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Short trip to Niagara Falls and Niagara on the Lake

Hello all,
My daughter and I will be flying in to the Buffalo airport on July 18th (Tuesday). We will pick up our rental car and head to Erie PA where we will stay until July 20th (Thursday), when we will drive to Niagara on the Lake. We will stay there until we fly back to Louisiana from the Buffalo airport on July 22nd (Saturday).

Just wondering about the traffic on the way from PA to Niagara Falls. How bad is the traffic waiting to go across the border on a Thursday mid-day?

On Friday we will be doing a 2.5 hour Niagara Falls tour that will be over at 11am. Planning on going back to Niagara on the Lake and spending the day shopping and eating before listening to live music at the Irish Harp Pub (where we are also staying).

On Saturday our flight leaves at 5:40pm, and I've scheduled our car return for 3:00pm at the airport. Since we have a bit of time, I was wondering if we'd be able to drive into Toronto in the morning (I've never been to Toronto), maybe eat a late breakfast there, and then head back to the airport. Or is this a terrible idea? Is traffic terrible and would we have a tough time getting back across the border in time? If it would be a big hassle, we'll skip it.

Thanks for any help!

Posted by
88 posts

We crossed that border last Wednesday, about 6pm. Took about ten minutes. Most of that was just waiting in line.. About one minute with the agent.

Posted by
119 posts

Skip Toronto. You will have a lot of traffic on the QEW both ways. Although the border has not been busy, schools in Ontario are not finished yet and cross border traffic can be very unpredictable especially on weekends. Enjoy NOTL and visit some local wineries and shops in the area.

Posted by
292 posts

Make sure it's ok with the car rental company to take the car to Canada.