One of the most famous waterfalls in the world is just a couple of hours from Canada’s largest city. It’s no wonder that taking a trip to Niagara Falls from Toronto is one of the most popular excursions from the city.
Having grown up in Toronto, I’ve visited Niagara Falls countless times. It was a go-to day trip when I was a kid or a weekend away whenever we had visitors in town. My most recent visit was last summer with my husband, mother-in-law and baby daughter in tow!
Even though I’ve been many times, I still think Niagara Falls is such a worthwhile day or weekend trip from Toronto. Seeing the falls in person doesn’t get old!
And because it’s so popular, you have a few options for getting to Niagara Falls from Toronto based on your preferences. You can drive, bus, train or take a day tour.
Below I’ll talk about the different ways to get from Toronto to Niagara Falls, when you should visit and how long you should stay. Then check out my full Niagara Falls itinerary post so you know what to do once you get there!
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How long does it take to get to Niagara Falls?
From Toronto, it takes 1.5-2 hours to get to Niagara Falls by car or bus and 2-2.5 hours by GO Train or VIA Rail. You’re covering a distance of about 130 km (80 mi).
There are five main options for getting to Niagara Falls from Toronto:
Option 1) Drive to Niagara Falls from Toronto
Driving to Niagara Falls from Toronto is the easiest and fastest way to get there. Having grown up in Toronto, this is usually the way we’d get to Niagara.
There are lots of pros to doing the drive – you can stop whenever you want and you have the luxury of having a vehicle during your time in Niagara. You also don’t have to worry about bus or train schedules and can pack as much as you want.
On our most recent trip, it was great to be able to drive to Niagara Falls over Baby C’s nap time and stuff the car with her stroller, suitcase, toys, etc. We made a stop for coffee and another to check out the Niagara Outlets on the way.
Of course, driving also has some downsides. It is notoriously expensive to park in Niagara Falls, especially overnight. Don’t expect to get free parking with your accommodation – our hotel charged us $45/night!
And if you’ve flown into Toronto, you’ll have to rent a car to drive to Niagara Falls, which is an additional expense.
So while driving is convenient, fast and easy, it can be expensive. But for people who like the flexibility or want to explore more of the region, it makes sense to drive.
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Option 2) Take GO Transit
The next option for getting to Niagara from Toronto is to take GO Transit, one of the Greater Toronto Area’s (GTA) public transportation networks.
GO Trains leave from Union Station in the heart of downtown Toronto and travel direct to Niagara Falls GO Station in about 2.5 hours.
It’s important to know that GO Transit operates both trains and buses. You can take a train directly to Niagara Falls from Union three or four times per day (as of their July 2026 schedule).
If you want to leave outside of these direct train times, you’ll take a train to Burlington GO and then a bus to Niagara from there. Surprisingly the journey time is roughly the same whether you do the direct train or the train/bus route!
Learn more about taking the GO for your trip to Niagara Falls from Toronto here.
The pros of taking a GO Train from Toronto to Niagara Falls are you don’t have to worry about driving, traffic or paying for parking, and it will likely be cheaper than renting a car.
However, you are restricted by the GO train/bus schedules. If you want the direct route, that means only one or two morning departures to choose from.
You will also be dropped off at the Niagara GO Station, which is a 35 minute walk from the downtown centre of Niagara Falls. You could take local transit buses or a taxi instead of walking, but that’s another expense/transit schedule to factor into your planning.
You also won’t have a car to get around Niagara, so you’ll have to rely on local transit, tour buses or walking to get where you need to go.
If you don’t plan to travel around the region and can work with GO Transit’s schedule, I think the GO route is a great option. I’d prioritize the direct train routes, so you don’t have to also take a bus.
Option 3) Hop on a day tour
If you don’t want to deal with renting a car, driving and paying for parking, and you don’t want to figure out the logistics/schedules of transit, you can hop on a day tour from Toronto to Niagara Falls!
This is a great option if you’re short on time and looking for a simple way to get to Niagara Falls from Toronto. No schedules or planning to deal with, just board your bus!
Many of the tours will pick you up directly at your Toronto hotel. And many also include stops around the Niagara region, such as at Niagara on the Lake, which was a highlight of our recent visit!
In my opinion, if you want to have your trip to Niagara Falls organized for you without any hassle, a tour is the way to go. It would be a lot harder to try and organize getting to wineries, beaches and boats using public transit.
Here are some of the top-rated Toronto to Niagara Falls day tours:
Option 4) Take the bus from Toronto to Niagara Falls
If you’re on a budget, the cheapest trip to Niagara Falls from Toronto is on a bus. The two main companies that service this route are Megabus and Flixbus.
I’ve used both of these companies in Canada and abroad and, to be honest, they’re hit or miss. Sometimes there are delays, sometimes the heat or air conditioning doesn’t work, and sometimes buses get cancelled.
But they are cheap! For as little as $10-20 CAD each way, you can get a seat on a bus from Toronto to Niagara Falls.
However, GO Transit also advertises rates starting at this same price. In my opinion, a GO Train would be much more comfortable and dependable than a long-haul bus.
