Frozen Niagara Falls

Last year, I went to Niagara Falls with three friends in order to see them frozen. I already went twice to Niagara Falls. Once was in December 2009, and though it was very cold outside, they were not frozen like this time. The other time was earlier in September 2014 where the sun was still here.

I will say without any hesitation that my favorite time to visit them is winter. I will let you judge by the pictures (and maybe by yourself? Maybe it’s not too late to go this year — as winter just arrived in Canada I think).

Here is a few things you should know about the falls:

— If you are planing on not doing the boat tour, or playing to the casino or staying at a hotel or whatever and you just want to see the falls: five hours in the town is clearly enough. Niagara Falls is really small and there isn’t much things to do there.

— Falls illuminations (at night) end at midnight (well that was in 2009 and I know it for sure because I saw them turn off).

— If you take the bus from Toronto, be careful which stop you stop at. Don’t go off too early or you might have to walk half an hour to get to the falls. If you are not sure where to get off, ask your driver.

— A little warning: put enough clothes to not be frozen too. It’s really cold out there (to froze waterfalls of course it’s cold!).

— Tips for getting a wonderful view for free: Get on top of the Hilton tower. There is a restaurant where you can get a great view! (Cf. below)

How to get to Niagara Falls from Montréal or Toronto?

The cheapest way is by bus. There are several companies in Canada:

— Megabus:

• Toronto — Niagara = Around $15 one way

• Montréal — Toronto = Around $20 one way

If you take your tickets early enough, you can find $10 tickets. Be careful if you have luggages! You might pay more for a luggage. Checkout their website for more info and the latest rates. These prices were true in 2015.

— Greyhound:

• Montréal — Niagara Falls = Around $70 (With many stops)

• Toronto — Niagara Falls = Around $18

• Montréal — Toronto = Around $40

For Greyhound, sometimes it’s cheaper to by separate tickets if you are leaving from Montréal. Check the two options when planning your trips

It is cheaper to take Megabus but you’ll have to worry about your luggages! If you are planning on staying a few days with a big bag, you will have to check how much it will cost you to take more luggages with you.

About the service. Both offer kind of the same service for this trip. Seats are confortable for a bus.

Did you already took these companies? What did you think about them?

There also is some website that make the searches for you and give you the cheapest way to go from one place to another. Among them there is one called Rome2Rio and another one BusBud

Another possibility to get there is to rent a car or do car-pooling. If you choose that option and if you have time, you can stop next to Niagara Falls to the big outlet center. Many shops for small prices.