Traveling is exhilarating, eye-opening and downright fun — but traveling also typically takes a lot of work. Especially when you are going somewhere off the beaten path, like South America, Africa or Southeast Asia, you have to spend days if not weeks assembling an itinerary and booking accommodations and attractions. Even going on such a significant adventure can be tiresome, trying to arrange transportation, getting to places on-time, finding food and meeting all sorts of new people — at the end, you need a vacation from your vacation.
That’s precisely the right time for a trip to Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls makes travel easy; there are plenty of affordable-yet-luxurious accommodations, plenty of accessible attractions, a useful tourist transport service and other offerings that ensure your trip to Niagara Falls will be stress-free and easy.
Where to Stay
The entire Niagara region is beautiful, and each little hamlet offers unique things to do and see. You have an overwhelming amount of choice when it comes to accommodations: luxury hotels, bed and breakfasts, quaint inns and even camping tents and trailers. However, your best options are the hotels near Niagara Falls, Canada. Many of these resorts offer views of the falls from hotel rooms as well as five-star dining and connected attractions, like spas, waterparks, shopping centers and more — and they don’t cost much more than you would spend on other lodgings. You can get a deal by visiting the falls on the shoulder seasons, spring and fall, or buy purchasing a vacation package, which makes your trip even easier.
What to Do
There is a Niagara Falls itinerary for every kind of traveler: romantic, adventurous, family-oriented, leisure, tourist, etc. However, if you want a stress-free Niagara trip. You should stick to the following few activities:
See the Falls
The falls themselves are why Niagara is such a popular travel destination, so they should be your priority during your trip. You can catch a good first glimpse of the falls for free from Queen Victoria Park. Then, you should book tickets for two outstanding tours, Journey Behind the Falls (hosted by Niagara Parks) and a Niagara River cruise (ideally Hornblower Niagara). Both tours will give you a different perspective of the thundering water, leaving you with lasting memories of the falls’ magnificence.
Go to Clifton Hill
Clifton Hill is often billed as a place for families with younger kids to get the wiggles out, but the truth is that Clifton Hill is fun, plain and simple. This tourist neighborhood is jam-packed with activities, from a huge arcade to amusement park rides to Canada’s largest Ferris wheel to tasty food and more. If you can let go of being a serious, authentic traveler for one night, you’ll definitely have fun in Clifton Hill.
Watch the Fireworks
The Niagara Falls Illumination and fireworks display occurs almost every night during the high summer, every weekend night during late spring and early fall and a few key holiday nights during the off-season. From a number of vantage points around the city, you can see the explosions of light and color in the sky and watch them reflect off the crashing water of the falls and river. Some of the best places to watch is the Niagara SkyWheel or Skylon Tower, where you can get a birds-eye view, but it’s equally as fun to find a comfortable spot in Queen Victoria Park or watch from the safety of your hotel room.
Visit NOTL
Niagara-on-the-Lake, or NOTL for those in-the-know, is a quaint little town about 30 minutes north of Niagara Falls, where it seems that time has stopped. Here, you can take a horse-and-carriage ride through the park and around the town square, peruse boutiques and mom-and-pop shops and even catch some high-quality theatrical productions. NOTL has a slower speed than much of Niagara Falls, which can feel refreshing to a frazzled traveler.
How to Move
If you can get to Niagara Falls by car, you are in luck — all attractions in and around the city are easily accessed by four wheels. There is ample parking, and you will be able to see more of the countryside than typical tourists might have access to.
On the other hand, keeping track of a vehicle is hard work, and it is completely unnecessary in Niagara Falls thanks to WEGO. This bus system is specifically designed for travelers who struggle to get from here to there. WEGO has stops at all major attractions, including NOTL, and it only costs $13.50 for two full days of unlimited rides.
Niagara Falls is easy and breezy — not to mention beautiful, with its absolutely unique waterfalls. The next time you need a vacation from your serious travel, you should plan a trip to Niagara Falls.