The bus does promise to be faster (90 minutes vs 2 hours 25 mins on the GO Train) but that’s all based on traffic conditions. Sometimes it’s 90 minutes and sometimes it’s much, much longer.
The only reason I’d choose the bus over the GO Train would be if the departure times worked out better for me. Even if the train route is longer, I’d rather be on a train than a bus. So assuming ticket prices were similar, I’d go with GO!
One thing to note is the bus drop off points: Megabus drops off right next to the Niagara GO Station, so you’re still a 35 minute walk from downtown Niagara Falls.
Flixbus, on the other hand, has multiple drop off points, which might be more convenient for you depending on where you’re staying.
Option 5) Take a VIA Rail train
In researching for this article, I learned that you can actually take a VIA Rail train trip to Niagara Falls from Toronto. I don’t know anyone who’s done this so I was surprised to learn it’s an option!
VIA Rail is Canada’s long distance train company; if you wanted to ride a train across Canada, it’d be on VIA Rail. This is different than GO Transit with its GO Trains, which are commuter trains that only serve Ontario.
The VIA Rail journey from Toronto to Niagara Falls is two hours – so a little bit faster than the GO Train route (2.5 hrs) but slower than driving or taking the bus (90 mins, in ideal traffic conditions).
You should know that VIA Rail shares its tracks with commercial trains, which have priority. I’m not sure if this affects the Toronto-Niagara route, but VIA Rail is notorious for having huge delays because they always have to let the commercial trains go first.
Both GO and VIA arrive into the same station in Niagara Falls – the one that is a 35 minute walk from the city centre. So you’ll need to factor that walk (or taxi/local bus) into your travel time too.
VIA Rail only has one departure from Toronto to Niagara Falls each day and one train coming back. So you won’t have a lot of flexibility if you want to take the train.
All that said, I was surprised to see that VIA Rail tickets are not that much more expensive than the GO Train or even the buses. They seem to start around $30 CAD per way.
The VIA Rail trains will also be more comfortable and spacious than the GO Train and definitely a nicer option than the buses. So if the schedule works for you, this could be a great option!
When is the best time to visit Niagara Falls?
Niagara Falls is at its most packed in the summer when the weather is warm and the summer tourists descend. Everything will be open and busy in the summer, but expect higher prices and longer lines.
In the winter, Niagara Falls can get very cold and some activities won’t be available. For example, Niagara City Cruises don’t run every day in the winter and even their scheduled sailings can be cancelled if the weather gets bad.
So like many places, my recommendation would be to visit Niagara Falls in the shoulder season when you can balance weather, crowds and activities being available.
That said, no matter what season you visit, you’ll never be alone in Niagara Falls. It’s one of the biggest tourist destinations across Canada, so expect some crowds.
If you can, try to visit Niagara Falls on a weekday instead of the weekend, just to avoid local tourists who come after the work week.
Should you do a day trip to Niagara Falls or weekend trip to Niagara Falls?
Between Niagara Falls, Niagara on the Lake and all of the outdoor activities and wineries in the Niagara region, there’s more than enough to warrant a weekend trip to Niagara Falls.
(Though it doesn’t necessarily have to be a weekend. I just mean that Niagara Falls has enough to do for 2+ nights.)
By staying overnight, you’re able to beat the day trip crowds. You can go on the first boat ride down to the falls in the morning, before the tour buses arrive, and stay late to see the nightly fireworks over the falls!
On our most recent trip to Niagara, I loved spending a morning in Niagara on the Lake (NOTL). It was so charming to walk around the picturesque houses, pop into shops and cafes, and wander down by the beach.
And on the way back to Niagara Falls, we stopped at a local winery for lunch. We could’ve done a wine tasting or winery tour too. NOTL and winery visits are things you wouldn’t have time for on a day trip.
But if all you have time for is a day trip to Niagara Falls, I still think it’s worth it. You won’t be able to see and do everything, but witnessing the falls up close is worth the 1.5-2.5 hour travel!
This is where a day tour might be a good option, as it will help you see as much as possible in just one day in Niagara.
Wrapping up: The best way to visit Niagara Falls
The best way to visit Niagara Falls and get there from Toronto is going to depend on a few things:
- If you’re short on time, want to visit a few attractions in Niagara and don’t want to deal with any transportation logistics: Book a day tour
- If you want more flexibility to explore the Niagara region on your own schedule and don’t mind paying for parking: Drive to Niagara Falls from Toronto
- If you’re on a budget and happy to stay in the local Niagara Falls area: Take GO Transit, the bus or VIA Rail
On our most recent trip to Niagara Falls from Toronto, I thought we’d take the GO Train. It’s more comfortable than the bus, cheaper than VIA Rail and would save us paying for parking.
But it was going to be hard to get to our hotel, Marriott on the Falls, without a car and the GO schedule didn’t line up well with our daughter’s naps. So we took a car instead!
In the end, I’m glad we decided to drive. While parking was expensive, it was worth it to be able to stop on the way to Niagara Falls and easily go on side trips to Niagara on the Lake and some Niagara wineries.
But you might come to a different conclusion! Whether you decide to rent a car, take public transit or hop on a day tour, there’s no wrong way to experience the beauty and power of Niagara Falls, Canada!
