Our Downtown Kid came home from school one day expressing how all her friends have been to Niagara Falls but she hadn’t. Oddly, this was a few weeks after she got back from Portugal. So, on a Monday morning in late July we made the trek to Niagara Falls from downtown Toronto.
We opted for the train instead of renting a car. There’s a VIA Rail train to Niagara Falls from Toronto. It’s actually the same train that continues on to New York City. The train runs once a day heading south from Toronto’s Union Station, and once a day heading back north to Toronto. The train is actually an Amtrak train, but operated by VIA Rail on the Canadian side of the border.
Of note, GO Transit also runs trains (and train plus bus) from Toronto to Niagara Falls, Ontario. We wanted to avoid the bus, leaving us with the GO train schedule. While there were more GO train trips than VIA Rail, the times weren’t as good and thus we opted for VIA/Amtrak. The GO train also takes around 20 minutes longer (not a big deal, but something to consider).
Taking the VIA Rail/Amtrak train from Toronto to Niagara Falls, Canada
About that VIA Rail train. As mentioned it’s actually an Amtrak train but booked through VIA Rail (in Canada), and operated by VIA staff on the Canadian side of the border. The train left Union Station in downtown Toronto at 8:20 a.m. Yes, it left on time. One thing to note: There are no assigned seats on this train. That said, there were three of us and we had no issue finding a row together (2 plus one across the aisle). The four-person seats (they had two in our train car; note there are no tables in the middle like most VIA trains) were taken by the time we got on. I suppose if you really want the 4-person seating arrive early at Union. Boarding was seamless. Staff are on the platform to direct you properly. U.S. bound passengers are in a separate car from those staying in Canada.
Overall, can’t complain on the train experience. Despite the train car seeming a bit dated, there was plenty of leg room. Seats do recline, although I didn’t test that out. There are two standard electrical outlets for each each seat pairing. That said, because it’s technically a U.S. train there is no wi-fi when travelling in Canada. That only kicks in if you continue on to the U.S. side of the border. There are pull-out trays both in front of you (in the back of the seat) as well as in your arm rest. About those arm rests: There aren’t any between the seats. This can be good or bad, likely depending on if you know the person beside you.
Half the train car faces forward, and half backwards. If you’re particular about which way you face when on a train, you may want to ensure you’re not the last one on the train. Again, on our journey, we didn’t have a problem grabbing seats that faced forward. On our Monday morning train, I’d estimate the economy car we were in was around 80% full.
If travelling heavy, there’s plenty of bag storage above your seats, as well as more space at the end of the train car. Washrooms were fine. Not amazing, but not bad by any means. There are accessible seats at one end of the train car: Basically, no seat in front of you. The air-conditioning was solid, especially important as we travelled on a 30 degree day.
The ride is a bit bumpy in places between Toronto and Niagara Falls. Our car was missing announcements for whatever reason. That was until the Niagara Falls stop. There are a few stops on the way to Niagara Falls as well: Oakville being one of them. There is a cafe car that we didn’t check out. It’s not like a typical VIA Rail train where they come by selling snacks and drinks. Just know if you get the munchies, and don’t bring your own, there’s an cafe car for you.
As usual for VIA, the train gets less priority than freight trains so there was one portion on the trip where we waited maybe 5-10 minutes for a freight train to go by. Overall, not too bad: We arrived in Niagara Falls, Ontario only (remember, this is VIA!) 10 minutes late (10:30 a.m. instead of 10:20 a.m.).
Arriving at Niagara Falls by train
The train station in Niagara Falls, Ontario is located downtown, but around an hour walk from the Horseshoe Falls. While there is a bus that runs a route from there to the falls (that takes roughly 25 minutes – and paid via a day pass), we opted for Uber (7 minutes, $13 before tip) to get from the train station to the Horseshoe Falls. We had basically zero wait until our car arrived.
While the parents on this trip had been to Niagara Falls plenty of times, this writer had never done anything other than viewing the falls from the top. If we were to go, I wanted to see the falls in a different way than the standard. We opted to do two such things: Journey Behind the Falls and Voyage to the Falls boat tour (Niagara City Cruises).
