RegionUsable guide

Niagara Peninsula

Region in Ontario, Canada

Photo: Mhsheikholeslami, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

The Niagara Peninsula is in Ontario's Golden Horseshoe, encompassing most of the city of Hamilton and all of Niagara Region. Niagara Region is a regional municipality (roughly similar to a county) consisting of cities, towns and villages east of Hamilton on the Niagara Peninsula.

Getting there and around

Getting there

By bus
Megabus (Coach Canada) and GO Transit offer regular bus service to Hamilton and the cities and towns in Niagara Region including Niagara Falls.
By train
VIA Rail and Amtrak partner to run a daily train from New York City to Toronto making stops in Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, and Grimsby.
By bicycle
A journey on bike from Toronto to Hamilton is approximately 75 km downtown-to-downtown, which can feel like a daunting distance for casual cyclists, but the route follows the shoreline of Lake…
By foot
The Bruce Trail is a walking and hiking path that follows the Niagara Escarpment. It's about 900 km long, with another 400 km of side trails.

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Getting around

It's possible to see the city of Niagara Falls without a car, as the transit system is well-developed and most of the attractions are close together.

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Airports and nearby hotels

Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.

John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport

Hamilton · International · YHM

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Cities

Fort Erie

the site of Old Fort Erie, an important War of 1812 site

Grimsby

a starting point for touring the Niagara wine region

Hamilton

the third largest city in Ontario is transitioning from an industrial city to a centre for health sciences with a growing arts and culture sector

Lincoln

a rural town known for its dozens of wineries

Niagara Falls

there's supposed to be some big waterfall here; it might be worth checking out

Niagara-on-the-Lake

popular with visitors drawn by its quaint colonial-style buildings, the Shaw Theatre Festival, Old Fort George, and wineries

Port Colborne

great weather, ample beach front, cultural attractions, and historic shopping districts

St. Catharines

a good base for exploring the Niagara Peninsula

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Thorold

the historical Welland Canal and the impressive locks bring many tourists here

Welland

known for the many murals around town

Read before you go to Niagara Peninsula

Articles and travel topics about Niagara Peninsula and Canada.

Travel tips

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Itineraries

Trans-Canada Highway

The Trans-Canada Highway (TCH) is a series of provincial highways which join all ten provinces of Canada. Following 8,030 km (just under 5,000 miles) of Trans-Canada Highway across all ten provinces is one of the three…

Wikivoyage

Itineraries

Bruce Trail

The Bruce Trail is a marked, pedestrian footpath in Ontario. The Bruce Trail runs 904 km along the Niagara Escarpment, which is like walking from Milan to Paris, and then doing an extra lap around the Boulevard…

Wikivoyage

Food & drink

Wine regions of Ontario

While many people would assume that Ontario is too cold to produce wine, in fact the wine regions of Ontario are at the same latitude as Bordeaux, northern Italy and Oregon, and its grape-growing season is comparable to…

Wikivoyage

Full travel guide

Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.

UnderstandThe Niagara Peninsula is formed by the shores of Lake Ontario to north, Lake Erie to the south, and the Niagara River along the United States border to the east.

Get inThe closest major airport to Niagara Region is actually in the United States. Buffalo-Niagara International Airport (BUF) is just outside of Buffalo, New York and about 20-30 min drive from the Falls.

Get aroundIt's possible to see the city of Niagara Falls without a car, as the transit system is well-developed and most of the attractions are close together.

SeeThe Niagara Falls, for which the peninsula is named, is one of the most impressive waterfalls in the world and is definitely a must for visitors - as is the Hornblower Niagara Cruises boat trip to the foot of the Falls.

DoThere are many wineries that host tours and tastings located around Niagara-on-the-Lake, Beamsville, and Vineland (see Wine Regions of Ontario). The Niagara Wine Festival takes place in September.

EatNiagara has the typical restaurants one would expect for southern Ontario but also owing to it having the best farmland has excellent local produce, particularly soft fruits.

DrinkThe Niagara Peninsula is one of the three main Wine Regions of Ontario. It competes with British Columbia's Okanagan Valley for being the top producer in Canada.

SleepThe city of Niagara Falls is well-equipped to handle the huge numbers of visitors it receives, with a large number of hotels, motels, and inns in all price ranges.

Stay safeProvincial guidelines limit tasting more than 4 one-ounce samples at each winery. Be aware of your limits and don't drink and drive.

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Sources and licences

Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Niagara Peninsula" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Summary from the Wikipedia article "Niagara Peninsula", available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikipedia
Photo: Mhsheikholeslami, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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