Niagara Falls, NY is about 415 to 425 miles from New York City by road. Greyhound's fastest bus takes about 8 hours 10 minutes, and the fastest Amtrak train takes 9 hours 18 minutes. We read the operator and park pages on 14 October 2026.
Where is Niagara Falls
The falls are on the Niagara River, where New York state meets Ontario, Canada. Most of the water goes over the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. The New York side has Niagara Falls State Park, which its own page calls America's oldest state park.
Address: Niagara Falls State Park, 15 Goat Island Loop Road, Niagara Falls, NY 14303. Phone (716) 278-1794 (NY State Parks, Niagara Falls State Park page, read 14 Oct 2026)
Note: The park is open year round and is "always free to just walk in." Attractions open seasonally (same page)
New York City to Niagara Falls: train, bus or drive
| Option | Time | Frequency | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amtrak (Maple Leaf and Empire Service) | 9 hours 18 minutes to 9 hours 45 minutes | Three a day | Not listed by Amtrak |
| Greyhound | 8 hours 10 minutes at the fastest | 19 a day listed | From $55.98 |
| Car | Drive time not confirmed | Any time | Fuel and tolls |
Train
Getting there: Amtrak's own timetables for the Maple Leaf and Empire Service, printed 14 Oct 2026, show three daily trains from New York (Moynihan Train Hall) to Niagara Falls, NY. Maple Leaf 63 leaves 7:15 a.m. and is shown at Niagara Falls, NY at 5:00 p.m., then goes on to Toronto. Empire Service 281 leaves 10:20 a.m. and arrives 7:45 p.m. (9 hours 25 minutes). Empire Service 283 leaves 1:20 p.m. and arrives 10:38 p.m. (9 hours 18 minutes). Times shift by date, so check Amtrak.com for yours
Note: Amtrak's Maple Leaf page says one daily departure and 12 hours 30 minutes from New York to Toronto (Amtrak.com, read 14 Oct 2026)
Price: Amtrak's route pages list no fare. Amtrak fares change with demand, so the price you see depends on the date and how early you book. We give no number
The Maple Leaf timetable shows one time at Niagara Falls, NY, 5:00 p.m., so we give no separate arrival time for it. Our Amtrak USA Rail Pass guide covers coach fares and the pass.
Bus
Getting there: Greyhound's New York to Niagara Falls page lists about 8 hours 10 minutes at the minimum, 19 daily departures and fares from $55.98, with 414 miles on the route and about 417 in its FAQ. Its page for the other direction lists 8 hours 15 minutes, 6 daily departures, fares from $60.98 and 423 to 426 miles. Buses leave from Port Authority Bus Terminal and many other New York stops. The ticket shows your stop. In Niagara Falls the stop is on Old Main Street, 120 Old Main Street, Niagara Falls, NY 14303 (Greyhound route page, read 14 Oct 2026)
FlixBus also sells this route, but we did not read its own timetable, so we give no FlixBus time or price.
Drive
The road distance is about 415 to 425 miles, from Greyhound's bus route figures. We found no official drive time and we did not drive it. Tolls and fuel are not confirmed.
Niagara Falls State Park
Price: Parking, Lots 1 and 2 (cars): $10 a day from 12 Oct 2026 to 31 Mar 2027. From 22 May to 11 Oct 2026 it was $10 Monday to Thursday and $15 Friday to Sunday. Lot 1 is at 333 Prospect Street and Lot 2 at 15 Goat Island Loop Road (Niagara Falls State Park, parking page, read 14 Oct 2026)
Price: Lot 3, 50 Goat Island Road: free Tuesday to Thursday all year. Fees run Friday to Monday and on holidays, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., from 22 May to 7 Sep 2026, and there is no fee from 8 Sep to 21 May. Cars $10, RVs $20 (same page). The page says "Fees and hours are subject to change"
Price: Maid of the Mist: adult $30.25, ages 6 to 12 $19.75, ages 5 and under free with a paid adult. Daily 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from 28 Sep to 31 Oct, daily 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. from 1 to 8 Nov. The boat closes for 2026 on Sunday 8 November (maidofthemist.com, schedule and pricing page, read 14 Oct 2026)
Hours: Cave of the Winds: opens 9:00 a.m., last ticket 4:15 p.m. from 12 to 18 Oct. Closed 19 and 20 Oct for maintenance. Opens 9:00 a.m., last ticket 4:00 p.m. from 21 Oct to 25 Nov, and also 27 Nov to 23 Dec. Closed 26 Nov, 25 Dec and 1 Jan 2027 (Niagara Falls State Park, Cave of the Winds page, read 14 Oct 2026)
Price: Cave of the Winds admission from 19 Oct 2026 to 31 Mar 2027: adult $14, youth $10. Tickets are not sold online. Buy them at Cave of the Winds on Goat Island or at the park's welcome center (same page). The page says rates are subject to change
The Cave of the Winds page mixes dates and notes from earlier seasons. Treat the prices as the page's current numbers and check them at the ticket desk.
Crossing the Rainbow Bridge to Canada
The Rainbow Bridge links Niagara Falls, NY to Niagara Falls, Ontario. It is the only bridge in its commission's network that allows people on foot.
