Opens the guide with the core promise: Niagara is best experienced close to the falls, where scale and spray are unmistakable. Photo credit: Hornblower Niagara Cruises
Quick Summary
Mighty Niagara Falls is a natural wonder—North America's most powerful waterfall straddling the U.S.-Canada border and an easy day trip from Toronto. Beyond the thundering cascade, the region offers theater, wine tasting, food tours, historical sites, and fine dining.
Quick Facts
- Attractions Featured: 10 top Niagara experiences
- Location: Ontario, Canada (U.S.-Canada border)
- Distance from Toronto: Easy day trip
- Wine Region: ~100 wineries, world leader in Icewine
- Water Adventure: Class 5 rapids at Devil's Hole (Whirlpool Jet Boat)
The Top 10 Attractions
1. Hornblower’s Voyage to the Falls
Why it matters: this image makes the hornblower’s voyage to the falls option easy to differentiate from the other nine—helping travelers pick based on vibe (thrill, taste, history, theatre, or scenery).
Visitors have been touring the falls by boat since 1846 for a reason: It's absolutely thrilling. Hornblower Niagara Cruises takes you right up to the base of the falls where you can feel the thundering of one-fifth of the world's fresh water pounding from 13 storeys above onto the Niagara River. The 20-minute Voyage to the Falls covers the whole spectrum: Horseshoe, Bridal Veil, and American Falls, plus the Great Gorge. A nighttime version is especially impressive with the falls illuminated in a rainbow of colors.
2. Wine Tasting & Touring
Pillitteri Estates Winery, Niagara-on-the-Lake. Why it matters: this image makes the wine tasting and touring option easy to differentiate from the other nine—helping travelers pick based on vibe (thrill, taste, history, theatre, or scenery).
The fertile Niagara Peninsula is one of Canada's top three wine-growing regions, renowned as the world leader in Icewine. Cycle the green, gently rolling countryside on your own or join a guided tasting tour stopping at some of the nearly 100 wineries, meeting the vintners, and tasting their best.
3. Journey Behind the Falls
Niagara Parks Commission's Journey Behind the Falls. Why it matters: this image makes the journey behind the falls tour option easy to differentiate from the other nine—helping travelers pick based on vibe (thrill, taste, history, theatre, or scenery).
Niagara Parks Commission hosts the self-guided Journey Behind the Falls—a tour that takes you to the other side of Canada's Horseshoe Falls. Starting at Table Rock Centre, view the falls from upper and lower observation decks, then take an elevator 150 feet down to two bedrock portals leading to open caves right behind the roaring cascades. You'll need that plastic rain poncho!
4. Prince Edward County Foodie Trail
Huff Estates Inn and Winery and From the Farm Cooking School. Why it matters: this image makes the prince edward county foodie trail option easy to differentiate from the other nine—helping travelers pick based on vibe (thrill, taste, history, theatre, or scenery). Photo credit: Huff Estates Inn and Winery
Harvest raspberries and peaches, visit produce and lavender farms, and eat, eat, eat in Prince Edward County. This locavore paradise on Lake Ontario's shore has 40 wineries, plus breweries and cideries, cheese makers, artisan producers, charming farmer's markets, and outstanding farm-to-table restaurants. Follow the Taste Trail or Arts Trail for top stops.
5. Helicopter Tour
Take a Niagara Helicopters' View to a Thrill ride. Why it matters: this image makes the helicopter tour option easy to differentiate from the other nine—helping travelers pick based on vibe (thrill, taste, history, theatre, or scenery). Photo credit: Niagara Helicopters
Get a sense of the falls' grandeur from the air. Niagara Helicopters' 12-minute classic flightseeing adventure hovers right above the falls and its elusive rainbows, the Niagara River, and Rainbow Bridge—all with views of the Toronto skyline and Lake Erie. Learn about the area and history via commentary on headsets, or combine the best of both in a falls-plus-wineries tour.
