Last year over fall break, we took a little trip up to Toronto and Niagara Falls with the kids! It was so much fun visiting Canada for the first time ever, and we packed a lot into 3 days!
I’ll elaborate…
Getting there
We drove up 3 hours to Detroit and crossed the border into Canada there. The kids did not need passports, just their birth certificates. The hubs and I did have to have our passports though. The was the kids first time in another county! They were super excited, and this is why we decided to do a trip to Toronto and Niagara Falls with the kids because it was an easy way to let them experience a different country. We arrived in Toronto in the evening and drove straight to our Airbnb (referral link…I’ll get some credit if you book through my link.) condo. The host met us outside the building and showed us where to park and took us up to the condo. It was great! We had an amazing view of downtown Toronto and the CN Tower from our balcony.
Toronto
We had one day to spend in Toronto, so I wanted to cram as much in as possible. Are you catching a theme here? This is how I tend to do vacations! I signed us up for a free walking tour of the city with the Tour Guys. We walked through the Toronto PATH which is their underground system of tunnels to the old city hall where we were to meet our tour guide. We chose the Old Town History tour. Our guide was wonderful and we learned so much about the city and saw some great sites! The tour ended at the historic St. Lawrence market where we ended up eating a delicious lunch.
From there, we went to the ferry terminal to catch the ferry to Toronto Island, which is a group of islands that sit in front of Toronto Harbor. Since we were there in October, most of the activities were already closed, but the petting zoo was open. We had fun seeing the animals and gorgeous views of the city and Lake Ontario. The kids loved riding the ferry. We didn’t stay too long since it was colder on the island.
Once we arrived back on the mainland, we walked to the famous CN tower and got tickets to go up to the top. The views were beautiful and the kids loved the glass bottom floor! At this point, we had walked about 7 miles and we were freezing! From the CN Tower, we headed back to the condo and ordered pizza! It was 7pm, and we were tired but we sure saw a lot!
Niagara Falls Canadian Side
After a great nights sleep, we woke up and drove 2 hours to Niagara Falls. I had always heard that the view is better from the Canadian side. Well, that is absolutely true. The three different falls flow towards the Canadian side. So, to see them in their magnitude, you really can only do it from the Canadian side. There is a park that you can stop in and a visitor center with a gift shop and restaurant on the Canadian side that is on the opposite side of the falls. We stopped here to shop and take pictures and to just stand in awe! It was our first time here, and it was incredible!
Niagara Falls American Side
Then, we crossed the border back into the US. You know from previous posts like this one that I love paying for travel with credit card points! One of the hotels that was in walking distance to most of the Niagara Falls sites was the Hyatt Place. It’s only .3 miles from the dock of the Maid of the Mist boat ride and visitor center. It was $260 per night plus $50 parking. However, it was only 12k points per night which is the equivalent of $120! So, I transferred 12k Chase points to my Hyatt account and booked the room! I was able to do this since I have a Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card which allows you to transfer points to their travel partners. When we checked in, they comped our parking since we paid with points! I love saving money!
Niagara Falls is actually a state park. So, to start our exploring, we began at the state park visitor center. There, you can buy the pass that lets you do the 5 main attractions. It includes a movie (shown in a theater at the visitor center), Maid of the Mist boat ride up to the falls, Cave of the Winds, the aquarium, and the discovery center. The Maid of the Mist was absolutely amazing. You get so close to the falls. The best thing from the American side of the falls, is that you feel the power. There are overlooks that take you right up beside them. So, I recommend seeing them from both sides. The aquarium and discovery center were not that impressive, but the pass is cheaper than buying all the tickets separately and it gives you access to the trolley that takes you to the island where you do Cave of the Winds. All in all, we loved it. Since we were there in October, there weren’t huge crowds at all and we never had to wait in line. It was a nice day and we only needed a light jacket. The falls are truly so magnificent that you definitely need to see them at least once in your life!
