Travel bucket list idea:

Niagara Falls Waterfall

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

Bucket List Experience

Last updated: 08 July, 2023

You hear the Falls long before you see them: the roaring cascade of water plummeting down a 50m gorge at a rate of millions of litres per second. The world’s second-largest – but arguably most famous – waterfall is jaw-dropping in its scale and intensity.

They were formed around 12,000 years ago, at the end of the Ice Age, when large torrents of water were suddenly released from the melting ice. The water plunged over the edge of the Niagara Escarpment, draining into the Niagara River. There are three separately identifiable waterfalls, from largest to smallest: the Horseshoe Falls (also known as the Canadian Falls), the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls.

The roadside viewpoints offer prime viewing, but there are several other great ways to experience the Falls. Boat trips take you right up to the torrent, and into the foaming spray. Spectacular short helicopter flights offer a unique panoramic view of the scale and surrounding scenery (nervous flyers should head to the top of the nearby Skylon Tower instead).

You can also descend down via old tunnels to extraordinary viewpoints and caves behind the Falls themselves.

While you're there

If you’ve time after visiting the Falls, drive two miles upriver to the secluded White Water Walk, a quarter-mile boardwalk along the Niagara River, offering a front-row view of the tempestuous Whirlpool Rapids. Many visitors also take in the charming town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, an ideal base for wine tasting at some of Canada’s oldest and most famous vineyards.

Logistics

Price: Free

Minimum age: Any

Age suitable: 4+

When: All year around

Getting there & doing it

Niagara Falls International Airport, on the US side, is a short taxi ride. On the Canadian side, tt’s an hour’s drive from Toronto airport. Alternatively, the daily train service from Toronto’s Union Station takes about 2 hours and deposits you just moments from the Falls.

There’s free parking at the Visitor’s Centre. The Falls are free to view, 24/7, from the public platforms.

The Canadian side of the falls – more powerful than the American – is probably the better side from which to experience them, but both offer a wide range of (fantastic) experiences. Boat tours run all day from around 8.30am-11.30pm, except in winter (at night time, the falls are illuminated with multi-coloured lighting). US-side cruises are run on the ‘Maid of the Mist‘, while Canadian-side cruises are run by Hornblower. Helicopter flights operate from both.

The Canadian side offers a ‘Journey behind the Falls’ experience, a 125-foot descent into 130-year-old tunnels to a special observation deck behind the falls. On the US side, you take an elevator down to the ‘Cave of the Winds’ – for fall-side viewing platforms.

When to do it

The Falls are most powerful after the spring thaw – May to July. Crowds are heaviest during July and August, but the site is so large, there is always plenty of space. Viewing platforms are open daily all year round, but in winter boat tours don’t run.

Who to go with: organised tours

Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

Fall for Niagara Tour

Toronto

Our Fall for Niagara day tour includes round trip transportation to and from Toronto, riverside viewing and exploring at Niagara Falls, and a scenic drive on the Niagara Parkway with picture stops at Table Rock, Whirlpool Rapids, Hydro-electric dams, Floral Clock and Queenston Heights. Our licensed tour guide will provide an informative and entertaining commentary. It is our goal for our guests to have a wonderful Niagara Falls experience, with fond memories to last a lifetime.

Price: C89

Min age: 0

Rating 4.80 / 5 [885 ratings]

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