6. Dinner with a Legendary View
Add martinis to your dinner with a view of Niagara Falls. Why it matters: this image makes the dinner with a legendary view option easy to differentiate from the other nine—helping travelers pick based on vibe (thrill, taste, history, theatre, or scenery).
The Skylon Tower offers an indoor-outdoor viewing area 775 feet up with vistas of the American and Horseshoe Falls, plus a 3D/4D movie theater screening "Legends of Niagara Falls." For a special occasion, book a table at the Summit Suite Buffet or Revolving Dining Room—the latter makes a 360-degree rotation every hour for a date with a fabled view.
7. Shaw Festival Theatre
Shaw Festival Theatre, Niagara-on-the-Lake. Why it matters: this image makes the see a play option easy to differentiate from the other nine—helping travelers pick based on vibe (thrill, taste, history, theatre, or scenery). Photo credit: Cosmo Condina Photography
Many fans visit Niagara solely for the Shaw Festival—an internationally acclaimed series of productions from avant-garde to crowd-pleasers, each year from April to November. Get tickets to performances by famed playwright George Bernard Shaw and his late 1800s-era contemporaries. Resident and visiting directors from around the world make this a must for theater aficionados.
8. Tour Niagara-on-the-Lake
Pretty Niagara-on-the-Lake is surrounded by fruit orchards. Why it matters: this image makes the tour niagara-on-the-lake option easy to differentiate from the other nine—helping travelers pick based on vibe (thrill, taste, history, theatre, or scenery).
Niagara-on-the-Lake is a leafy fruit and wine-growing area worth exploring by car or bike, or from your base at a serene vineyard-surrounded inn. The town itself is celebrated as a romantic getaway—a 19th century village of handsome heritage buildings and Victorians dating back to 1781. Take a horse-drawn carriage ride, stroll, shop, and browse charming small-town restaurants serving big city-worthy fare.
9. Fort George National Historic Site
Niagara-on-the-Lake's Fort George National Historic Site. Why it matters: this image makes the learn about the history option easy to differentiate from the other nine—helping travelers pick based on vibe (thrill, taste, history, theatre, or scenery).
Military post Fort George played prominently as a battle site in Canada's War of 1812. The British fought here defending Upper Canada against American attacks. Watch reenactments of red-coated soldiers firing muskets to Fife and Drums Corps music, plus sample 19th century vittles cooked over an open fire.
10. Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours
Whirlpool Jet Boats tour. Why it matters: this image makes the get wet option easy to differentiate from the other nine—helping travelers pick based on vibe (thrill, taste, history, theatre, or scenery).
If you want to get into the falls literally, you'll love the one-hour, high-speed up-river ride with Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours. This invigorating approach takes you through the Niagara Gorge to Devil's Hole class 5 whitewater rapids on a 45-minute out-and-back. You also get to peek over the edge of the giant Whirlpool. Hop on from the U.S. or Canadian side—take the dry JET DOME version or bring a change of clothes and prepare to get soaked.
Follow-Up Questions
- How do I book a Hornblower cruise to Niagara Falls?
- What is Icewine and where can I taste it?
- When is the Shaw Festival season?
- Can I take a helicopter tour that includes winery visits?
- How intense are the Whirlpool Jet Boat rapids?
Associated Entities
Niagara Falls, Horseshoe Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, American Falls, Niagara River, Great Gorge, Hornblower Niagara Cruises, Niagara Peninsula, Icewine, Niagara Parks Commission, Journey Behind the Falls, Table Rock Centre, Prince Edward County, Lake Ontario, Taste Trail, Arts Trail, Niagara Helicopters, Rainbow Bridge, Lake Erie, Skylon Tower, Shaw Festival, George Bernard Shaw, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Fort George National Historic Site, War of 1812, Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours, Devil's Hole, Toronto, Ontario, Visit Niagara Canada, Destination Canada
Sources & Registry
- Destination Canada – The Top 10 Attractions in Niagara: https://travel.destinationcanada.com/en-us/things-to-do/top-10-attractions-niagara