48 Hours in Niagara Falls

I had the blessing of visiting Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada days before its largest crowd in history as it welcomed visitors for one of Earth’s most incredible celestial events– a total solar eclipse. Niagara Falls is a city in southern Ontario on the western banks of the Niagara River which creates a stunning waterfall by the same name. Niagara Falls is Canada’s # 1 tourist attraction, hosting approximately 12 million visitors per year which is astounding given that the city has a population of under 90,000 residents. High season for Niagara Falls lies within the summer months of June to August. I visited in late March during off season where daytime temperatures are in the single digits (°C) and several attractions such as the boat cruises are still closed. However, I enjoyed the luxury of no wait times which is the usual complaint of tourists to Niagara Falls, so this may be the best time to visit. Feel free to steal my 2-day Niagara Falls itinerary.

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What’s Inside

1. Getting to Niagara Falls
2. Where We Stayed
3. Clifton Hill & Niagara SkyWheel
4. Skylon Tower
5. Ziplining at Niagara Falls
6. Dufferin Islands
7. Final Day Shenanigans + Recommendations

Getting to Niagara Falls

If you read my previous article, you’ll realize that my Canadian adventures began in Toronto. As such, my partner and I took the GO train from my relatives’ house to Union Square in Downtown, Toronto which we had explored the day prior. From there, we caught another GO Train to Burlington and then the GO bus to the Niagara Falls Bus Station. From there, we took a local bus and came off 3 minutes walk from the Super 8 Wyndham Hotel, a budget 2-star hotel which was our base for the next 2 nights. It may sound complicated but was actually quite straightforward. In all, we took 2 trains and 2 buses and got from our starting point to the hotel in a total of 3 hours for CA$29. I share more about Ontario’s public transport system in this article.

Where We Stayed

I chose Super 8 based on online reviews. It had the least negative reviews for the excellent price point which was US$60 per night for double occupancy after taxes, and included breakfast. I don’t need much from a hotel room– only cleanliness, privacy, a good night’s sleep and warm shower. I also like choosing places which offer breakfast. As such, Super 8 was satisfactory. The rooms were dated, and I found a few hairs in a corner but the room otherwise passed the test. Breakfast was very basic, consisting of cold hardboiled eggs, toast, waffles, croissants, muffins, yoghurt, bananas, juice, tea and coffee, but we made do with it. They had a heated pool though, which was a nice touch. We used it on the final night and had it to ourselves. Also, the staff was super pleasant and helpful.

Clifton Hill & Niagara SkyWheel

Arriving in Niagara at 1pm, we took a nap then headed out for lunch. We settled on Fresh Burrito, a Mexican food chain, after a poutinerie we’d wanted to try was closed. After this, we ventured to Clifton Hill, the most popular street in Niagara Falls with a 24/7 carnival theme and all the action. From this street, you can access several fast food chains and family-friendly attractions like:

• Dinosaur Adventure Golf
• Movieland Wax Museum
• Niagara Speedway
• Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, and
• Niagara SkyWheel.

This street lead us to a park which offers a great view of the American Falls, and then to the Niagara River Parkway which allows you to see all 3 waterfalls. Niagara Falls is comprised of the American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and Horseshoe Falls, which is the largest of the three and also known as Canadian Falls because it can only be seen from inside Canada. Come dressed for plenty of walking and just follow the foot traffic. The entire town is walkable and there are plenty of different vantage points to get beautiful pictures. I also admired how mobility friendly Niagara Falls was! I saw plenty of tourists enjoying the falls with a variety of mobility aids. Best of all, viewing Niagara Falls is FREE! Yes, you read that right.

Did you know that Niagara Falls is an important source of water & hydroelectricity for the USA and Canada?

Initially, we bypassed the attractions on Clifton Hill and headed straight to the falls. However, we eventually toured the Niagara SkyWheel for CA$17 each later that evening so we could get a better view of the falls after they were lit up for the Nightly Illumination show which begins at dusk. I enjoyed the SkyWheel very much. It’s basically a big Ferris wheel which makes five complete revolutions in the 15-minute ride. After this, we had BeaverTails on our way home, a signature Canadian pastry which is like a flattened donut with toppings.