But first, we had to gawk from above, and take plenty of photos. I think those living in Toronto tend to scoff at Niagara Falls as they all visited it plenty of times – and usually as kids. Seeing it again for the first time in many years, it is – indeed – an impressive piece of nature. It’s worth seeing ‘from above’ even without paying for any special tours or vantage points.
Journey Behind the Falls
Journey Behind the Falls takes you down into the rock behind the Horseshoe Falls. There are two things to do: Viewing the water rush down from within the rock through cut out sections, or, as they call them, portals. The other is a viewing area where you’re basically below/beside the falls.
We bought timed (one hour time slot) tickets online (11 a.m to noon) and had zero line up when arriving shortly after 11 a.m. That said, the ticket line at this time wasn’t that bad at all. You’ll walk a bit and then get greeted by the folks taking your picture of you in front of a fake background. Of course, they’ll try to sell this to you on your way out. I believe it was going for north of $40 which, as you can imagine, most people decline. I’m also not sure why you would want a photo in front of fake background when you can get a shot with the real thing yourself.
Post-photo, you’ll be handed a poncho so you don’t get wet. Honestly, you barely (if at all) need this. Especially on a hot summer day. There’s a short wait here (maybe less than 5 minutes) and then a short elevator ride down into the rock. You’ll exit and there are two routes to go. One takes you to the two portals, while the other takes you to the lookout area. One portal is further down the tunnel than the first one, and thus people tend to go to the furthest one (despite the elevator guy telling people it’s the same thing and to simply go to the one with the shorter line – which is good advice). So, you’ll wait in the tunnel for a bit to get to the front where you’ll be fairly up close with the rushing water of the falls in front of you. It’s cool but a bit underwhelming if you’ve waiting in line to see it.
For the main attraction, head back through the tunnel and head down the other route to get to the lookout point. There are two levels for this lookout. The lower one is the better for most people. There’s far more room and you’re a bit closer to river level. From here, the views are impressive. Yes, you’ll get misted here but – as mentioned – on a hot day this is a non-issue and you don’t really need your poncho.
Overall, if you think the lookout below/beside the falls is worth it (this writer believes it is!) then it’s a worthwhile experience. Consider viewing the water rush by the portals as an add on that you don’t want to wait long for.
We took a quick snack break under some trees, before heading to our next adventure. Of note, there is not much shade at all near the falls. You have to walk down the Niagara River Parkway a bit before there’s some tree shade. If you need a washroom the building that houses Journey Behind the Falls (among other things), has modern individual washrooms on the second floor.
Voyage to the Falls
Voyage to the Falls is the boat tour that takes you right below the Horseshoe Falls – with a nice view of the other waterfalls along the way. It’s operated by Niagara City Cruises. Of note, it’s located further from the Horseshoe Falls than most of the attractions – around a 20 minute walk (map) away. It was formerly the Maid of the Mist, but no longer on the Canadian side.
For this one we winged it, as – um – the person in charge of this one likes to ‘wing’ things. Regardless, it wasn’t an issue. There are multiple ticket machines and boats run frequently. It seems once a boat disembarks, they immediately fill it and head out again. There’s a bit of walk (and elevator) to get down to river level but not a big deal. We never really waited much at all throughout the entire process of getting tickets to getting on the boat. Again, this was a Monday early afternoon so weekends may differ from our experience. Of course, they take your group photo before reaching the boat. Again, to hopefully sell it to you on the way out.
The boat has two levels. It seems most people head to the upper level. We weren’t overly picky but ended up in the lower level at the front of the boat (the front is facing the falls when docked). Of note, when headed back after our boat tour we overheard a tour guide tell her tourist group that this was her favourite spot to stand on the boat. After experiencing it, I can see why.
The boat loads up fairly quickly and then we’re off. Taking photos when approaching the falls from afar are very doable (especially some nice up-close pictures of the U.S. falls).
Once you get anywhere near the Horseshoe Falls, however, expect to start getting drenched. Good luck taking a photo without your camera/phone getting soaked. I’m sure those who plan ahead can figure this out, but this writer wasn’t going to ruin his camera. All said, I was impressed how well my poncho kept my camera nice and dry despite the downpour.
