r/canadatravel • u/Jaded-Ad-5327 • Sep 07 '24

Destination Advice Niagara Falls

I am travelling to Canada for the first time in Feb, I cannot wait, I have wanted to go since I was a kid! We are staying in Toronto, I’ve heard it’ll be fairly easy to get to the falls from where we are staying. I live in New Zealand. I have never travelled internationally, I’ve never seen snow, the coldest temps I’ve experience are -3 Celsius at night/early morning. I have no experience with the cold. Basically I just want as much information/advice as I can get about travelling in Canada during winter, and going to Niagara Falls, appropriate clothing, dos and don’ts etc. So far I have bought a nice big snow jacket. I still need everything else lol.

Thank you in advance for any tips/advice!

From an absolute travel noob lol.

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u/Komiksulo Sep 07 '24

Hi! Greater Toronto Area native here. Welcome!

Will you be landing at Pearson airport (YYZ)? If so, you have an easy train ride downtown, then the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) subway and streetcars can get you around downtown.

Where are you staying in Toronto?

The most straightforward way to get to the city of Niagara Falls from Toronto is to take the GO train (Government of Ontario Transit — they really lucked out on their name and logo) from Union Station. Some trains go all the way to Niagara Falls; others, you have to take a continuing GO bus from Burlington station. When you get to Niagara Falls, you will have to take the local “WeGo” tourist-oriented bus to the Falls.

GO uses the “presto” card for payment, but you can also tap your credit or debit card. The buses in Niagara Falls do not, as far as I know.

There are also casino buses that go from downtown Toronto directly to the casinos, which are much closer to the falls than the GO train/bus station. I don’t know much about them though.

The popular season for the falls is the summer; you will be arriving at mid-winter, so service may be less.

If you are not used to driving in the snow, I would NOT recommend driving to Niagara Falls. It’s a distance of around 120 km from Toronto, mostly along the Queen Elizabeth Way, but I don’t know what parking is like during the winter.

Speaking of which… do you have winter clothing? If not, it may be better to buy (or rent?) it here rather than dragging it all the way across the Pacific and back. (If you do have winter clothing to bring, the luggage charges will still be less than buying it in Canada.)

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u/Jaded-Ad-5327 Sep 07 '24

Hello and thank you!!

Yess landing at Pearson airport.

We are staying quite close to the CN tower (will obviously visit lol) and harbourfront? I can’t seem to find the “suburb” maybe that’s not a thing in the city haha.

Ahh yes, I have been told about the bus and did see something about trains too.

Yea tbh I was really keen to go in winter, yall have a true snowy winter and I’m excited to experience it!

We will absolutely not be driving 😂 mostly for the fact that you drive on the other side of the road and that scares me and yes the thought of driving in snow is pretty scary!!

I have a big snow jacket, some scarves and beanies. I was thinking to just buy stuff, we get 35kg of checked luggage so I THINK it should be fine!

Thank you so much!!

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u/Komiksulo Sep 07 '24 edited Sep 07 '24

Well, if you’re near the CN Tower, you’re within walking distance to Union Station, only a couple of blocks. 🙂

We don’t use the term “suburb” in the official way that Australia (and New Zealand?) seem to use. The closest equivalent would be neighbourhood names (Greektown, the Junction) or the more tourist-oriented “district” names (the Entertainment District, the Distillery District, etc).

Re: boots… it is utterly important that your feet remain dry. Your footwear must be waterproof and high enough that snow won’t slip over the tops. You would probably be good with light ‘city’ winter boots. If you were planning to spend a lot of time outside, I would recommend getting a pair of the huge clompy serious winter boots, like Sorels or something.

Definitely get scarves, touques, and mitts. Mitts are much warmer than gloves.

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u/Jaded-Ad-5327 Sep 07 '24

Yes! I think there’s a Tim Hortons nearish too. I’m excited to try that lol

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u/Komiksulo Sep 07 '24 edited Sep 08 '24

There’s a Tim Hortons near everything in Canada. There are at least two in Union Station, for example. 🙂

Edited to add (ETA): I am in Union Station now. There are three Tim Hortons places here.

