We stayed at the Courtyard near Clifton Hill (was like a 2 block walk. Truthfully, was nice NOT to be in the middle of the insanity. About a 10 minute walk to the river down the hill.) Honestly, I don't remember the cost. It had an indoor and outdoor pool, breakfast was included, as was parking.
As said, the touristy stuff is all on Clifton Hill. Maid of the Mist is at the bottom of Clifton Hill. The falls themselves (as well as the Journey Behind the Falls, no duh, lol) is quite a hike up the river. You surely could do it- my recommendation is to get the Parks pass at AAA. (Not a typo, get at AAA before you go, it's cheaper than in Canada.) It covers Maid of the Mist, Journey Behind the Falls, a kind of silly movie/interaction how the falls were made, plus a walk along the whirl pool rapids. It also includes 2 days use of the trolley that runs along the river {connecting all the above attractions}, saves you on parking, nutty finding place to park along the river.) It's also a discount on some of the other local attractions + you can make reservations for both Journey behind the falls and the movie. {Plan to get to Maid of the Mist first thing in the morning to avoid a line there.}
To a previous poster asking about US side. The two big differences are the other attractions in the area and the view. Clifton Hill on the Canadian is sort of like DOwntown Disney- restaurants, Ripleys Museum, arcades. The American side is a park, and a city just outside that.
As for the view- NF is actually 2 falls, all together sort of J shaped. From the American side, your at the top of the J, right at the edge, or in the middle of the J, right at the edge. Canadian, you're facing the J and can see it all. (Can also go right to the bottom edge of the J.)
There are Maid of the Mist docks from both sides, obvious the same ride once you leave the dock. Canadian side had Journey behind the Falls- you go in long tunnel through the rock of the falls. There tunnels (that you can look down, not walk down!
) that go right out to the falls, so you can see the infamous backside of water. American side has Cave of the Winds (no actual cave, it collapsed years ago, but the name remains.) You go down an elevator to water level and there's a series of boardwalks you take to be right at the base of the falls. It is *AWESOME*, much better than Journey behind the falls (though that was neat too). If we were to go again and stay on the Canadian side, we'd make a point to go to American, just for Cave of the Winds.
