Niagara Falls - (by Connie Suire.) Great Destination for families. Drive from Buffalo, NY is only 30 to 45minutes. We stayed in the Marriott Fallsview Hotel, which is directly above Table Rock, in the heart of Niagara Parks. There are a lot of hotels with great views of the Falls but I recommend that you stay on the Canadian side because the city is much larger and has more attractions than those on the US side. The Maid of the Mist boat tour is a real must do attraction. Escorted tour packages are offered at most hotels – they cost approximately $40-$60 depending on the package – or you can purchase tickets individually.

TRAVEL TIP – PARKING. The Marriott Fallsview offered to allow us to leave our car parked at the hotel while we toured, which was a cheaper parking option than any available – for example Table Rock parking costs $12.50 per day.

TRAVEL TIP – MONEY. Discover not generally accepted in Canada & although all accepted USD, some local establishments did not convert CAD to USD so best to travel with CAD. 

Toronto: The drive from Niagara Falls to Toronto was quite congested. It took approx 2 hours.

In Toronto we chose the Courtyard by Marriott on Yonge Street, a good location, only a block away from the nearest subway. The hotel elevators were very slow. Public Transport in Toronto is excellent – it features a U-Shaped subway line which connects to the east-west trolley system. One Day unlimited use cost only $8.

Things to do:

  • Financial District – most major Canadian banks headquartered here – PATH
  • Underground of shopping & food courts connects much of this area.
  • *St Lawrence Market – Many vendors of fresh seafood, fruits, vegetables.
  • *Distillery District – pedestrian only historic site includes galleries, eateries, shops – not much going on when we visited but apparently it gears up during the summer.
  • **CN Tower – 113 stories to observation deck with glass floor on 112nd floor!
  • **Took in Yankees/Blue Jays game for $36 pp at Rogers Center.
  • **Harbourfront Center – similar to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor – great for late afternoon drink & relaxation.