Trip to Niagara Falls Help
 

So Flyertalk peeps I messed up. I messed up big time. Basically, I was planning a mini-vacation for my boyfriend and me to Niagara falls. Before I got the tickets I looked up ways to get from the BUF airport to the falls and I saw there was a bus that went from the airport to downtown Niagara Fall. Now I misread and didn't realize this bus was for the New York side of the falls.

I am realizing this now after I already bought the tickets which were a steal by the way $398 rt for 2. My issue is that I realize that Lundy's lane is almost an hour for the airport and I need cheap way to get there cause I can't rent a car because $300 is way more money than I was trying to spend on transportation and the shuttles/cars I've been seeing are $200 which I also out of my budget.

Obviously, I should have researched more before I bought the tickets but it's too late for all that now. Is there anyway I can salvage this trip while not breaking the bank or should I just try and find a new destination and use the airfare money for that?

Other relevant details may be:
We're traveling from BWI to BUF on May 11th and return on May 14th.

Why not just take the bus to the US side and then walk over the rainbow bridge to the Canadian side?

So you are flying into Buffalo International airport? Just look at the BUF website. It lays it all out.

http://www.buffaloairport.com/Canadi...garaFalls.aspx

Remember to bring your passport, passport card, or enhanced drivers license if you want to go into Canada (and come back).

What hotel have you booked? That might make a difference also.

Bus to the border, cross rainbow bridge on foot and then rent a car on the Canadian side.
Repeat for return trip.
Your shuttle cost is high due to the operator's need for license in both countries.

I am surprise at your $300 rate for a rental car. I have many US visitors to Toronto who fly to BUF and rent a car to drive to Toronto for less than half of what you quoted.

The link from MoreMilesPlease tells you all you need to know about how to get from BUF to Niagara Falls.

Walking across the Rainbow Bridge is kind of fun and you can take some nice pics along the way. I think one side requires a payment of $0.50 per person. That price may have gone up though. I remember being stymied because I needed to drop 2 quarters into the turnstile which I didn't have. (Fortunately my buddy had change.)

You mention Lundy's Lane as your destination - you might want to consider a hotel such as the FourPoints Sheraton, Best Western Fallsview, Holiday Inn Niagara Falls, Days Inn Clifton Hill all of which are much closer to the Falls proper. Depending on your budget you could also consider a nicer property such as the Hilton or either of the casino hotels.

I would also suggest you consider making your way to Niagara on the Lake. You could probably find a nice B&B and stay there, though if your goal is to see the Falls, you should likely just stay at the Falls as you'll only be here a weekend.

Good luck!

Ok thank you to everyone who has commented! We have decided to just drive there and use the airfare for another trip. Also, the $300 for the rental car is added fees because I am only 21 yrs old.

Remember that you need to tell the rental car company if you plan to take the car into Canada. Many won't let you or will charge an extra fee. I have had the Canadian Border agents ask about our car before and it was my own car.

If you have already bought airline tickets for specific dates see what the change fees are. You may not have much airfare left or the fees to change will be more than the tickets.

We were just going to take my boyfriend's car instead of renting and the tickets were through southwest so there are no change fees.

2 solid days + 2 travel days in Niagara Falls? That's a lot of time in my opinion. I went to University in Buffalo and there's more to see than just the Falls. Buffalo itself can be a lot of fun, Niagara on the lake is rather beautiful & Toronto is always a lot of fun.
You may want to spend some time spread over 2 or even 3 areas. The falls to me is a 1 day experience. Getting downtown from the Airport is very very easy and can be very cheap. Some hotels offer free shuttles and there is a cheap city express bus.

As for car rentals there are come memberships that remove the high rental costs such as USAA if either of you have family in the military.

What are some things you would suggest to do in Toronto or Buffalo?

What are you two interested in? Food, museums, music venues ect?

Make sure you tell his insurance company if you will be driving the car into Canada. Make sure the policy provides coverage. There is suppose to be a "Canadian insurance card" the insurer can give you. We always got one when we lived in Buffalo and crossed the boarder frequently.

We both love food! We're both pretty adventurous and like to try new things so we're open to any suggestions. We'd love to go see some kind of show.

Shows you can prebook online or try you luck with same day tickets at the box office

There are so many culture groups in Toronto that you should head to the different "neighbourhoods" and look for places with lineups of people from that group.

Before you get too excited about Toronto, the downtown is about 1.5 hrs hwy driving from Lundy's Lane in Niagara Falls, ON.