The Canadian Side, Without Driving Yourself Across
The best views of Niagara Falls are from Canada, and getting there from the American side means a bridge, a border queue and somewhere to park once you arrive. This tour removes all three. A guide collects you from your Niagara Falls, New York hotel or one of two departure points, handles the crossing, and spends six hours working through the Canadian side, with the Maid of the Mist and the Skylon Tower observation deck already paid for.
The boat is the part worth reading twice. Despite the tour's name, the Maid of the Mist boards on the American side, which is the only place it sails from, and you ride it before crossing. From late April to late November it runs as scheduled, weather permitting. Outside that window the operator substitutes Journey Behind the Falls, the tunnels behind the Horseshoe curtain, and sells the tour as its winter option.
On the Canadian side the coach works down the Niagara Parkway, stopping at the Skylon Tower for the deck, and passing the Old Scow stuck in the upper rapids since 1918, the Whirlpool Rapids, the Floral Clock and the viewing areas along the way. Admission fees, road tolls and bridge tolls are all in the price.
It is run by Over the Falls Tours, Inc., departs at 9:00 AM and takes about six hours. Because it crosses an international border twice, every traveller needs a valid passport or another accepted crossing document on the day.
What the Six Hours Actually Buy You
The Six Hours, Stop by Stop
Fifteen points are listed by the operator across the six hours. Two carry an included admission and are the reason to book, the Maid of the Mist and the Skylon Tower; one is a short seasonal stop at the Floral Clock; the rest are seen from the coach as it works along the Canadian shoreline.
Collection in Niagara Falls, New York
A guide collects you from your hotel, or you meet the coach at the Continental Pancake House or the Aquarium of Niagara, both of which have parking. Your pickup time is earlier than the 9:00 AM departure time and the operator confirms it with you before the day.
The Maid of the Mist
The boat runs from the American side, which is the only place it sails from, so you ride it before crossing. Twenty minutes down to the base of the Horseshoe Falls and back, ponchos handed out at the dock.
Over the bridge into Canada
The coach crosses into Ontario with the tolls already paid. This is where your passport is needed, and how long it takes depends on the queue at the border rather than on the operator.
The Canadian shoreline
The Parkway runs along the top of the gorge with the falls on your right, and the coach works along it through the key viewing areas, with the American Falls and the Horseshoe both in view from the Canadian bank.
The Skylon Tower
Up the exterior lift to the observation deck at 775 feet, where the whole basin is laid out below you and you can see both countries at once. The return ride is included.
The Old Scow
A steel barge that broke loose and ran aground in the upper rapids in 1918, a few hundred metres above the Horseshoe Falls. It is still there.
The Whirlpool Rapids
Downstream of the falls the river turns hard and doubles back on itself, and the water in the whirlpool changes direction depending on how much is being sent to the power stations.
The Floral Clock
A working clock forty feet across, its face planted with up to sixteen thousand bedding plants and replanted twice a year. A short stop, and the operator notes it depends on the season.
Back across the border
The coach recrosses to New York and drops you where it collected you. The whole tour runs about six hours door to door, and the operator states that durations are approximate.
Over the Falls Tours state that they may reschedule the itinerary and substitute attractions of equal value as circumstances require, that durations are approximate, and that schedules over holidays and holiday weekends can differ.
Included & Not Included
✓ Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Maid of the Mist boat ride, late April to late November, which can vary with the weather
- Journey Behind the Falls, which replaces the Maid of the Mist when it is not operating
- Return trip up the Skylon Tower
- Admission fees, road tolls and bridge tolls
✕ Not Included
- Transportation to and from Toronto and Buffalo hotels
- Food and drink
- Gratuities
You get one or the other depending on when you travel. The operator sells a summer and autumn version that includes the Maid of the Mist, and a winter version that includes Journey Behind the Falls instead and says plainly that the boat is not part of it. Six hours of guiding, the Skylon Tower and every admission fee are in both.
This or One of the Two It Sits Between?
Three tours cover similar ground and the difference is where you start and which country you spend the day in.
Pickup, Meeting Points and Drop-off
Everything starts on the American side. The operator lists 165 hotels in the Niagara Falls, New York area for pickup, or you can drive yourself to either of two departure points and leave the car there. Drop-off is back where you were collected.