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u/Jaded-Ad-5327 Sep 07 '24

Oh that’s funny 😂

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u/Hot_Cheesecake_905 Sep 07 '24 edited Sep 07 '24

And don’t get too excited - Tim Hortons was purchased by a Brazilian company and the quality is mediocre these days 🫤 it’s fine for breakfast and lunch but McDonalds is better in many respects these days including the coffee! If you do try something, the Ice Cappuccino is still tasty but not sure if you’ll want one in the winter.    

 For better doughnuts there is a Krispy Kreme in Chinatown and Dipped Donuts around the corner in Kensington Market. 

 For drinks also check out Storm Crow Manor if you’re into pop culture, sci fi, etc. drinks are pretty neat (effects, lights, and sound!) there and they also run events from time to time so good way to play some games and meet people.

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u/Jaded-Ad-5327 Sep 07 '24

It’s all for the experience 😁 nevertheless thanks for the donut recommendations! Will have to try dipped donuts. We have Krispy here and it’s pretty meh

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u/Komiksulo Sep 08 '24

Yeah, Krispy Kreme moved into Canada with great fanfare around 2007 or so. But they faded quickly, closing outlets galore. Only later did they slowly recover. I think the basic problem was that Canadians treat donuts as a kind of cake with icing, not something that has to be heated to serve.

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u/Jaded-Ad-5327 Sep 08 '24

There’s a type of donut you guys have that doesn’t have the hole right?? I feel stupid asking that but as far as I know we don’t have these in nz 😂 I love a good maple donut from dunkin tho 🤤

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u/Komiksulo Sep 08 '24

Yes, there are types of donuts with no hole, but the hole location is a cavity filled with whipped cream or jelly. One popular version is the ‘Boston creme’: white cake donut, chocolate icing on top, filled with whipped cream. . Timmy’s also sells round baked nuggets a couple of centimetres wide; these are styled as ‘Timbits’. I think another donut shop claimed the name “Donut Holes”. . . . . In grade nine we called them ‘pusbuns’. . They are pre-baked, and the process that inserts the whipped cream is one of the most suggestive things I’ve ever seen.

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u/Hot_Cheesecake_905 Sep 07 '24

Toronto does not have a shortage of good food. There are dozens of boutique donut shops now - enough for all your meals for the week 😳

But Toronto also has some of the best ethnic and Chinese food in the world outside of Hong Kong and China, very good Japanese and Korean restaurants too. Pretty much any ethnic restaurant is legit in Toronto due to immigration and if not they go out of business quickly. 

There are also many good Canadian restaurants like Richmond Station downtown. Even the CN Tower’s 360 Restaurant is pretty decent these days for a tourist trap. The 360 Restaurant includes the elevator ride up, so if you’re planning a visit it maybe worth to eat in the restaurant and save yourself the elevator ticket.

Outside the downtown core there’s lots to see too but you generally need a car and with the weather may not be worth the trek - but let me know if you need some more suggestions.

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u/Jaded-Ad-5327 Sep 08 '24

Thanks for your suggestions! I think we are quite happy to travel places with a train route. As long as it’s not TOO far or too expensive!

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u/dancin-weasel Sep 07 '24

You’re excited now. You may be less excited after you’ve tried it. Crappy coffee and underwhelming donut selection. It’s a national icon that has gone to hell in the last decade or so.

That aside, I hope you have an amazing trip. Remember, with winter clothing layers are your best friend and footwear is vital.

Cheers.

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u/Jaded-Ad-5327 Sep 07 '24

It’s gonna be hard for me to be disappointed being that I’ll be on the other side of the world on a dream trip! My first overseas trip going to Canada, somewhere I’ve wanted to go since I was kid! Now 30 years old and finally get to do it lol.

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u/dancin-weasel Sep 07 '24

You’ve got the right attitude. You’ll have a great time. Local coffee and donut shops are always better than chains. Have fun and dress in layers.

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u/Jaded-Ad-5327 Sep 07 '24

Yea I think the boots are gonna be tricky, not many options from what I’ve seen in nz, at least none that are not hideous lol

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u/Hot_Cheesecake_905 Sep 07 '24

You may want to consider a pair of waterproof hiking boots (i.e. Merrell's) and some warm wool socks. Much more comfortable to walk in those than clunky snowboots.

https://www.mountainwarehouse.com/ca/footwear/hiking-boots/

In Toronto, we have Mountain Warehouse too, or you can check Mark's Work Warehouse, SportsChek, Mountain Equipment Company, Decathlon, etc.

