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Hello, just wanted to include the Summer 2022 part as I am assuming things will basically be normal as far as travel by then, but then, who knows. Anyways, we had initially given thought to a PNW trip (Portland, Seattle, Oregon Coast, Craters), and there's still a decent chance of that. However, another trip we are weighing, is one to Toronto. For context, we have family in Cleveland, I greatly enjoy exploring and taking in major cities, and the flight to this area (whether to Buffalo-Niagara, Cleveland, or Toronto-Pearson, will likely be easier on my young baby as well as my wife's back). Anyhow, we would probably be in Cleveland for roughly a week exactly, taking in and enjoying sights, as well as seeing family in the area. The next 7 days, we would be out exploring the area, perhaps with Toronto as a central theme. Right now in my head, I'm throwing around the following options for spending this 7 days, with where we fly in and out from certainly playing a role in the decision making:
Option A
Day 1: Heading over to and exploring Buffalo and then Niagara
Day 2: Seeing more of Niagara, and then heading over to Toronto
Day 3: All day and night in Toronto
Day 4: Leaving Toronto in morning, heading to Letchworth State Park
Day 5-6: Misc. Explorations in the Finger Lakes/Upstate/Ithaca Region
Day 7: Travel day (back from Buffalo/Niagara or Cleveland)
Option B:
Days 1-3 are virtually unchanged
Day 4-5 Heading towards Tobermory/Bruce Peninsula (Ontario Upper Great Lakes/Hiking/Nature)
Day 6 Detroit (perhaps a stop at Point Pelee en route)
Day 7 Detroit/Travel Day (In this case we would almost certainly be flying out from Cleveland
Option C:
Days 1-3 are virtually unchanged
Day 4 Thousand Islands/Ottawa
Day 5-6 Montreal
Day 6-7 Adirondacks and Driving Back to Buffalo to fly out* (I realize this would likely be the longest option drive-wise, and if we were going this far, we would almost certainly want to add some time on at the end, maybe at least 2 extra days I hadn't initially accounted for)
Option D:
Days 1-3 are virtually unchanged
Day 4-7, checking out both Greater Toronto and Greater Buffalo in more detail. Maybe giving another 1-2 full days to "doing" the city of Toronto, as well as daytrips for nature and regional cities within 90 minute drive, and then flying out of Buffalo-any ideas for this? I'd assume we'd be capable of not being bored with 6ish days in the Greater Golden Horseshoe/Buffalo, but at the same time, I'd certainly like some ideas on how best to use limited travel time.
Any thoughts and advice are appreciated on how to best maximize a week like this!
Also, if we were to just do this as a separate trip after the Cleveland leg, and do like 4-5 days of just the Greater Golden Horseshoe, is it particularly difficult to use transit to get from Toronto to say Niagara, or are rental car rates particularly expensive compared to stateside?
Option C is completely out of the question, IMO. Way too much driving and no time to enjoy where you've driven to/through. Every day of that schedule involves some length of time in the car. Ottawa and the Thousand Islands are destinations unto themselves, so your day trip from Toronto to Montreal isn't going to allow you to see a thing in either place.
Option C is completely out of the question, IMO. Way too much driving and no time to enjoy where you've driven to/through. Every day of that schedule involves some length of time in the car. Ottawa and the Thousand Islands are destinations unto themselves, so your day trip from Toronto to Montreal isn't going to allow you to see a thing in either place.
Can’t say I disagree-I think if I were to go for C, though, I would probably extend 7 days to more like 9-10, or even 11-12, so for that reason I’m not entirely ruling it out, although, I would have to factor an increased budget for that and see whether it would be more than I’d want to spend.
If I do option D, and fly in and out of Buffalo, do you think it would be somewhat manageable, even for a younger family, to manage most of a week without a rental car? Or would there be so much I would miss by not having a car, or so much of headache still that it would be better to just keep it?
If I do option D, and fly in and out of Buffalo, do you think it would be somewhat manageable, even for a younger family, to manage most of a week without a rental car? Or would there be so much I would miss by not having a car, or so much of headache still that it would be better to just keep it?
