Trips & tickets
A guided tour of the American side with free pickup and drop-off at your Niagara Falls, NY location: the Maid of the Mist boat ride and Cave of the Winds (both late April to early November), the Prospect Point Observation Tower, Luna Island, Goat Island and Terrapin Point.
A guided tour of Niagara Falls USA with admission to the Observation Tower, Cave of the Winds and its Hurricane Deck, and the Maid of the Mist boat ride from May to October, with ponchos at the included attractions. Hotel pickup is not included.
By air-conditioned bus from Toronto with a Niagara Parks licensed guide, up to 4 hours at the falls, a maple syrup and chocolate tasting and stops at the Whirlpool and the power stations. Express boat cruise and Journey Behind the Falls tickets are optional upgrades.
The full Viator listing for Niagara Falls — guided tours of the US side, boat tours, jet boats, helicopter flights and day trips from New York City and Toronto, with live prices.
Niagara Falls is three waterfalls on an international border, and the trips sold around it are just as divided: the free New York state park with its paid attractions, the Maid of the Mist and Cave of the Winds; the Canadian parkland of Niagara Parks across the Rainbow Bridge; jet boats from Lewiston and Queenston; helicopter flights from both sides; and day tours from New York City, Buffalo and Toronto.
Which one is right depends on which side you are staying on, whether you carry a passport, and how close to the water you want to get. These pages compare them plainly.
Plan it properly
Fly, drive, take the bus or the GO train: every way to Niagara Falls from New York City, Buffalo and Toronto, with parking, border rules and 2026 fares.
2026 prices for the Maid of the Mist, Cave of the Winds, parking and the trolley on the New York side, Niagara Parks' tickets and passes in Canada, and opening hours.
Maid of the Mist or Niagara City Cruises? Wet or dry jet boat? Every way onto the water or over the falls, with 2026 prices, seasons, age limits and what to wear.
The falls
Photographs licensed from Shutterstock.
Yes. Niagara Falls State Park on the New York side is open 365 days a year and always free to walk into. You pay for parking (lots 1 and 2 cost $10 a day, $15 on summer weekends) and for attractions such as the Maid of the Mist and Cave of the Winds; our tickets and prices guide lists every price.
For 2026 an adult ticket costs $30.25 and a child (6-12) $19.75; children 5 and under ride free with a paid adult. Prices are in US dollars and include the elevator to the landing and the observation deck. The tour lasts 20 minutes; our boat tours guide compares it with the other boats.
Most visitors fly into Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF), about 30 miles from the park, or drive in on the New York State Thruway (I-90). Without a car, a day tour from Manhattan handles the transport, with the boat ticket as an option on some tours; our guide to getting there compares the options.
GO Transit runs to Niagara Falls all year from Union Station, and a weekend package with the round-trip train and a day of WEGO buses costs $22 CAD on Niagara Parks' price list. By car it is the Gardiner Expressway and the QEW. Our guide to getting there covers both.