Niagara Falls Travel Blog

Travel Tips & Stories

Expert guides, visitor stories, and insider tips for experiencing Niagara Falls

A Maid of the Mist boat crossing the white water below the American Falls, its decks crowded with ponchos Niagara Falls Compared

Maid of the Mist vs Journey Behind the Falls

The boat sails from New York. The tunnels are cut into the cliff in Ontario. Almost every other difference between them, price, season, booking, even the currency, follows from that.

Visiting Niagara Falls 14 min read
The Horseshoe Falls lit in pink, green and gold after dark, seen from the Canadian bank with the crest running the width of the frame Niagara Falls After Dark

The best place to view Niagara Falls at night

The lights are the same from both banks, because one binational board runs them. What changes is what you are looking at. Here is the side that faces the lit water, the timetable that moves with sunset, and where to leave the car.

Visiting Niagara Falls 11 min read
A Niagara City Cruises boat crowded with red ponchos in the Horseshoe Falls basin, dwarfed by the curtain of water Niagara Falls Compared

Hornblower Niagara City Cruises vs Journey Behind the Falls

Both are Niagara Parks, both are Horseshoe Falls, and both start at Table Rock. One sails for eight months of the year and the other never closes, which is usually what settles it.

Visiting Niagara Falls 9 min read
A Maid of the Mist boat crowded with blue ponchos pushing into the spray at the foot of Niagara Falls Niagara Falls Boat Tours

Is the Maid of the Mist worth it?

Twenty minutes, $30.25, and a poncho that will not keep you dry. Whether the most famous boat ride in the world earns its ticket, and the four kinds of visitor it does not.

Visiting Niagara Falls 11 min read
The Rainbow Bridge over the Niagara Gorge in autumn, with the Niagara Falls Ontario skyline beyond and a tour boat below Niagara Falls Planning

The best time to visit Niagara Falls

Late May to mid June, or the second half of September. Full water over the falls, everything open, and none of the July crush. The whole calendar, month by month, including the months to avoid.

Visiting Niagara Falls 16 min read
The Cave of the Winds wooden walkways on the rocks beside Bridal Veil Falls, with the American Falls alongside Niagara Falls Compared

Journey Behind the Falls vs Cave of the Winds

One puts you behind the water and keeps you dry. The other puts you under it and does not. They are on different sides, at different falls, and only one of them is open in January.

Visiting Niagara Falls 10 min read
The American Falls floodlit blue after dark, seen from the Canadian side of the Niagara Gorge Niagara Falls Explained

Is Niagara Falls man made or natural?

Natural, and more managed than almost anyone realises. The rock and the drop are the work of an ice age. How much water goes over, what shape the crest is, and how fast it wears back are all decisions.

Visiting Niagara Falls 11 min read
A red-poncho Niagara City Cruises boat on the Niagara River below the American Falls, seen from the Canadian side Niagara Falls Explained

Is there a Maid of the Mist on the Canadian side?

No, and it used to be. The Maid sailed from both banks for well over a century. What happened to the Canadian boat, what took its place, and what to do if it is the Maid you actually want.

Visiting Niagara Falls 9 min read
A blue-poncho Maid of the Mist boat on the Niagara River with a red-poncho Niagara City Cruises boat at the Canadian dock behind it Niagara Falls Boat Tours

Niagara City Cruises vs Maid of the Mist

Blue poncho or red. One sails from New York, the other from Ontario, and both finish in the same basin under Horseshoe Falls. Every real difference between the two boats, in one table.

Visiting Niagara Falls 14 min read
The American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls at sunset, with visitors lining the Prospect Point promenade on the New York side Niagara Falls Explained

Is Niagara Falls a Wonder of the World?

It is called one constantly. It is on almost none of the lists. Every wonders list that matters, who wrote it, whether Niagara is on it, and what the falls actually hold.

Visiting Niagara Falls 13 min read

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