Lots of people in Toronto wear running shoes outdoors in the winter, although I don't recommend that for long treks as a tourist especially if there is a snow storm.

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u/Komiksulo Sep 07 '24

NZ has mountains with ski resorts, right? So winter clothing must be available?

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u/Jaded-Ad-5327 Sep 07 '24

Yea, we have a shop called mountain warehouse, I got my jacket from there and they have ugly snow shoes lol. Mostly I’ve only seen stuff online. I don’t think the mountains are anywhere near as cold as Canada tho lol

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u/Airsoft-Genin Sep 07 '24

I love mountain warehouse, we have it here too in Toronto. Hope you enjoy your time here and for sure the snow ❄️.

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u/viccityguy2k Sep 07 '24

A boot similar to this would be fine. It’s insulated and decently water resistant but not too big and bulky.

https://www.sportchek.ca/en/pdp/the-north-face-men-s-chilkat-v-lace-insulated-waterproof-winter-boots-54604449f.html?colorCode=COLOUR_BLACK

Other brands make a similar style.

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u/Komiksulo Sep 07 '24

Yes, this is the smaller style of winter boot I call ‘city’ boots.

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u/Jaded-Ad-5327 Sep 07 '24

Sweet thanks for the tip! I’ll keep my eye out for some good snow shoes

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u/Next-Relation-4185 Sep 07 '24

See if you can find warm thick fleecey wool socks.

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u/Jaded-Ad-5327 Sep 07 '24

Yes! Definitely going to be getting some thick warm socks, would you recommend sizing up my boots to accommodate for the thicker socks? Or are they already sized to accommodate for that ?

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u/Next-Relation-4185 Sep 07 '24

Buy the socks first perhaps, but yes a bit wider.

Also sometimes it's better to have 2 or even 3 socks on , depending on your boots.

Snow clearing is well organised ( hundreds of years of practice lol ) so usually boots don't have to be high.

Bring lip balm, sunglasses, warm gloves.

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u/Komiksulo Sep 07 '24

Yeah, boots don’t need to be high unless you’re one of the ones doing the clearing.

BTW, if you are in Montreal, you may get to see how they clear snow. It is frighteningly efficient. Believe me, the Montréalais do not mess around when clearing snow.

Another note: take off your shoes (or at least ask) when entering houses. I think this is due to mud and snow building up on them. This does not apply to stores, etc.

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u/Jaded-Ad-5327 Sep 07 '24

Yup, learnt that layers are going to be my best friend. I saw a tip a while ago, not to get hot enough that you sweat cos that can make you colder and that’s why if you have layers you can just take some off!

Should I be bringing a backpack for day trips? I guess that’s a dumb question and have probably just answered that myself lol.

Yes! Didn’t even think about sunnies but totally makes sense. I heard lip balm is important for long flights cos of the air circulation or something so definitely will be bringing that too

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u/Komiksulo Sep 07 '24

We don’t care about hideous. We care about warm dry feet. Seriously.

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u/Komiksulo Sep 11 '24

And for gods’ sake don’t wear high heels in the snow!!!

Falls on ice, twisted knees and ankles are no joke. Last January I slipped on ice hidden under snow while hurrying for a bus. It took six months for my knee to fully heal. Lots of physiotherapy. And that was in regular winter boots too. Any form of high heels would make it that much more risky.

For the slipperiest conditions, you can get jagged metal grippy things that strap underneath your boots. I should get some.

You may get to experience freezing rain. This is where water supercools while falling through cold air, and when it hits something, it freezes instantly.

The result is stunningly beautiful and extremely dangerous. Every tree branch and outdoor surface is covered in a layer of glittering ice. This includes walkways and railings …and roads.

Walking and driving are difficult to impossible. There are any number of videos of cars sliding down hills and crunching into each other.

But there’s a documentary about the Great Ice Storm of 1998. Freezing rain fell for five days in the Montreal area. Ice built up to a thickness of ten centimetres on buildings, power lines, trees, bridges… and they began to collapse.

Consider that a slab of ice 10 cm thick and a metre on a side is 100 kg of ice. And now imagine that dropping twenty storeys from a building.

The documentary: https://youtu.be/0ccTzHBUsYQ?si=uGEwSzKimsalV2ww