Niagara Falls Day Trip Itinerary
Our daily Niagara Falls bus tour from Toronto is available all year! Visit Niagara Falls with a small group with an experienced guide. The itinerary is planned in a way to maximize your time in Niagara Falls while still seeing the important sights in the surrounding area. We plan our schedule each day for conditions that might impact your experience. This is an example of what a typical day trip to Niagara Falls will look like. We may add or remove stops depending on time and other conditions.
Sample Day Trip Itinerary
1 – Pick Up in a Comfortable and Air Conditioned Bus
Your day begins around 7:45 – 8:45 AM. We will pick you up from Downtown Toronto or Mississauga. All our buses are modern, comfortable and with air conditioning. Travel with a small group (vans and minibuses with up to 6, 14 or 24 guests).
Our pick-up route follows the path to Niagara Falls. The trip might take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours depending on your location. The good thing about leaving early in the morning is that we can skip major traffic. You will visit with an experienced and licensed tour guide (Kaleb, Sam, Nathan or Adam). They will provide you with information to prepare for your day throughout the 1.5-hour drive.
2 – Arriving in Niagara Falls
You will have 4 hours of free time in the summer and 3 hours of free time in the winter to explore Niagara Falls at your own pace and do other iconic attractions. Your licensed tour guide will provide you with information and advice on how to spend your time. Your first attraction will usually take about 1 hour in total, and the rest of the time can be spent exploring the waterfalls, table rock centre, Clifton Hill, or doing other optional activities.
3 – 3 to 4 hours of free time in Niagara Falls
Add skip-the-line tickets for popular attractions. In the summer you can add the Hornblower boat ride and in the winter you can add the Journey Behind the Falls tunnel tour and, Niagara’s Fury 4D show or Skylon Tower. These iconic attractions will likely be the highlight of your tour.
You can plan your own itinerary for your free time. Other popular attractions include the Bird Kingdom, Niagara SkyWheel, or a Niagara Helicopters ride ($130 – ask your tour guide to arrange it on the day of).
There is also a lot you can do in the famous Clifton Hill street. This is the flashy neighbourhood you might have seen in photos with tons of restaurants, shops, museums and activities. You might consider checking out the wax museum, an arcade, or Ripley’s Believe it or Not.
You will also have an opportunity to have lunch in Niagara Falls. You could bring a packed lunch, order a quick lunch there, or sit down at a restaurant like Table Rock Restaurant or the Secret Garden Restaurant. When the weather is nice, you can even have a picnic outside by the waterfalls!
4 – Landmark Attractions in the Scenic Niagara Parkway
Enjoy a narrated drive across the famous Niagara Parkway. Along the way, we will provide you with information and make stops at landmark attractions.
Visit Queenston Heights Park and your tour guide will show you a scenic lookout point. This is a hidden gem that isn’t so well known. You will have a grand view of Niagara Falls from here – especially perfect for photos!
Next, you will get to check out the famous floral clock in the Botanical Gardens. The clock is made up of 16,000 carpet bedding plans. Take photos or ask your tour guide for a group shot.
From here we’ll check out the incredibly huge and magnificent power stations that convert the epic waterfalls into energy. Another great photo opportunity.
Another iconic stop is the famous Niagara Whirlpool. This is where a massive amount of water that flows from Niagara Falls collides and creates a vortex. You will have time to take photos and see one of Ontario’s most beautiful natural bodies of water.
Lastly, we’ll make a brief stop at Maple Leaf Place so you can freshen up before the drive back to Toronto. You’ll have a chance to sample locally sourced maple syrup or purchase Canadian-inspired treats like homemade fudge, poutine, maple beer or Niagara’s famous icewine.
These stops are fully narrated, and your tour guide will tell you all about the history of Niagara Falls, these specific sights, and the surrounding areas.
5 – Return to Toronto
After a fun and eventful day, we’ll head back to Toronto. Depending on traffic conditions, you should arrive back around 4:30 to 5:30 PM. We’ll get back early enough that you can enjoy the evening in Toronto. If you’re looking for ideas of things to do when you’re back, check out our 3 Days in Toronto travel guide!
If you’re still debating whether our tour is the best option for you to go to Niagara Falls, check out our guide for how to get to Niagara Falls from Toronto to compare other travel methods if you’d like.
