The Falls Themselves: Canadian Side
Table Rock at the brink of the Horseshoe Falls is the right starting point — the full volume of the Niagara River going over at once, 2,800 m³ per second, is felt physically through the rock beneath your feet. Journey Behind the Falls ($25) takes you through tunnels blasted in 1889 to observation portals behind the curtain of water. The Niagara Parkway south of the falls has the finest riverside walk — 5 km to Queenston Heights, past Dufferin Islands, with the gorge on one side and manicured park on the other.
Niagara-on-the-Lake & Wine Country
Niagara-on-the-Lake (20 km north) is one of the best-preserved 19th-century towns in Ontario — Queen Street has been largely unchanged since the 1820s, and the Shaw Festival (April-October) stages world-class theatre. The Niagara Escarpment wine country produces some of Ontario's best wines — Tawse Winery, Inniskillin ($20 tasting), and Peller Estates are the most established. Inniskillin invented icewine commercially and the world's finest icewine is still made here.
Whirlpool & Gorge Below the Falls
The Niagara Gorge below the falls is dramatically different from the manicured falls viewpoints. The Whirlpool Aero Car ($18) crosses the gorge on a Spanish-built cable car from 1916. The Niagara Glen Nature Reserve has 4 km of trails down into the gorge on ancient river boulders — the interior of the gorge, away from the crowds, is wild and extraordinary. The WEGO Bus Pass ($15 day pass) covers the entire parkway, making car-free access easy.
American Side & International Context
Cross the Rainbow Bridge on foot ($1 US toll) into Niagara Falls, New York — the American perspective of the falls is from above and directly beside Bridal Veil Falls. Cave of the Winds ($22 US) takes you to the base of Bridal Veil via wooden walkways — the Hurricane Deck at the base of the falls is the closest any visitor can legally stand. The Niagara Falls State Park on the American side is the oldest state park in the US (1885). Return to Canada via the Rainbow Bridge.
Fort George, Queenston Heights & Departure
Fort George National Historic Site in Niagara-on-the-Lake ($15) is a reconstructed 1796 British garrison with the only complete early-19th-century fort in Ontario. Queenston Heights Battlefield Park (free) above the Niagara Escarpment marks the site of the 1812 Battle of Queenston Heights. The GO Train from Niagara Falls station to Toronto Union Station takes 2 hours and costs $25-30, running several times daily.