Going to Niagara Falls - we have passports, but should we stay in NY or Canada?

[DisneyGal358]

We stayed at the 'Oakes Hotel Overlooking the Falls'. My husband and I were there in April last year. I did some research and everyone I talked to said to go for the Canada side. It was really nice and I was really happy with it.

 

[rdevine10]

Canadian side! It was much nicer. We stayed at the hampton inn north of the falls, across from the white water walk. It had a shuttle that took uou everywhere if you bought the canadian attraction pass. It was very budget friendly and we were very happy with it. Canada had a whole different feel than the us! Highly recommend. My kids rated niagara falls right up there with our disney cruise!

 

[POOHsie]

I grew up in Rochester, NY, about 1-1/2 hrs east of Niagara Falls. We have a picture of my mom (as a little girl) at Niagara Falls in 1938 when the Honeymoon Bridge collapsed (replaced by the present Rainbow Bridge). Frankly, I don't ever remember visiting the Falls that we didn't cross the bridge and do all our sightseeing in Canada. It's night vs. day different. On the Canadian side, the area around the Falls and river is very attractive, accessible, and there's charming buildings there. The town is kitschy/quaint/fun. I agree with everyone else -- stay on the Canadian side.

Be sure to see the Falls at night when they light them up!

 

[elcodfish]

The US side can be a bit sketchy, I would stay on the Canadian side. The US "owns" the falls, so to see them you have to go to the Canadian side, however, visit Goat Island park on the US side. You can walk right up to the Falls. As for border crossing, I have never had a problem going back and forth. Also, the Clifton Hill area is very touristy and expensive, but at the top of Clifton Hill, turn right and visit Swiss Chalet at 6666 LUNDY'S LANE, NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO, L2G1V5. It is a few miles down the road and all they really serve is chicken and ribs but it is SO GOOD!

 

[dancin Disney style]

The US side can be a bit sketchy, I would stay on the Canadian side. The US "owns" the falls, so to see them you have to go to the Canadian side, however, visit Goat Island park on the US side. You can walk right up to the Falls. As for border crossing, I have never had a problem going back and forth. Also, the Clifton Hill area is very touristy and expensive, but at the top of Clifton Hill, turn right and visit Swiss Chalet at 6666 LUNDY'S LANE, NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO, L2G1V5. It is a few miles down the road and all they really serve is chicken and ribs but it is SO GOOD!

Yes....this is something that has not been mentioned much. The Clifton Hill area is very expensive....tourist pricing, add a good 30-35%. If you head out to Lundy's Lane the prices of things are normal and it's only a few minutes down the road. There are also a couple of nice hotels out that way....BW Carin Croft Inn.

Swiss Chalet is a huge Canadian restaurant chain.....I think most of us love it. You can feed a family of 4 for about $60...depending on what you order. They have more than chicken and ribs but that's mainly what it's all about.

As long as you have your passports and all is in order you won't have an issue crossing the border. The Rainbow bridge is a great crossing...the lines move very well.

 

[mombrontrent]

No question, stay on the Canadian side. We live 2 hours away from Niagara Falls and have been at least 1/2 a dozen times. The last time we went we stayed at Great Wolf lodge which the kids loved but it can been pretty expensive especially in the summer. There are so many things for tourists to do on the Canadian side, it has a completly different vibe than the American side. The American side looks really run down, almost like the whole area was just forgotten about and abandoned. Me and my Dh always wondered about that, why would the Americans let such a great tourist oppotunity slip by, they seemed to make absolutly no effort what-so-ever to gain any of the tourist dollars that were being spent in Canada Really wierd. Be prepared for overinflated prices anywheere in the tourist district. All the fast food restaurants and sit down restaurants are really expensive compared to normal. If you drive 5-10 minutes away from the tourist area you can find food at much better prices.

 

[Terapin]

The US "owns" the falls, so to see them you have to go to the Canadian side, however, visit Goat Island park on the US side.

The US owns the Rainbow Falls/Bridal Falls, and these are entirely within US territory. Canada owns the Horseshoe Falls, the bigger of the two, and these are entirely within Canadian territory.

 

[Arielle22]

From the time I was born until I was 17, my family vacationed at Niagara Falls for two weeks each August. I have been back several times in the past 30 years.

I say stay on the Canadian side. I find much more to do there. We usually save 1 day coming home to stop and view the falls from the US side.

When I was a child we stayed at a motel on Lundy's Lane. The last time we went 5 years ago, we stayed in a hotel with a view of the Falls. It was so worth it. We had a glass wall in the hotel room so we could see the Falls changing colors at night. I told my husband it was a dream come true because as a child we couldn't afford to do any of the tourist things since I have 7 siblings.

 

[Sugar Jones]

Oh yes, Americans you must try Swiss Chalet if you like chicken & ribs!!! It's so good. There special dipping/gravy sauce is awesome. It's so good with the chicken and to dip your fries or bun in!!!

 

[cyndik1111]

before you make a reservation.....check out this hotel.
The best, great pool with water slide, amazing views from the tower rooms. get a suite, you WONT be sorry.

http://www.niagarafallshilton.com/

 

[nikkistevej]

before you make a reservation.....check out this hotel.
The best, great pool with water slide, amazing views from the tower rooms. get a suite, you WONT be sorry.

http://www.niagarafallshilton.com/

We booked this for the last week in June- it looks awesome!!!

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

We visited Niagara Falls for the first time last October. We stayed at the Embassy Suites Fallsview and it was fabulous! From our room, we had an amazing view of both the American Falls and the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. It was especially beautiful at night, when the falls are lit up in rainbow colors. The complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast is served in the restaurant that is the hotel's fine steakhouse by night. It has a view right over the falls. Beautiful!

