Renting a car in Toronto... Bad idea?

If you don't want to drive, there are buses, trains, and shuttles. https://www.gotransit.com/en/partners-and-promotions/promo-visit-the-city-of-niagara-falls There are luggage storage options: https://luggagestoragetoronto.com/toronto-attractions/niagara-falls/

Be sure to leave yourself extra time if you are travelling by road, in case of traffic slowdowns.

I’m from Vancouver but have been to Toronto many times. I’ve rented cars but also used the excellent public transit. I am going next week, renting a car but not going into the city - we are checking out universities further west.

What about using transit while in the city for your work and then renting the car just for your trip out of the city? You’d drive past the airport to get to the Falls anyway.

The downtown area is easy to navigate, and we even successfully used the HOHO bus to get around. The idea to rent a car just for the excursion is what I'd do.

We will be using the public transit for the "work" portion and just renting a car for the Falls quick trip. Thanks all!

Having a car is a plus to visit Niagara Falls.
You can visit the surrounding area, Niagara On The Lake, local wineries, etc.

My favorite is Inniskillin, they have tastings of their table and icewine - sweet dessert wine made after the grapes freeze.
https://www.inniskillin.com/

Some hotels have rooms that have direct view to the falls.
Ask about parking, some hotels have high parking fees - on occasion I've parked at the casino because the fee was cheaper.

On return give yourself plenty of time, sometimes the traffic is very heavy due the numbers of trucks crossing the border in both directions.
If running late you can use Highway 407 after Hamilton, it has less traffic but it's a toll road - electronic toll .

Thank you for the advice and recommendations aulopone.

As mentioned, renting a car for Niagara makes sense. Though a little inconvenient, take the LRT to the airport, (assuming you are flying from YYZ) and rent from there. That gets you out of the worst town traffic. Plan for an early Sunday pick up to also reduce traffic. Then an easy return for flight home. It is often cost prohibitive to pick up and drop off in different locations. That being said, there can be delays to enter the airport by car, so add 30 minutes to your arrival time at YYZ. (Keep in mind 'rush hour' can start at 3 on a work day. Keep an eye on Google Maps travel time)

Thank you MariaF. Yes, we are flying into/out of YYZ. We plan on taking public transit from hotel to the airport to pick up our car early Sunday morning. We are staying at The Omni King Edward.

I second the idea of driving to Niagara Falls, exploring there for awhile and then driving along the Niagara Parkway to Niagara on the Lake. I recommend going on the Maid of the Mist at the falls if possible. I live not far from Niagara Falls and have taken out of town visitors there many times. The Maid of the Mist is usually the favorite activity. It might be called something different now, but it’s the boat ride that takes you toward the falls. If it was me, I would stay in Niagara on the Lake overnight. There are many historic inns and B&Bs in town and it’s a quaint lovely place to unwind after the hustle and bustle of Toronto and the Falls. The drive there along the Niagara gorge and parkway is very pretty, (make sure to stop at some overlooks of the gorge) and as previously mentioned, has multiple wineries along the way if that interests you. You can easily leave from Niagara in the Lake the following day and head to YYZ. You don’t have to go back along the parkway (which is scenic for going but would be slower and cause you to backtrack). Just get on the QEW expressway and leave plenty of time in case of traffic issues. Enjoy!

Thank you saf for the useful info!

I would suggest not going back to the airport. Where you are staying is close to the Gardener expressway/QEW which is the highway you want for Niagara. You will waste time going to the airport, then will have more highways to navigate.

Instead, pick up near your hotel ( a quick look shows several Enterprise rental cars). Personally I would pick it up Saturday and pay for a night's parking. Get on the road early ( the earlier the better!) for Niagara. See the falls first, then take the parkway, perhaps a winery and stay the night in Niagara on the Lake. Then drop off separately at the airport.

Driving in and around Toronto is not fun.
For doing things within Toronto use the TTC. ( ttc.ca)

Driving to NF can take close to 2 hours , depending on traffic and be prepared for periodic slow downs and lots of transports trucks - the route you would take is really the only way to get across the border.