Day 2 of Toronto Vacation: Niagara Falls Day Tour

I ended my previous post with a bold claim of how good it felt to write outside of my home and in a hotel room while on vacation.

Well, I didn't write a single post on this blog for the rest of the vacation. After touring around, we went back to the hotel exhausted. I want to write but have no energy for it. So hubby assured me it's okay not to write and that I should rest and relax. So when we arrive back at our hotel, we just watch whatever is on Food Network, something I miss since we don't have cable TV at home.

Now, I am writing this post in Vancouver. Day 2 of our Toronto Vacation was on October 9, 2022. When planning our itinerary, I asked myself what one thing I would not miss during my first time in Ontario: seeing the majestic Niagara Falls.

I searched for a day tour to Niagara from Toronto and found Niagara Falls Day Tour (niagaratorontotours.com).

Niagara Falls Day Tour

I woke up at 4:30 AM (unintentionally), which is 1:30 AM in Vancouver. First, I took a shower and wrote. Then, I woke up my husband so he could prepare for the day as well. We left our hotel at 7:30 AM to meet the tour bus in front of Hasty Market at 8:15 AM.

CN Tower peeking between residential and office towers in Downtown Toronto.

We took pictures of the CN Tower from Olympic Park before meeting with the bus. Then, we grabbed breakfast from the only coffee shop open in the area.

I'm in Olympic Park, loving the view of the CN Tower.

The tour bus left at 8:20 AM, and off we went. First, I can't believe how big Lake Ontario is. I know the Five Great Lakes of North America are named Great because of their size, but seeing them in person is overwhelming. It goes beyond the horizon! I thought only seas and oceans could do that. I felt stupid.

After an hour, one of the locations our tour guide pointed to is the Welland Canal Lock. This is the starting point of the upward movement from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie. The Welland Canal is almost 44 kilometres long, with a drop of nearly 100 meters and an 8-level ship lock. The canal made shipping navigation between Lake Ontario and Erie.

Welland Canal Lock

Niagara-on-the-Lake

At almost 10:00 AM, we find ourselves in the historic town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. It features British Colonial architecture and stunning real estate alongside magnificent floral displays. The quaint little town also has fascinating boutique shops and souvenirs.

We're in the Niagara-on-the-Lake.

British Colonial architecture

British Colonial architecture

Niagara River Parkway

We also took the scenic route to the Falls along the Niagara River Parkway! On the drive, we saw majestic views of the Niagara River, the Trans-Canada trail way, fruit orchards, wine vineyards and the most spectacular homes in Canada! I took many videos along the parkway, but this is the best one.

Scenic Drive along Niagara River Parkway with a trivia from our tour guide as background.

Niagara Parks Floral Clock

We drove by but didn't stop at the Niagara Parks Floral Clock because it's no longer floral but shrubs. They didn't maintain it since the pandemic.

Niagara Parks Floral Clock

Built-in 1950, it has a 40-ft diameter (12 meters) with enchanting floral designs. Westminster chime tower that sounds off every quarter hour.

Hydro Power Station, Niagara Gorge & Whirlpool Rapids

We didn't stop by the Hydro Power Station and Whirlpool Rapids, but our tour guide pointed them out. Hydroelectric power is the #1 industry in Niagara, which make sense.

Niagara Falls from Table Rock Welcome Centre

Holy smokes! The view of the three falls, especially the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side, is awe-inspiring, especially from the Table Rock Welcome Centre. The sound of millions of litres of water rushing every second and the mist it forms is mind-blowing. Since it's a beautiful long weekend Sunday, there's a crowd, but hubby and I found this spot to take this picture with the Horseshoe Falls in the background.

Canadian Horseshoe Falls

Canadian Horseshoe Falls

Hornblower Boat Cruise

This is the highlight of the trip. The day tour just kept getting better and better. We had roughly 2 hours of free time, and an hour of that was dedicated to a 20-minute boat cruise up close the Niagara Falls. I have so many pictures and a handful of videos, so deciding which ones to include in this post is challenging.

We're waiting to board the boat.

We're on the boat starting the cruise to Niagara Falls.

We're so close to the Horseshoe Falls, and as you can see are getting wet from the mist.

View of the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls lies within the United States, so we didn't go too close.

American Falls in the background.

Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls: American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Horseshoe Falls.

Niagara Falls is in the background.

Clifton Hills

After the once-in-a-lifetime experience facing the Horseshoe Falls up close, we spent the remainder of our time looking at the different carnival attractions in Clifton Hills and grabbing lunch.

Clifton Hills Sky Wheel

Then by 3:00 PM, we're on our way back to the city.

Toronto City

We arrived back in the city shortly after 4:30 PM and took pictures of the other exciting places in Downtown Toronto.

Fairmont Royal York

My sister and I are fascinated with Fairmont hotels in Canada, specifically the historical ones built around the same time as the Canadian Pacific Railway. They all have beautiful exteriors, and some have upgraded rooms. We stayed at the Empress in Victoria, BC. I wanted to stay in Royal York in Toronto, but my four-night budget couldn't afford it. 💸

View of Fairmont Royal York

Scotiabank Arena

Scotiabank Arena is the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Toronto Raptors in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Raptors had a preseason game when we were there.

Scotiabank Arena

Union Station

Union Station is the central transportation hub of Downtown Toronto. We took the UP Express here from the airport, but I didn't have a chance to take a picture of its exterior until today.

Union Station

We walked back to our hotel and watched the Vancouver Whitecaps FC lose 2-nil to Minnesota, which is expected but still upsetting. Afterwards, we had dinner at Michelin Guide-recommended Aanch, located a block from our hotel.