So, yes, you’ll get soaked (at the front of the boat, at least – likely anywhere you stand). And thus, yes, you’ll likely want to wear the poncho. It’s a great experience that you’ll thoroughly enjoy. Downtown Kid was smiling ear to ear during the downpour – which made the day of this writer! The boat hangs out below the falls for a bit. This isn’t a quick drive-by.
Eventually, the boat heads back to the dock, giving you a second viewing of the U.S. falls. On a hot summer day, you’ll likely dry off quite a bit by the time you reach the dock. Between the heat and the poncho, we weren’t that wet by the time we got back up to street level and off to our next destination.
So, is the Voyage to the Falls boat tour worth it? Definitely, yes.
If you had to choose between Voyage to the Falls boat tour or Journey Behind the Falls, the boat tour is the better choice. That said, Journey Behind the Falls allows you to get up close to the falls without getting drenched, and thus great for photos.
Counterpart Brewing
If you’re keeping score, you know this writer seeks our craft brews at every destination. Some of the great craft beer bars in Toronto have stocked cans (and the odd tap) from Counterpart Brewing in Niagara Falls. This writer ranks their brews above many other Ontario craft breweries. So, since we were in Niagara Falls, Counterpart Brewing was part of our itinerary. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that most craft breweries and beer bars tend to have above-average food as well!
Counterpart is a bit outside the main part of the city, situated in a bit of a modern industrial mall on a rural-type road. That said, a 10 minute ($13 before tip) Uber from the falls area and you’re there. They have a nice patio, but it was simply too hot this day so we set up inside. There’s quite a bit of seating and they even have a small-small kids play area and a kids menu.
This writer tried a couple of beer flights, with some really nice ones as part of that. The burgers got good reviews. There is a kids menu, but even for our 9 year old it was too much food. You would think we would learn by now!
The place is open concept allowing you to view all the brewing equipment. Downtown Kid and I were checking it all out from afar and one of the staff came by and started explaining everything to us. Washrooms are individual and clean. It’s a great space – and one we highly recommend.
Taking the VIA Rail/Amtrak train back from Niagara Falls, Canada to downtown Toronto
We arrived at the Niagara Falls train station with plenty of time to catch our 5:45 p.m. train back to Union Station in downtown Toronto. While this writer had a feeling (based on some Googling) that this train may not leave on time, that was – indeed – the case. The main reason being this train has already travelled through upstate New York and those on the train will have to pass through border security at some point. So, the train pulled in a bit late to Niagara Falls, Canada but then they also have to go through border security. Until those passengers are off the train and in border check, no on can get on the train. There’s a very cramped waiting room at this station – and it gets super hot on a warm day. People will start to line up in the station as there are no assigned seats on the train. This writer had to bail from the line as it was simply too hot. I waited near the platform for when they opened up the doors from the train station to the platform and then joined my crew that way. I don’t recall the exact time of leaving Niagara Falls, but it was likely at least 45 minutes late. In fairness, it sounds like they’re working on renovating the train station so you may soon have a far better experience.
We didn’t have any issue sitting together (again, a row of two plus one across the asile). The trip from there onward was quite good. We still enjoyed the trip home – it was just the wait in the stifling station that put a damper on things.
With all this, the GO Train is likely the better bet to get back to Toronto – but the schedule isn’t the best: There was a 9:10 p.m. train and no train in the late-afternoon/early-evening. Again, though, if you’re fine with the bus, GO has a more fulsome schedule. The bus takes you part of the way, and then you jump on the train for the remainder.
We’re fortunate enough to be able to walk home from Union Station, but for those unfamiliar with the station, it connects to all forms of transit: city transit including the subway (TTC), regional rail and busses (GO Transit), and a train up to Pearson airport (UP Express). There has been major work done of late on this station and it’s now a vibrant of hub full of places to eat and drink that, I’d argue, can pull in non-travellers as well.
Back to our trip: Overall, it was a great day. Really the only disappointing part was waiting to board the train on the way back to Toronto. To avoid this, consider staying for longer in Niagara Falls and take one of the evening GO trains home.