We stopped on the US side for lunch and to walk around near the falls before crossing into Canada. I must say I was sorely disappointed in what our side had to offer. There were no nice restaurants (even "nice" fast food). There was only a Hardrock Cafe and an International food court that was disgusting! The food was gross, overpriced, and the place wasn't clean. Now the state park grounds were nice. We went on the overlook and also took the elevator down to walk along beside the base of the falls.

When we crossed over Rainbow Bridge into Canada, I was amazed at how pretty everything was. My husband even commented that it looked like the gardens at the Canada pavilion at Epcot. Everything was landscaped beautifully. There was an abundance of restaurants and hotels.

We purchased our attraction passes at AAA before leaving home. We just had to activate them once there. The passes included use of their shuttle bus from attraction to attraction. That was great for us, because it was cold and rainy most of the day we were sightseeing.

We also had dinner one night at the Skylon Tower revolving restaurant. It can be pricey, but we had the early seating prix fixe dinner. It is much more reasonable. The food was good and the views beautiful!

Enjoy planning!

 

[cyndik1111]

Best hotel on Canadian side has a groupon special right now
http://www.groupon.com/deals/ga-hil...tes-niagara-falls-fallsview&p=1&c=deal_button

use by april 25th. This year our weather has been exceptional. April should be beautiful. And the falls won't be crowded. Maid of the Mist is scheduled to start around April 12th this year.

 

[purplegirl247]

Yup, Canadian side. Much more to do there. Couple of tips:
1. Clifton Hill is like the I-Drive of Niagara, lol. Interesting to walk through, but definitely tourist trap-y.
2. Niagara on the Lake was crazy busy when we went (July 2011); so busy that we couldn't find parking in the main area and just ended up walking down by the lake (which was really pretty actually).
3. Parking can get expensive, so it's best to just park your car and leave it.
4. You can easily walk over to the US side (and it's MUCH quicker than driving, depending on what time you try to cross). The US side isn't as nice attraction-wise, but the nature part of it (seeing the other side of the falls and getting really close to the action, so to speak) makes it worthwhile. We only took an hour or two to check out most everything on the US side.
5. Don't let your kids hang over the railing, even for a cool picture, lol. There are signs EVERYWHERE that tell you not to, but the week we were there, some crazy tourist tried to stage a photo and she fell over. While looking for her, they found a body...of someone ELSE that had fallen over. Good grief. It's not worth it!

Have fun!

 

[NikP]

There is much more to do on the Canadian side and i recommend the Embassy Suites. We've stayed there several times. Look into Niagara Parks for cool and reasonably priced things to do. Niagara's Fury is really cool! Most hotels will offer free shuttle service to major attractions as well. Skylon Tower is neat but pricey.. Take the Skywheel instead. Also, Maid of the Mist may not be open this sumer as they are giving the contract to a different company and they may not be ready for this season. It wasnt 100percent clear. But there are a thousand other things to do!

The maid of the mist will be operating starting April 12, 2012. This is three weeks earlier than last year due to the unbelievable weather we have been having.

 

[disney9696]

before you make a reservation.....check out this hotel.
The best, great pool with water slide, amazing views from the tower rooms. get a suite, you WONT be sorry.

http://www.niagarafallshilton.com/

HI.... We will be staying here over Easter weekend (can't wait) !! Anyway, I saw/heard it is $20.00/night to park at the hotel (yikes)....I haven't been up there in so long, so does anyone know.....Is there a place to park nearby (on the street, another parking lot, etc) that will not cost us $60.00????? I mean, if I have to pay, I have to pay, but just wondering if we can park for cheaper elsewhere (not too far of a walk)??

Thanks


Lisa

 

[cyndik1111]

HI.... We will be staying here over Easter weekend (can't wait) !! Anyway, I saw/heard it is $20.00/night to park at the hotel (yikes)....I haven't been up there in so long, so does anyone know.....Is there a place to park nearby (on the street, another parking lot, etc) that will not cost us $60.00????? I mean, if I have to pay, I have to pay, but just wondering if we can park for cheaper elsewhere (not too far of a walk)??

Thanks


Lisa

I think there is a public lot across the street... maybe for the casino? i can't remember now, but it was like $5-10. but no in and out privileges. $20 is very steep, but it is really close parking and you get in/out privileges. Drive around, the weather should be nice and I'm sure you can find something cheaper. April is such a great time to go, you will really have a great time.

 

[dancin Disney style]

HI.... We will be staying here over Easter weekend (can't wait) !! Anyway, I saw/heard it is $20.00/night to park at the hotel (yikes)....I haven't been up there in so long, so does anyone know.....Is there a place to park nearby (on the street, another parking lot, etc) that will not cost us $60.00????? I mean, if I have to pay, I have to pay, but just wondering if we can park for cheaper elsewhere (not too far of a walk)??

Thanks


Lisa

$20 is pretty much the going rate. The public lots that are on the street will charge one fee during the day and a different fee at night....especially on the weekends. The fees will be in the neighbourhood of $10 daytime and $15-20 night time. As mentioned no in and out privledges. They make their money from the people going to the casino who just want to park....they don't care how much. If you try to park on the street for sure you will be tagged and towed.

BTW, the closer you are to the casino and the falls the more you will pay for a lot on the street. the Hilton is directly across the street from the casino and a very short walk down to the falls. So your best option is to pay for parking at the hotel.

 

[Vivianne]

We went to both sides USA & Canadian and found the Canadian side to be much more interesting and tourist friendly.

Make sure to visit both, they have a different perspectives and are interesting at different angles. Take a nice camera and capture what you can... video & pictures. it's your choice where to stay & I think you have alot of choices. It's all about preference. Take care & be careful as you should anywhere.

 

[cyndik1111]

oops wrong thread