Something like this, if looking at the longer in Toronto (and surrounds) option in more detail:
Day 1: Leave out from Cleveland area, potentially spending some time by car, en route at the following: Erie, Lake Chautauqua, Fisher Price Factory Tour, Ellicottville. Drop car off early on this evening, and take local bus service or Uber into Downtown Buffalo for the night.
Day 2: Spend much of this day checking out Buffalo's urban core. I know that Buffalo has a streetcar line for parts of the urban core, or we could go by local bus or on foot. Later in the day, take a regional bus, or an Uber over to the American side. Either stay the night somewhere on the American side, so as to spend the morning at the state park, or, walk across one of the Rainbow Bridge or Whirlpool Rapids Bridge that night (is either one of these a thing? I can research that too, of course), and spend the night on the Canadian side
Day 3: Either continue looking on the Canadian side, or, see the American side and then cross over by foot, and see more of the Canadian side. Maybe take a bus tour or ride over to Niagara on the Lake, if available. Otherwise, see what we can of the falls that day, then take a later afternoon bus ride (#12, it appears) to Burlington, and then from there, connect on the commuter train into Toronto (looks like we'd be leaving on the bus from Niagara right around 3, and then getting into Toronto around 6,but giving some thought instead to spending this night and the following morning looking around Hamilton, so as to not backtrack.
Day 4/5/6: Exploring by foot, bus and train (and ferry) around Toronto's core. This I'd assume would be the least complicated part of the journey, but it would be nice to know if there were any particularly convenient nature spots or surrounding towns that were connected with Toronto's core by public transit in an efficient sort of way.
Day 7: Either (A), retracing steps on transit to get to Buffalo, or (B), just flying out of Toronto/Pearson, even if it were more expensive than flying out of Buffalo/Niagara, it might be just a more efficient, enjoyable option, as there are regular nonstops between Toronto and Tampa.
This would require some planning, and prevent us from going to some further reaching parts of Toronto's metro or day trips, but it would eliminate the logistical challenge of driving around Toronto, and the costs of parking, and rental car fees for 6-7 days time.
Thinking about it-I think this is a pretty smart plan. It has some economical and health (and environmental even, lol) benefit to not having a car, it gives us a chance to see Buffalo fully which I hadn't factored time for, and there's still a day factored in for exploring other parts of Ontario that are less explored and nature-y (Hamilton is the waterfall city, of course), and actually seeing Buffalo which I often shortchange when passing through. The more I think about this plan, the more I like it, so long as there aren't (A) Logistical challenges I'm unprepared for, and (B) Public Transportation costs aren't more prohibitive than just having my own vehicle.
Edit: I looked and it appears you can cross the Rainbow Bridge on foot, but not the Whirlpool Rapids one.
IMO it would be a nightmare to lug a small child and your luggage on multiple types of public transportation, across country borders, not to mention coordinating buses and trains. Do you really want to be dragging your luggage around everywhere with you as you sightsee because you don’t have a locked car trunk you could just leave it in?
Other than the GO buses and GO trains running along a specific and limited corridor, there isn’t much in the way of connecting cities and towns together, and not every bus or train stop is going to be in a location with worthwhile sights to see on foot.
You aren’t going to be seeing the waterfalls near Hamilton via public transit. Also, the views of Niagara Falls are really only good from the Canadian side.
I really would encourage you to rent a car. You are on the right track with flying into Buffalo or Niagara Falls NY though because flying into Toronto will probably cost double.
haha so I have some perspective. Summer of 2017 we did an 8-day trip flying into Toronto (3 nights), then to Niagara Falls, ON (2 nights) then on to Buffalo (2 nights), flying out of BUF, with our almost 2 year old. So not too far off from what your experience would be.
A few things are different for you though. Rental car prices are insane. Also, you're talking about building off of a visit back home to Cleveland, not coming straight from FL like we did.
Also in Summer of 2016 we did 8 days flying into Quebec City (2 nights) then Ottawa (2 nights) and finally Montreal (3 nights) with our almost 1-year old. Also an awesome trip, also surprisingly good deal on a ow rental. Next time we chat I can fill you in on details if you'd like.
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