How To Get From Toronto to Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls is one of the best known natural features in all of North America, attracting thousands of visitors each year. Niagara Falls refers to three separate falls: Horseshoe Falls, American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. The falls were formed during the melting of glaciers following the last ice age, causing Lake Erie to flow into Lake Ontario. Many first time visitors may not realize that the best view of all the falls is on the Canadian side, with a much more direct viewing area, so we would highly recommend anyone visiting Toronto take the time to make the trek down there to see them. There are an abundance of options to get you to and from the falls though, so we are here to help explain them!
By Train
There are several options for taking the train from downtown Toronto to Niagara. Both leave from Union Station, which is situated a short walk from both Rogers Center and Scotiabank Arena right in the downtown area. One option is VIA Rail and the other is the GO Train. Out of the two, the VIA is a more direct and slightly faster service. Where it may pay to take the GO Train though is that the VIA service is only once daily from each station. The VIA service departs daily at 08:20 from Union Station and departs at 17:45 from Niagara to return to Toronto. This is fine if you don’t mind rising early, but it also means that you miss out on seeing the falls lit up after dark due to the earlier return time. Fares start at $46 round trip for economy class, which does include on-board wifi and power outlets.
The GO Train service gives you a little more flexibility with the time you leave and return to the city, however, it should be noted that direct train service is only possible from May 18th to 21st, June 22nd to September 3rd, and October 5th to 8th. Outside of these times, the service is a train to Burlington Station, and then a bus ride the rest of the way to the bus terminal in Niagara. This option took us about three hours including switching service and does not include power plugs or wifi. Fares start at $19.80 one way with a Presto card (Toronto’s transit card) and $22.30 cash. During the summer months when the train runs all the way to the station in Niagara the tickets run $30.
By Bus
There are several companies that operate a service to and from Niagara from Toronto - Megabus and Greyhound. Both companies depart from the Toronto Bus Terminal at 610 Bay Street in downtown Toronto. The fares are just about the same, with a roundtrip ticket on Megabus costing $43 and $41 on Greyhound. Out of the two, you probably get more for your money from Megabus. Their website lists their buses as having both wifi and individual power outlets at each seat, while greyhound does not include any such amenities. Both companies take roughly two hours to get from one location to the other, with flexible times for departing and returning to Toronto.