the Niagara Falls People mover will be running on the Canadian side they are propane powered buses that run around the tourist areas of the falls. I guess they stop kind of close to the train station in ON. Best bet go to Canada take a taxi to your hotel, then you can use the people mover. You will grow tired of the attractions on the New York side in half a day.

In NF, Ontario, the maim bus terminal is right across the street from the Via station (approx. 2 miles from the Falls itself) and local transit buses do go fairly close to the Falls. IMHO the People Mover is a rip-off, it was about 7 bucks acouple of years ago. There are lots of taxis at the Via station and they are the best bet to get to the major hotels, especially if you have baggage. There is a lot of tacky, touristy stuff on the Canadian side but the parks along the river and the Falls themselves are spectacular, particularly at night when they are lit up and the crowds have subsided.

Aside from the Maple Leaf, Via also runs trains to Toronto from NF which take about 2 hours. There is also frequet bus servoce to Toronto.

Gord

Does the Maple Leaf go to this Via station that you say is two miles from the falls? Is the Maple Leaf the best way to cross to Canada if you have baggage? I will probably fly from DFW to BUF, stay in Niagara Falls,Ontario a couple/few days. Then start my trek to Seattle from there, using the Maple Leaf, LSL,then the Zephyr? Would this be a good plan? How would you do it.

Yes the Mapple Leaf goes to the VIA rail station 2 miles from the falls. I would say crossing the border on the train with luggage would be a pretty hassle free way to go.

 

[boxcar479]

I guess I should have asked. Is the VIA Rail Station also called Niagara Falls ,Ontario or NFS?

 

[Long Train Runnin']

I guess I should have asked. Is the VIA Rail Station also called Niagara Falls ,Ontario or NFS?

Yes it is.

 

[JSmith]

There are a lot more tourist attractions (some of the extremely tacky/sideshow variety) on the Canadian side, but the American side has its own charms for some people. The area around the Falls is a State Park and offers a much more naturalistic and tranquil environment for strolling and viewing the Falls. You can also get much closer to the Falls from the American side.

So I would recommend spending at least some time on the US side of the Falls (you can walk across the Rainbow Bridge for free, I think).