New England/Niagara Falls?

Question

We are flying to Boston in September from England and hiring a car to travel through New England, taking in the Niagara Falls. We want to stay on the Canadian side so can we just drive from the American side into Canada or do we have to get visas or will passports be enough also is there a website that would give us some sort of itiniary for routes, hotels etc. as we are not booking any accommodation until we get to USA

Answer 1

For international travelers, a valid passport to enter Canada should suffice. There are three bridges for public use (a fourth is regular commuters only) in the Niagara area between Canada and the U.S., all with easy access from either side.

As far as booking accommodations, visit the Niagara Falls Tourism, Visitor, and Convention Bureau's website ( http://www.niagarafallstourism.com/ ) for some useful information.

Answer 2

We did this trip on our honeymoon, flew into Boston and drove up to Niagara Falls. You may want to book a hotel en route as it's hefty drive. We stopped off in Albany overnight. We also stayed on the Canadian side and you are stopped at the border (don't laugh when the nice policeman asks you if you are carrying a weapon!!!) Then you go into a building and get your passport checked. It's really easy so don't worry. We stayed along the Niagara river by the rapids, we had a fantastic view of the rapids from the room. I loved the Canadian side more - it's like a mini Blackpool and has some great restaurants. Be aware of the Japenese tourists - they are everywhere!!!
We drove up through Albany and Buffalo, but we bought some road maps via Amazon and they were brilliant. I would highly recommend this. We stayed in Best Western Hotels and although a couple were a little basic they were functional, comfortable and had restaurants. When staying in Niagara Falls you might want to look at a place called Niagara on the Lake, it's a beautifull little town with white picket fences and is really old fashioned, I would have preffered to stay there really rather than right in the centre of things.
We drove back from Niagara Falls to Cape Cod in one day, but we had an early start and a couple of stops. The roads out there are amazing and there's so much space, there were no traffic jams and even I found it easy to navigate (except for Boston, bit of a nightmare,)

Good tip - make sure you have change for the Toll Booths as there are quite a few on your journey - and don't drive through the eazipass ones like we did - you are supposed to have a special chip in your car!

Petrol was dirt cheap and we found Canada to be even cheaper than the US. If you want any more tips please feel free to email.

Answer 3

Both Canada and USA will accept a valid UK passport for a visit to our countries.

I don't know what sights you were planning on seeing while in the two countries, but (without trying to be too bold) I would like to suggest a few sites nearby:

Boston, Massachusetts
- Many historical sites, including Boston Harbor and the USS Constitution.

Salem, Massachusetts
- Salem Witch Trials and Witch Museum

Albany, New York (3hrs from Boston)
- Historic city and state capital for New York.

Montreal, Quebec (Canada)
- 5 hrs from Boston, European charm, great food

Ottawa, Ontario (Canada)
- 2 hrs from Montreal, Capital of Canada, Parliament buildings,

Providence, Rhode Island
- 1hr from Boston, Roger Williams Botanical Center

Pennsylvania
- Further south than perhaps you had planned, but you have the Liberty Bell (Philadelphia), various museums and local tourist attractions, and things like the Hershey Chocolate Museum and the Amish country

As for Niagara Falls, I have heard that the view is actually more spectacular from the Canadian side, but I don't know if those were just Canadians saying that - he he.

Finally, someone mentioned petrol? The car that you are renting would be best to fill up in the USA before you cross the border to Canada. Gas prices are extremely bad, at least in Quebec...we are currently at $1.10 a liter (roughly 4.40 a gallon), while in New York state a week or so ago it was only $2.38 per gallon. Even with exchange rates at CDN 0.86 = 1.00 US, it will still be much less to fill up down south.

Answer 4

You will need a visa waver to get into the States but you only need your passport to go across the border into Canada.

Try arranging your route and accommodation based on package deals but expect this to be more expensive since you won't get a discount for bulk ordering of hotel rooms.

Answer 5

just flash your passport at the border