Getting Around Niagara Falls
Two districts frame a visit to Niagara Falls: the Fallsview Entertainment District and Clifton Hill. The Niagara Falls Convention Centre in the Fallsview district has an 82,000 sq ft exhibit hall without columns and a 1,000-seat theatre, with about 4,000 hotel rooms within walking distance. The city's two large casinos are Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara, near Clifton Hill.
If you want to spend a day between the falls, a winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake and a dinner reservation back in Fallsview, book hourly chauffeur service: one chauffeur and one vehicle stay with you for the time you reserve.
GO trains reach Niagara Falls GO on weekdays and, all year now, on weekends. The Maple Leaf train between Toronto and New York also calls here, and passengers leave the train for customs at Niagara Falls. Add the train and its arrival time to the booking, and the car is scheduled for that arrival. For a hotel tower in Fallsview or a hotel near Clifton Hill, send the full address with your booking; the confirmation then tells you where the car will stop.
Airport Transfers to Niagara Falls
The airport closest by road is Buffalo Niagara International (BUF), 46 km away across the border, 40–55 minutes before border waits. BUF handles more than 5 million passengers a year, and about 30% of its traffic comes from Ontario. The ride is made with the same chauffeur and car from start to finish, with no change of vehicle at the border. Book with your flight number. For an arrival, your chauffeur checks the flight status and times the pickup to when you actually land, and your booking confirmation shows where to meet the chauffeur.
On the Canadian side, Hamilton airport is 86 km along the QEW, 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes; Porter flies daily from there to Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Halifax. Toronto Pearson is 121 km, 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes, and Billy Bishop 127 km. With US preclearance, you clear US customs before boarding a flight to the US. The right one depends on your airline and route.
For a departure from Niagara Falls, what counts is the length of the drive, not the time on the clock: to Pearson, allow 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes, more on a summer weekend on the QEW. Journey times vary with traffic and weather. You set the pickup time yourself, and the confirmation shows it.
Long-Distance & Cross-Border Travel from Niagara Falls
Buffalo is 39 km away, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Three bridges run by the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission cross the river here: the Rainbow Bridge, for travellers only, the Lewiston–Queenston Bridge and the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge, open to NEXUS cardholders alone. A car carrying passengers without NEXUS uses the Rainbow or Lewiston–Queenston bridge; the Peace Bridge at Fort Erie is another option. Visitors who need an ESTA must have it approved before they cross into the US by land, and they receive their I-94 record at the land port. Carry the travel documents your nationality and itinerary require.
Niagara-on-the-Lake is 21 km north, 25–35 minutes, with the four theatres of the Shaw Festival. Toronto is 129 km, 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 55 minutes, and Burlington 72 km. In winter, Blue Mountain is 240 km, 3 hours to 4 hours 5 minutes.
Groups & Congress Travel in Niagara Falls
The season by the falls is long. Niagara City Cruises sail from May to about late November, depending on the weather, and Journey Behind the Falls is open all year with seasonal hours. From mid-November to early January the Winter Festival of Lights lights up the evenings.
When you book for other people, all their transfers can be kept in one account, each with its own booking and confirmation. If convention delegates fly into BUF, Hamilton and Pearson on several flights, every arrival gets a transfer of its own. For a school group, a delegation or a family reunion, a Sprinter van carries up to 12 people with their bags, and bigger groups go by coach, with up to 56 seats.
For summer weekends and holiday weeks, book ahead: local vehicles and drivers are booked up early on those dates. If your plans go beyond a standard booking, write to support with the dates, addresses, number of passengers, flights and luggage, and the team will arrange it.