Price: Walking: the toll is collected only when you enter the United States. It is $1.25 by tap (charged in Canadian dollars), $1.00 in US quarters, or $1.25 in Canadian coins. Going into Canada on foot, the page lists no toll (Niagara Falls Bridge Commission, pedestrian page, read 14 Oct 2026)
Price: Driving into Canada: US$6.00 cash, CA$8.50 cash, or US$6.00 by E-ZPass. The toll is paid one way, into Canada (Niagara Falls Bridge Commission, toll page, read 14 Oct 2026)
Note: The commission asks you to carry proper identification for yourself and any minors with you. We found no hours for the walkway on its page, so check before you go
What to carry
Note: Canada (CBSA, read 14 Oct 2026): for US citizens, "the CBSA recommends travelling with a valid passport." Without one, you can combine other documents that show your full name, date of birth and citizenship. You may need a visa or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) depending on your citizenship
Note: Back into the US (CBP, Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative page, read 14 Oct 2026): by land, a US citizen can present a US passport, passport card or enhanced driver's license. A NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST card is also accepted. Children under 16 need only a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship. The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission page lists no NEXUS lane, and we did not confirm one
If you live in the US but are not a US citizen
Your rules depend on your passport and your status. Two official pages cover the main cases.
| Your status | Entering Canada by land | Coming back to the US |
|---|---|---|
| US permanent resident (green card) | No eTA needed. CBSA says the green card is enough by land. Canada's eTA page says to carry your passport too, so bring both | Show a valid green card (CBP) |
| Indian or Chinese passport, any US status | Canadian visitor visa needed (IRCC country list). A US visa does not replace it | Passport, valid US visa and I-94. Check your status first |
| Philippine passport, any US status | Visitor visa needed by land. The eTA option for some Filipinos covers air travel only (IRCC) | Passport, valid US visa and I-94 |
Note: CBP says returning US permanent residents must show a valid permanent resident card (Form I-551) or other valid evidence of status. A passport is not required (CBP, WHTI page, read 14 Oct 2026). CBSA says that by land from the US you present your permanent resident card and "don't need to present your passport" (CBSA, travel documents page, read 14 Oct 2026). Canada's eTA page says green card holders do not need an eTA but should carry a valid passport and a valid green card for all ways of travel (IRCC, read 14 Oct 2026). Carry both
Note: Canada's country list says Indian and Chinese citizens need a visitor visa. It lists the Philippines as visa-required too, and says some Filipinos can get an eTA instead when they fly. When you arrive "by car, bus, train or boat" you still need a visitor visa, not an eTA (IRCC entry requirements and eTA pages, read 14 Oct 2026)
Note: If your US visa has expired, a trip of 30 days or less only to Canada or Mexico can still let you back in on your valid I-94 under "automatic revalidation". It needs a valid passport and no new visa application abroad. It does not cover everyone (22 CFR 41.112(d), eCFR, read 14 Oct 2026 for our Cancun page. The State Department page blocked us this time)
A Canadian visitor visa takes time to get, so a same-day walk across the Rainbow Bridge is not possible without one. Ask your employer's immigration lawyer or your school's international office before you go if your US status is not a green card.
The Canadian side
Niagara Parks says a walk through Queen Victoria Park gives views of both the American Falls and the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. The park runs between the Horseshoe Falls and the Fallsview hotel district (Niagara Parks, Queen Victoria Park page, read 15 Oct 2026). Table Rock Centre sits at the brink of the Horseshoe Falls. From there, Journey Behind the Falls takes you 125 feet down through old tunnels to viewing portals and an observation deck at the foot of the falls. An elevator goes down, and stairs lead to the lower deck (Niagara Parks, Table Rock Centre and Journey Behind the Falls pages, read 15 Oct 2026). These are the park's own descriptions. We did not visit.
How far is Toronto from Niagara Falls
Visit Niagara Canada says the drive from the Greater Toronto Area usually takes about an hour and a half, and can take twice as long at busy times such as rush hour or weekends. It puts Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, on Toronto Island, 127 km (79 miles) from Niagara Falls (Visit Niagara Canada, Getting Here page, read 15 Oct 2026). The same Maple Leaf you take from New York goes on to Toronto: it leaves Niagara Falls, NY at 5:00 p.m. and reaches Toronto Union Station at 7:43 p.m. in the copy we read. Amtrak's border page says inspections on trips to and from Toronto happen at Niagara Falls. Passengers get off with their bags, show the ID they gave when booking, and then board the same train (Amtrak, crossing the US-Canadian border page, read 15 Oct 2026).
Does Niagara Falls freeze
Not solid. Niagara Parks answers "Well, technically no." In a cold snap, mist and spray form a crust of ice over the water, and the water keeps flowing underneath (Niagara Parks, Frozen Falls page, undated, read 14 Oct 2026). The New York park says the falls "never really freeze, it just looks like it" (Niagara Falls State Park, winter page, read 14 Oct 2026).
The State Parks page says the park, Cave of the Winds and the Frozen Falls view are open in winter, and parking is $10 a day. Maid of the Mist is closed from 9 November until its 2027 opening.
What we checked and what can change
Read on 14 October 2026: Amtrak.com's Maple Leaf page and its Maple Leaf and Empire Service timetable PDFs; Greyhound's route pages in both directions; NY State Parks and the Niagara Falls State Park site (parking, Cave of the Winds, winter page); Maid of the Mist's schedule page; the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission's home, toll and pedestrian pages; CBP's WHTI page; the CBSA travel documents page; IRCC's eTA eligibility page and entry requirements by country; Niagara Parks' Frozen Falls page. Read on 15 October 2026: Amtrak's crossing the US-Canadian border page, Visit Niagara Canada's Getting Here page, and Niagara Parks' Queen Victoria Park, Table Rock Centre and Journey Behind the Falls pages.
Not confirmed: a car drive time and tolls, the FlixBus timetable and price, any Amtrak fare, the Maple Leaf's exact arrival time at Niagara Falls, NY, the distance from the Amtrak station to the falls, the Rainbow Bridge walkway hours, a road distance from downtown Toronto, and the Canadian-side views (park text only). Greyhound's two pages give different counts and fares by direction. Schedules, fees and border rules change, so read the operator and government pages for your date. We did not take this trip for this page.
