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

[moopdog]

I've heard the falls are more scenic from the Canada side and to be honest we really want to use our passports to get our money's worth out of them (we needed them for a cruise 2 years ago). But we can still stay in NY and go over to Canada to see a couple of attractions, so I'm not sure if we should actually stay over there or not. We will be there for 2 nights/3 days and have our 2 kids ages 9 & 11 with us.

Neither of us have been there before, so we are not really sure of the layout, etc. We want to see the falls, do the Maid of the Mist ride, maybe a little shopping at the outlets, but not sure what else.

Any advice would be wonderful. Thanks!

 

[Anya22]

My family is on the NY side so we've visited there a ton in my lifetime. There is a lot more to do and the view of the falls is better on the Canadian side. However, you may be able to find a better hotel deal on the NY side since it is less in demand. (I'm just guessing on that though.). The NY side really went downhill over the last two decades but they have made some nice improvements over the last several years, so there are things to do there. We always walk along Goat Island which is lovely and that is where you can pick up the Maid of the Mist (which is awesome and a must-do! You can also pick it up on the Canadian side) Cave of the Winds is there also, but I think Maid of the Mist is cooler. They also have a walkway thing that juts out over the water and has a viewing area. We've never done that though. They may have something similar in Canada, I'm not sure.

 

[lisaross]

We are also going this summer - i hear much better to stay on the Canadian Side!

My kids will be 10 and 12! We are staying in the Clifton Hill area

 

[dancin Disney style]

I live about 45 minutes away from the falls. We go often for a weekend getaway. The hotels on the US side are not very nice at all...there are only about 3 that are clean and in good condition. There is also the casino hotel that is really nice but you will pay over $200/night for that and it's certainly not worth it. Sometimes we do stay on the US side so that we can do some shopping at the outlet mall....we stay at either the Hampton on Rainbow Blvd or at the new Holiday Inn on Niagara Falls Blvd.

On the Canadian side there are a ton of nice hotels....the nicer ones are on Fallsview Blvd. Look over in the Fallsview Casino area. Also, the ones that are attached to Casino Niagara are also nice. You should know that on our side there are also lots of small nasty motels so stick the large well known ones.

There are many good deals to be had on the nicer hotels through sites like Travelzoo. They often have packages that include food credits.

ETA: on the CAN side we have stayed at the Marriott Fallsview, both Sheratons, Country Inn and suites, Comfort Inn Fallsview Blvd, Embassy Suites, the Hampton that is right behind Casino Niagara, the Hampton on River Rd, and the Hilton Fallsview. We have stayed at a few others that were not so nice and we would not go again.

 

[Sugar Jones]

We've stayed at a few on the Canadian side. What kind of prices are you looking for? Fallsviews will be more expensive, next would be Clifton Hill, then a little further on Lundy's Lane will be even less expensive.


I love Niagara Falls. It's such a cliche touristy spot, but I still love it


If you stay on Clifton Hill, it's pretty much in the centre of the action. You can park your car and leave it.

I love the Marriott Courtyard Inn, we've stayed there twice and had great experiences both times:

http://www.nfcourtyard.com/

It's within walking distance of everything and some rooms you can see the Fireworks over the falls.

 

[crazyme5kids]

We love Marriott Fallsview! Last time we were there (last summer), we stayed in Buffalo because my daughter lives there. That might be another option for you, but research the hotels because there are some funky ones there.

My preference is the Canadian side though. Word of advice though.... Get up early and get out the door to avoid some of the crowd. It's mad crazy crowded there in the summer .

 

[Aristocath]

We went last summer and stayed on the Canadian side. There was lots to do and we had a great time. We stayed at the Embassy Suites Fallsview and I booked early and we got a good rate. I wouldn't even think of staying on the American side. It had an entirely different feel to it, at least to me.

 

[Green-bay]

Another vote for the Canadian side - much better views and so much to see. Have fun!

 

[lizabu]

Another vote for Canada. There are just so many more things to do on the Canadian side.

 

[bumbershoot]

I don't know what the border crossing is like over there, but if I were figuring this out for the west coast, just to avoid crossing the border more than twice (once getting to Canada, once going home) I'd stay on the side you're going to be playing on.

 

[KJay]

100%- stay on the Canadian side. There's no question about this one. The American side of the falls, including the surrounding area, can't haold a candle to the Canadian side. I would never, ever, consider staying on the American side. I'm only about 20 minutes away, and have been here countless times. Please, take my word for it (along w/ everyone else's- it seems everyone agrees here, a rarity for The Dis )!

 

[dumbocutie]

Canada side definitely more things to see and do. You can always hop over to the US side to see bridal falls up close.

Maid in the Mist try to be at front of ship. What an experience.

Many found memories of that trip.

 

[RadioMom]

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!

 

[ABtwinmommy]

Also voting for Canadian side! Its much nicer on the Canadian side. I was married in the park on the NY side but we stayed in Canada and after exploring the area in NY I was so glad we chose to stay in Canada! We stayed at Marriot Fallsview and liked it. We had a great time in Niagara, and even though it is a little "tourist trappy" we really loved it there. We didn't get a chance when we were there, but I have heard that the Niagara on the Lakes area in Canada makes a great day trip. Someday when we go back I definitely want to add that to the trip.

 

[Hannathy]

Stay on the Canadian side. Much much more to do especially at night. I love the Cave of the Winds on the US side but night time activities are all on the Canadian side.

 

[Fire14]

It's been a few years since I've been to falls but we stayed at skyline inn which is behind Casino Niagara and is/was owned by Sherton co. We just parked car in garage and hoofed it everywhere. Clifton hill is neat touristy area with lots of wax museums, skywheel is lots of fun. I picked up coupon for some kind of pass that got us ride on skywheel, mini golf and few others things from hotel rack.
I also got a pass thing from AAA office that got me on Maid of Mist, Journey behind falls, white water walk, and butterfly house with all day transport on peoplemover and half price few other things for less than it would cost me to do stuff I wanted to do.
I usually walk across bridge back to Usa to vist that hard rock and check out some stuff on US side at some point during trip. I personally have never found border crossing via car to be that bad on Early Fri. afternoon going into Canada in late April/Early May or Monday Am going into Usa at NY or Detroit. WE also tend to take a day and drive to Toronto to shop/ vist Hard Rock Cafes there also.

 

[disnut1149]

Hi
We stayed at the Renaissance Inn on the Canadian side. We could walk to the Falls. It was very clean and they offered a free breakfast or dinner with the package that we got.

 

[antmaril]

Another vote for the Embassy Suites on the Canadian side.

 

[sharonmickey]

Love the Canadian side. The hotels are much cleaner and there is more to do. Maid of the Mist is great. We also enjoy the Aerocar on the Canadian side. The Cave of the Winds on the US side is nicer than the Behind the Falls on the Canadian side.

 

[NJtoATL]

Another vote for Canada!!! Went two years ago and had a great time.