Canada.
Niagara Falls, Toronto and family.
Canada (October 2019).
Our Canadian trip to visit Anita's son Dale.
Niagara Falls.
You hear it before you see it. The Horseshoe Falls is bigger, louder and wetter than you expect. At night they light it up in colours, and it's worth staying out for.
Niagara-on-the-Lake.
We based ourselves in Niagara-on-the-Lake, a short drive from the Falls, and spent most of the week with family. That was the point. Along the way: dinner with the Falls lit up outside the window, a night at the casino and a proper Canadian breakfast.
Toronto.
A last night in downtown Toronto before the flight home.
Time well spent.
Getting there.
British Airways from Heathrow to Toronto Pearson, direct, about eight hours. We hired a car at the airport and drove the hour and a half to Niagara.
Other options: Air Canada also flies from Heathrow, Air Transat from Gatwick, Manchester and Glasgow, and WestJet from Glasgow. You'll need an eTA before you go: CAD $7 online and valid for five years. In Toronto, the UP Express from Pearson to Union Station takes 25 minutes for about CAD $12.
Where to stay.
Five nights at the Holiday Inn Express in Niagara-on-the-Lake, then a last night at the Holiday Inn Toronto Downtown Centre before the flight home.
Budget: Kings Inn Near the Falls, around £60 a night. Mid-range: the Holiday Inn Express Niagara-on-the-Lake, around £180, with a pool and free parking. Fancy: the Pillar and Post Inn & Spa in old-town Niagara-on-the-Lake, around £235.
Worth doing.
The Falls, by day and lit up at night.
With more time: the boat to the foot of the Horseshoe Falls and Journey Behind the Falls, an icewine tasting at the Niagara-on-the-Lake wineries, the Niagara Parkway drive, and the CN Tower and St Lawrence Market in Toronto.
