Niagara Falls is one of those bucket list worthy places on every traveler’s list. And with good reason! The massive waterfalls straddle the U.S.-Canadian border and can be visited from both countries. And the best part is that you can do a day trip to Niagara Falls from Toronto.

To be honest, I wasn’t that excited about seeing Niagara Falls. But now that I’ve seen them, I’d definitely recommend a visit if you’re in New York or Ontario. But with a few caveats! Our day trip to Niagara Falls from Toronto was perfect and included stops at the impressive whirlpool, the adorable Niagara-on-the-Lake town, and a winery. Here’s what you need to know to make the best of your day trip to Niagara Falls from Toronto.

A Day Trip to Niagara Falls from Toronto

Niagara Falls boat tour from the Canadian side. — Niagara Falls is spectacular from up close and far away.

Why the Canadian Side of Niagara Falls is Better

Before we dive into all the goodies of taking a day trip to Niagara Falls from Toronto, first let’s discuss if the United States or the Canadian side of Niagara Falls is better. Both sides get you right up close to the falls and offer boat tours that take you into the waterfalls. But the Canadian side has a better view of the all three waterfalls from a distance. And the falls are so huge that you’ll want to see them both from far away and up close. So if you can, opt for the Canadian side of Niagara for the best experience.

The view of the falls from the boat tour at Niagara Falls in Ontario. — The view of the falls from the boat tour at Niagara.

Niagara Falls: Guided Tour or Do It Yourself?

I’m a big fan of guided tours when taking day trips after learning my lesson on a day trip to Champagne from Paris. So while you can easily rent a car to drive to Niagara Falls, I recommend a guided tour. It allows you to enjoy the ride without stress and most tours throw in a few other stops along the way.

Our tour included three hours at Niagara Falls, a stop at the Whirlpool, time in the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, and wine tasting — all for an incredibly affordable price. (More on each stop below.) Here’s the exact tour we took on Viator, but there are plenty of tours for a Niagara Falls day trip from Toronto that include different excursions, food, and more.

Niagara Falls close up in Ontario. — Six million cubic feet of water per minute flows over the falls.

Getting to Niagara Falls from Toronto

Niagara Falls is 75 miles (about a two hour drive) away from Toronto. It’s a boring but pretty drive that mostly includes a familiar-looking freeway and all the surrounding joys like Costco and Ikea. Our tour picked us up right at our hotel (yay!) pretty early in the morning (boo) so we mostly slept during the drive.

Niagara Falls from the boat. — Getting close up and personal with the falls.

At the Falls

Niagara Falls is actually the collection of three huge waterfalls. They are beautiful from afar, but you also have to experience them up close. Take a boat tour to get right up next to them. The Hornblower boat tour is a 20-minute ride so close to the falls the mist covers the boat! (Thankfully a poncho is provide for free.)

The line to the Hornblower Cruises can be extremely long, so get to Niagara as early as possible (something to think about when booking a tour) and head to the boats first thing. Even though the cruise wasn’t included in our guided tour, we opted to take one for an extra $26 CAD and took our guide’s advice to head straight there. After, the line to buy tickets stretched hundreds of people deep! Fun fact: boat cruises have been taking tourists under the falls since 1846!

The area around Niagara Falls is disgustingly touristy, like the Las Vegas Strip (one of my least favorite places on the planet). We avoided all the flashing lights, bright signs, and touristy traps and instead walked along water to the edge of the falls. Seeing six million cubic feet of water per minute flowing over the edge was incredible!

Niagara Whirlpool

Downstream from Niagara Falls is the Niagara Whirlpool, where the Niagara River retreats upstream to Lake Eerie in a natural whirlpool 125 feet deep. We stopped for a quick look above the whirlpool and to watch the Whirlpool Aero Car that transports visitors above the pool to the other side. The current in the Niagara gorge is one of the most powerful in the world.

Niagara-on-the-Lake

Further downstream is the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario. The little town was settled in 1781 and many of the colonial-style buildings date to the 1800s. It’s also home to the oldest golf course in North America still in use.

We stopped at Niagara-on-the-Lake on our way back to Toronto. The main street in the Historic District is lined with specialty shops, restaurants, and bakeries. I would have loved to have wine at one of the beautiful patios lined with flowers, but we grabbed a panini at Nina’s Gelateria & Pastry Shop and walked to the beach instead. Then we window-shopped through the wine stores, tourist shops, a boutiques before jumping back in the van.

Niagara-on-the-Lake was cute enough to spend a whole day at or even a quiet weekend getaway. It’s surrounded by almost 25 wineries and historical sites from the War of 1812 that would be fun to tour.

Wine tasting at Lakeview Wine Co. in Niagara, Ontario. — Wine tasting on our day trip to Niagara Falls from Toronto.

Niagara Falls Wineries

Beyond Niagara-on-the-Lake, the entire Niagara region is home to more than 50 wineries and distilleries. Many different wines are made in the region, but the most notable is Icewine, a dessert wine made from grapes frozen on the vine. Only places that hit extremely cold temperatures on a regular basis can make Icewine, so it’s no surprise Canada is one of the world’s largest producers. The grapes are pressed while still frozen, resulting in a tiny amount of juice that makes a more concentrated wine.

Our last stop on our day trip to Niagara Falls from Toronto was at Lakeview Wine Company, where we had a quick wine tasting. Lakeview sells everything from Pinot Grigio to Merlot, including several types of Icewine. I was disappointed we didn’t spend more time tasting through their lineup, especially with the beautiful backdrop of grapevines. But the tasting was free, so it’s hard to complain.

Next time I’m in the region, I’d love to focus on wine tasting in the Niagara region since I’ve seen the falls. How fun would it be to ride a bike on a wine tasting tour?!

The 3D Toronto Sign at Nathan Phillips Square in front of Toronto City Hall. — Nathan Phillips Square in front of Toronto City Hall.

Back to Toronto

After our wine tasting, we drove back to Toronto, getting dropped off at our hotel about 5 pm. I’m so glad we took a day trip to Niagara Falls. It was such a fun adventure and seeing the falls is something I’ll always remember.

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