Toronto & Niagara Falls

Canada's largest city, with the CN Tower and diverse neighborhoods, and just two hours by road from Niagara Falls and the ice wine region: the hub of an eastern Canada itinerary.

Toronto is in Ontario, Canada, on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. The city proper has about 3 million people and the Greater Toronto Area more than 6.5 million, making it Canada's largest city and financial center. More than half its residents were born abroad, and it has a large Chinese community where Chinese-language services are widely available. Niagara Falls is about 130 km southeast of Toronto, spanning the Niagara River on the Canada–US border, and the two are usually visited together.

Toronto's core areas: the waterfront and downtown (the CN Tower, Rogers Centre, Ripley's Aquarium, Harbourfront Centre and the Toronto Islands ferry); the Old Town (St. Lawrence Market, the Distillery District); the museum belt north of downtown (the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the University of Toronto); and ethnic neighborhoods such as Chinatown–Kensington Market, Little Italy and Greektown. On the Niagara side are Niagara Falls (boat cruises, Clifton Hill, the Skylon Tower) and, to the north, Niagara-on-the-Lake (the ice wine region and a historic town).

The climate has four distinct seasons. June–September, at 20–28°C, is the best time for boat cruises, island visits and winery tours; the leaves turn red in October; December–March is often below −10°C, but the frozen falls, the Ice Wine Festival and Christmas markets have their own charm.

Getting there: there are direct flights from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and other cities to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), and the UP Express airport train reaches Union Station in 25 minutes. In the city, the TTC subway, streetcars and buses cost about CA$3.30 per ride, and you can tap a credit card directly. To reach Niagara you can drive (about 1.5–2 hours on the QEW), take a GO bus (or the GO train on summer weekends), or join a Chinese-language day tour.

We recommend 4–5 days: 2–3 days in Toronto and 1–2 days in Niagara and the lakeside towns (we strongly recommend spending a night by the falls to see the night illuminations and the summer fireworks).

Notes: Chinese passport holders need a Canadian visa; walking across the Rainbow Bridge from Niagara Falls to the US side requires a valid US visa and clearing US entry; tips are typically 15–18%, and listed prices do not include 13% HST.

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