Published by Leonardo Calcagno
By Alex – I’ve been sending people on these runs since 2015.
Let’s cut the crap. You want to do Niagara Falls from Toronto for a day. You’re not sure whether to drive yourself, take the $99 bus, or just hire a driver and a van. I’ll give you the straight numbers I see every week so you can decide.
Route is always the same: pick-up wherever you are (Pearson, downtown, Mississauga, wherever), straight down the QEW, 90–120 minutes each way. You get 6–7 hours on the ground if you leave by 9 a.m.
How the day actually goes (what my clients do 9 times out of 10)
Driver shows up, throws the bags in, you’re off.
- Leave 8–9 a.m. (whenever your group finally gets their coffee)
- 10–10:30 a.m. you’re at Table Rock staring at the Horseshoe Falls
- Boat ride if you want to get soaked (Hornblower tickets ~$30)
- Lunch with a view or in Niagara-on-the-Lake
- Hit 2–4 wineries – Inniskillin, Peller, Trius, whatever the group votes for
- Quick photo stop at the Floral Clock because someone always wants it
- Back on the road 5:30–6 p.m.
- Home by 8 p.m. with a trunk full of icewine
That’s it. No 47 hotel stops, no strangers, no rushing for the 4:45 bus.
Why I stopped telling people to drive themselves
Parking at the Falls is $30–$50 and a 20-minute walk. Wine bottles in your own car? Good luck. One person stuck sober all day? Not fun. Traffic back to Toronto on a Sunday? Soul-crushing.
For 8+ people the Sprinter splits out cheaper per head than the bus once you add parking and gas. And you’re not jammed in with someone’s screaming kid.
Who I actually use when clients want it done right
I send people to Chauffeuropolis because they don’t mess around. Their Toronto/Niagara Falls executive tours page has the exact packages, current pricing, and all the little details most companies hide.
Bigger groups? They run the Sprinter vans with tons of luggage room → Sprinter van details here.
Need multiple pickups or want to add an airport run? They list every route on the Sprinter van shuttle routes page.
Cold hard prices right now (door-to-door, 8–10 hours)
- Sedan (1–3 people) – $850–$950
- Escalade or Navigator (1–6 people) – $1,150–$1,350
- Sprinter van (up to 14 people) – $1,400–$1,750 → Sprinter van details here
That’s the whole bill. Gas, tolls, parking, driver – done. Boat ride and winery tastings are extra (figure another $60–$120 pp if you go hard).
Stuff people add once they realise they have a driver all day
- Helicopter ride (12 minutes, ~$180 each) – book it through Niagara Parks Helicopter Tours if you want the insane view
- Extra winery or two – nobody ever regrets this
- Dinner at a Fallsview restaurant before heading back
- Quick stop in Niagara-on-the-Lake for ice cream and photos
Booking it so you don’t get stuck
May–October weekends fill up 4–6 weeks out. Mid-week is wide open and usually $200–$300 cheaper.
They pick up the phone 24/7 at (905) 633-5804 or you can just check pricing online in 30 seconds.
If you’ve got a Niagara day coming up – client thing, family birthday, or just because – do it private. You’ll thank yourself when you’re sipping icewine on the patio instead of hunting for parking.