Skylon Tower

Our second day in Niagara was just as adventurous. I collaborated with GetYourGuide, an online marketplace which offers over 118,000 experiences in 150 countries, for my Skylon Tower and Niagara Zipline to the Falls adventures. We started at Skylon Tower for 10am, right as they opened. Skylon Tower is an observation tower with a viewing deck and restaurant which stands at 160 metres (520 ft) tall. Its three yellow bug elevators whisk visitors to the top in 52 seconds. From there, you can stay inside to read the storyboards and admire the view behind glass windows, or go to the outer ledge for a windy but closer view. The icy breeze was insane, and I had to make frequent trips back inside for warmth so I could capture all the content I wanted. Skylon Tower provides the best view of the waterfalls and the entire city yet costs only $16.28CAD per visitor, so I rate it as a must-do activity when in the Canadian side of Niagara Falls.

Ziplining at Niagara Falls

We had ziplining lined up next (ha, get it?). This was my third time ziplining, having ziplined before at the YS Falls and at White River with Chukka in Jamaica. This zipline was on a whole ‘nother level. It takes one pretty close to Horseshoe Falls, close enough to get a bit damp from the spray of the waterfall. Ziplining at Niagara transports riders at 670m above the Niagara Gorge at speeds of 70+ km/H. Thankfully, this zipline involved automatic brakes so I had nothing to do but relax in my harness and enjoy the ride. As a true Jamaican, I walk with my flag everywhere (#walkwidyuhflag) so I managed to get this cool shot in at the end of the zipline.

Dufferin Islands

There’s a lot more to do in Niagara Falls, but we soon realized that many of the attractions were marked “Temporarily Closed” on Google Maps, likely due to our visit in off season. Dufferin Islands, a free 10-acre nature park with tiny islands connected by wooden footbridges, was a 30-40 minute walk from Clifton Hill and appeared open. As such, we set off to find it and were treated along the way to new views of the Niagara River, as well as the three power stations which run alongside it, one of which is pictured above. Dufferin turned out to be somewhat closed but we were still able to walk on most of its trails and bridges, and admire the beautiful ducks, gulls and squirrels which inhabit the park. Well worth the long walk if you ask me!

As you may imagine, we worked up an appetite from the day’s activities which we satisfied with Italian food at the Antica Pizzeria and Ristorante. We were drawn in by the restaurant’s unique brick façade, wood ovens and other rustic finishes which made us feel like we were dining in Italy. We shared arancini (stuffed Italian rice balls), Canadian beer and a pizza topped with mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms and bacon. Everything was delicious and that pizza stands out for me as one of the best I’ve ever tasted. Also, the prices were reasonable and the service was excellent. In the night, we headed back out for a delicious treat– a slice of fudge from the Fudge Factory.

Final Day Shenanigans + Recommendations

On our final day in Niagara we spotted the Upside Down House where all its contents are topsy turvy, but skipped the tour as it seemed overpriced just to take pictures. We also stopped by the beautiful Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas before we had to catch our GO Bus to Toronto. Other activities in Niagara Falls which seem interesting but I either didn’t have enough time to check out or they were closed for the season include:

• Maple Leaf Place (free)
• White Water Walk
• Journey Behind the Falls
• Butterfly Conservatory
• Niagara Glen Nature Centre
• Niagara Floral Showhouse
• Niagara Botanical Gardens (free), and of course
• the Voyage to the Falls boat tour.

Mix and match these activities along with the ones I did + the kid-friendly ones mentioned earlier in the article to build your personalized Niagara Falls itinerary.

Wrap Up

Niagara Falls is a bucket list destination I’m happy to cross from the list, and I enjoyed it immensely. Ensure you check the weather forecast and pack appropriate clothing as it gets very chilly in autumn to early spring. Have you visited the Canadian Niagara Falls or would you like to? Sound off in the comments below! Also, stay tuned for the last of my Canadian content in May. 🙂 And, if you’ve never used GetYourGuide, download the app then enter ADVENTURESFROMELLE5 to save 5% off your first excursion. 

If you liked this post, you may also enjoy:

• Exploring Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago
• My guide to Machu Picchu in Peru
• A Day Trip from Venice to Padua, Italy (guest post)

Also, please don’t forget to subscribe. 🙂 It’s free! See you next Friday.

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