Niagara Falls Day Trip from Toronto with Boat Ride and Skylon Tower

Horseshoe Falls and Table Rock

The Horseshoe Falls is the largest of the three waterfalls at Niagara and the one that belongs to Canada: a curved wall of water about 670 metres wide that drops some 57 metres into the gorge, carrying the outflow of the Great Lakes from Lake Erie towards Lake Ontario. Table Rock, right at the brink, is where you stand closest to the edge, close enough to feel the spray and hear the roar.

On this Niagara Falls day trip from Toronto you have about two hours of free time here, so you can walk the stone railing at your own pace, find lunch with a view and take the photos everyone comes for. Is Niagara Falls worth visiting on a day trip? From Table Rock the answer is obvious: the scale of the falls only makes sense when you stand beside them.

Niagara Falls boat cruise into the basin

The boat cruise is the most memorable part of any Niagara Falls tour. The boats leave from the Canadian shore, pass the American Falls and the narrow Bridal Veil Falls, and then push into the heart of the horseshoe, where the mist closes in and the thunder of the water surrounds you. The ride lasts about 30 minutes on the water, and recyclable ponchos are handed out before boarding.

Your ticket on this tour skips the ticket line, which saves real time in the busy season. Expect to get wet: keep your phone in a pocket or a small waterproof pouch, and stand on the upper deck if you want the best photos. The cruise runs in its operating season, roughly from spring to late autumn, when the river is free of ice.

Journey Behind the Falls

At Table Rock an elevator takes you down through the bedrock to a set of tunnels that end at portals opening right behind the Horseshoe Falls. From inside you watch a curtain of water falling just metres away, and from the lower observation deck at the foot of the falls you feel the force of the river from below, wrapped in a souvenir poncho.

This attraction stays open in winter, when the boat is not running, and your guide walks you in with skip-the-line entry through a separate entrance. Allow around 45 minutes. It is one of the best things to do at Niagara Falls for a different angle: the noise, the vibration and the mist behind the water are very different from the view at the railing above.

Skylon Tower observation deck

The Skylon Tower has stood above the Canadian side of Niagara Falls since 1965, its yellow exterior elevators climbing the outside of the shaft to an observation deck about 236 metres above the base of the falls. From the top you see the full panorama: the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls, the gorge, the parklands and, on a clear day, the skyline of distant cities across the lake.

The full option of this tour includes express admission, so you skip the general queue for the elevators. Plan about 40 minutes at the top for photos from the indoor and outdoor decks. Skylon Tower tickets are not included in the second option, which is the right choice if you prefer more free time on the riverside instead.

Niagara Parkway and the historic power station

The Niagara Parkway follows the river between the falls and the lake, past gardens, orchards and viewpoints over the gorge. On the way your guide points out the landmarks and stops for photos, and the coach passes the hydroelectric stations that still draw power from the river.

The tour also stops at the Niagara Parks Power Station, a grand stone generating station from the early 1900s that was turned into a museum. Inside you see the long hall of original generators and learn how the energy of the falls lit up Ontario. It is a short, interesting stop that adds history to the day, and a good answer to how Niagara Falls shaped the region far beyond tourism. From here the coach returns to Toronto, about a 1.5-hour drive.