Continental Pancake House
One of the two places the coach leaves from, with parking available on site, so this is the practical choice if you are driving to the tour rather than being collected.
Aquarium of Niagara
The second departure point, also with parking. Both points serve the same 9:00 AM departure, and the operator confirms which one your booking uses.
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Included in the price across 165 named hotels in the Niagara Falls, New York area. The operator also accepts a pickup address you supply, and will arrange it with you after booking.
The operator states this plainly on both versions of the tour: the time you booked is the departure time, and collection happens earlier than that. The exact pickup time is confirmed with you before the tour, so contact Over the Falls Tours after booking rather than assuming it. There is also no hotel pickup from Toronto, and getting to and from Toronto or Buffalo hotels is not part of this tour.
Pickup & meeting points
- How you join
- Pickup is offered, or make your own way to a meeting point.
- Cities
- Niagara Falls, ON · Niagara Falls, NY
- Pickup points
- 167 listed hotels and addresses
- Be ready
- 60 minutes before the start time
- Your own address
- Accepted, inside the pickup zone
- Continental Pancake House, parking available
- Aquarium of Niagara, parking available
From the operator: Departure Point: We pick up from all locations/addresses in Niagara Falls, Ontario (Canada) or Niagara Falls, New York (USA). Please note we do not pickup from Toronto or Buffalo. Your pickup time is earlier than your departure time. Please contact Over the Falls Tours after booking to confirm your scheduled pickup time.
Documents, Access and Suitability
This tour crosses an international border twice, and it is not step-free. Both points are the operator's own, and both are worth reading before you book.
Booking, Tickets and Cancellation
The cancellation window is 24 hours, and turning up without a passport is not a cancellation. Over the Falls Tours also state that they are not responsible for delays at international borders, so a long queue at the bridge comes out of the six hours rather than extending them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. You need a valid passport, or another accepted border crossing document, for the Niagara Falls Canadian side tour from the US, because it crosses into Ontario and back on the same day. Non-US citizens may also need a visa or an ESTA and an I-94 to re-enter the United States. The operator checks this on the day of travel, and without it you cannot travel.
The boat on this tour is the Maid of the Mist. It boards on the American side, which is the only side it sails from, so you ride it before the coach crosses into Canada rather than after. That is why the tour departs from Niagara Falls, New York even though it is a Canadian side tour.
In winter, when the Maid of the Mist is not running, Journey Behind the Falls replaces it on this tour. The operator sells a separate winter version that includes the tunnels behind the Horseshoe curtain and states plainly that the boat is not part of it. The Maid of the Mist runs from late April to late November, and even inside that window it can be stopped by weather.
The Niagara Falls Canadian side tour departs from Niagara Falls, New York, at 9:00 AM. You can be collected from any of 165 listed hotels in that area, or meet the coach at the Continental Pancake House or the Aquarium of Niagara, both of which have parking. There is no pickup from Toronto hotels.
The Niagara Falls Canadian side tour runs about six hours from the 9:00 AM departure. Your pickup happens earlier than that, and the operator confirms the exact time with you before the day. Durations are approximate, and a queue at the border comes out of the six hours rather than extending them.
No. The Niagara Falls Canadian side tour is not wheelchair accessible, because Over the Falls Tours state their vehicles are not. You have to be able to get in and out of the vehicle yourself or with help from your own group, and only a collapsible wheelchair can be carried. The operator will provide one free of charge subject to availability if you contact them before your tour date.
Included in the price of the Canadian side tour are hotel pickup and drop-off, the Maid of the Mist boat ride, the return trip up the Skylon Tower, and all admission fees, road tolls and bridge tolls. Food, drink, gratuities and transport to or from Toronto and Buffalo hotels are not included.
The Niagara Falls Canadian side tour costs from $165 per adult and $120 per child aged 3 to 12, with infants under 3 travelling free. The price on this page is read live from our booking partner when it loads, so it is the current fare rather than one typed in here.
What This Tour Takes You To
Maid of the Mist Guide
The boat this tour rides, in detail
Skylon Tower Guide
The deck, the prices and the hours