Niagara Falls lies on the border between Canada and the USA and comprises three separate falls, the American and Bridal Falls on the US side and the Horseshoe Falls which is the largest of the three, over on the Canadian side. As the falls lie within a two hour drive of Toronto we felt that we couldn’t miss out on the opportunity of spending a day there and opted to join a tour with the Toronto Bus Company.
Meeting Point
After making our reservation on-line which asked for our accommodation address, we then received an e-mail 24 hours before departure stating our departure point. We were asked to meet outside the Chelsea Hotel at 9.30 a.m. which was very convenient for us as it was only a ten minute walk from our hotel. Other passengers also boarded the coach there and after making one more stop at the other side of town we were soon heading onto the Queen Elizabeth Way towards Niagara.
Our driver/guide for the day was Shaf who welcomed us all on board and outlined the itinerary for the day ahead. He proved to be very knowledgeable pointing out landmarks along the way and the history and development of the surrounding area.
Niagara College Teaching Winery
After approximately one hour, we made our first stop at the Niagara College Teaching Winery where we made a 30 minute stop to sample several of their wines and to learn something about their award winning winery and viticulture study programme.
The Niagara region is also popular for its wineries because it has a fine quality soil that is considered to be best for growing grapes. One of the wines we tasted was their signature Ice Wine which is produced exclusively from grapes that have been harvested, naturally frozen on the vine and then pressed in a continuous process while the air temperature is -8 Celsius or lower. Ice Wine is normally served as a dessert wine because of its sweetness and is more expensive than table wines due to its labour intensive production process and low grape yield.
We then had time to explore the vineyard surrounding the visitor centre where I spotted a photo of King Charles on his visit a few years ago before he became King.
Table Rock Welcome Centre
It was then just a short drive to Niagara where we caught our first glimpses of the world famous falls. After parking the coach we were then taken into the Table Rock Welcome Centre which is home to the Table Rock House Restaurant where a reservation had been made for our coach party to enjoy lunch. I’d read on the Toronto Bus Company’s website that the Table Rock Restaurant is the closest you can dine to the Canadian Horseshoe Falls but I never imagined it would be almost within touching distance. We couldn’t have wished for a more beautiful restaurant with its floor to ceiling windows overlooking the falls.
We were able to select from the lunch-time three course menu which also included tea or coffee and our choices were all very nicely presented and tasted delicious. As well as enjoying the stunning views it was an opportunity to chat to our fellow passengers who had come from as far afield as Australia, Singapore and the U.S.
After spending a relaxing hour over lunch it was then time to take part in the Journey behind the falls attraction. Ideally, we would have preferred to have taken one of the boat trips but due to ice conditions in the river, boat trips usually only operate between April and November. Approximately 30 years ago I took a boat trip on the Maid of the Mist from the U.S. side which was memorable. Although the Maid of the Mist used to operate from both the U.S. and Canadian sides, since 2014 the Canadian side has been operated by Hornblower Cruises.
Journey Behind The Falls
The Journey Behind the Falls takes visitors 125 ft down a lift from where we were able to explore the 130 year old tunnels through the bedrock. Long before we saw the falls we could feel the thunderous vibration and noise from the huge amount of water flowing above us. The observation deck was interesting to view whilst the other viewpoints cut straight through the rock provided us views of the build up of ice.
More water flows over Niagara Falls than any other waterfall at high flow, when more than 3,160 tonnes of water flows over it every second from the Great Lakes. The colour of the water is also stunning as it has a green appearance, resulting from all the minerals and dissolved salts and finely ground rock picked up from the limestone bed.
Stroll along the Riverside Promenade
We strolled along the riverside promenade which runs parallel to the Niagara River from where we could take in the sweeping panoramic views of the falls. It actually felt like it was raining but it was just the constant fine mist blowing over the promenade from the falls. Our guide told us that during the peak season you have to negotiate your way through the crowds to take in the views and take photographs, so it was an advantage of visiting out of season that we mostly had the falls to ourselves.
We had plenty of time to walk all the way along to the crest of Horseshoe Falls from where we could watch the clear water tumble over the edge of the falls. I actually enjoyed visiting in winter as the snow and ice gave the falls a striking beauty.
Niagara-on-the-Lake
Back on the coach we made our final stop at Niagara-on-the-Lake where we had one hour to look around this quaint town around 30 minutes north of Niagara Falls on Lake Ontario. This small historic town is like stepping back in time as its charming Main Street has well preserved colonial buildings with their quaint shop fronts and horse drawn carriages.
Niagara-on-the-Lake is one of Canada’s oldest settlements built in 1781 and used to be the capital of Upper Canada. The shops are all quite touristy but several piqued my interest especially the Beau Chapeau hat shop with its wide range of headwear which even included a range from Hanna Hats in Donegal, Ireland which we had the pleasure of visiting a few years ago.
Back on the coach it was then around a two hour drive back to Toronto and after such an active and fun-filled day we enjoyed a little sleep before being dropped back at our pick-up points at 7.30 p.m.
Overall:
My overall views of the Toronto Bus Company’s day trip to Niagara Falls were very good. We were picked up on time and travelled in a comfortable, small coach which had ample leg room and good visibility. Our tour guide Shaf couldn’t have been more friendly and he kept us entertained throughout the outward journey with his wide knowledge and amusing anecdotes. The itinerary was well planned with just about the right length of time devoted to each stop. All of the passengers dutifully kept to the agreed return times so we never had to wait around for latecomers which can be annoying. It was also good that for those of us booked on the deluxe tour, both the lunch and attraction tickets were included in the overall price so there was nothing extra needing to be paid on the day. More details of the tour and booking information can be found here.
We were guests of The Toronto Bus Company and as always, all views and opinions are entirely my own.
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