Niagara-on-the-Lake: Touring Without a Car

Collage of Niagara-on-the-Lake photos - gazebo, cenotaph, couple in vineyard, grapes on the vine

Residents of Niagara-on-the-Lake have long considered our town a special piece of Canadian paradise. After all, it’s been known as “the prettiest town in Canada” for decades. And now, the world knows it, too! Condé Nast Traveler has listed Niagara-on-the-Lake among the 50 most beautiful towns in the world! And your accommodation hosts are ready to welcome you with open arms.

When you do decide to visit us, chances you will drive yourself here. However, once you’re here, you might prefer to park your vehicle and forget about it. Other visitors may depend on public or private transportation companies to get here, and then what? Either way, how do you appease your curiosity and take in all the sights in the Niagara area without a car?

Getting Here
If you don’t have a car and don’t wish to rent one, a number of options are available, depending on your circumstances and budget:

  • Niagara Air Bus offers convenient, door-to-door shuttle service by coach or private car from Toronto International Airport, Buffalo International Airport, Hamilton International Airport, Toronto Island (City) Airport, and Downtown Toronto Hotels to your accommodation property in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Book at least 84 hours in advance to qualify for a 5% early-bird discount on their airport shuttle service.

Map from Toronto to Niagara-on-the-Lake

  • VIA Rail provides regular daily service between Toronto Union Station and Niagara Falls. While taxi or Uber service from Niagara Falls are options to reach Niagara-on-the-Lake, you can also use the combined WEGO/Shuttle bus service, which operates from April to October between Niagara Falls and Fort George in Niagara-on-the-Lake. (More on the shuttle service later.) American visitors can book travel on Amtrak to the U.S. Niagara Falls station,  just across the river from the VIA Rail station on the Canadian side.
  • Megabus Canada has numerous departures daily from Toronto Union Station to Niagara Falls or St. Catharines, both of which are a 25-minute taxi or Uber trip away.
  • GO Transit features a combination of rail and bus service between Toronto Union Station (rail) and the Burlington GO Station, where you transfer onto a bus destined for St. Catharines and Niagara Falls.

Touring Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL)
Once you’re here, local shops, restaurants and wineries are easily accessible, without a car. While here, you may want to visit the four communities that make up NOTL: Old Town, Virgil, St. David’s, Queenston and Glendale (for the Outlet Collection at Niagara and Niagara College Campus where you can sample wine, beer and spirits created by students at the Education Centre).

  • Walking is always an option if you’re staying in Old Town, which covers an area of about 2.5 square kilometres where you’ll find the highest concentration of restaurants, shops and historical sites as well as a few wineries. Get to know our historical town on a humorous guided walking tour with Ross Robinson. Tours leave from the Courthouse steps at 26 Queen Street every day at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., rain or shine.

Horse and carriage on Queen Street in Niagara-on-the-Lake

  • Take it slow and easy on a horse and carriage tour of Old Town. You’ll find your driver waiting for you in front of the Prince of Wales Hotel across from the cenotaph (town clock) or book online.
  • NOTL is a popular cycling destination. A number of companies, like Ebike Rental Niagara and ZOOM Leisure Bike Rentals, rent bikes and e-bikes. The terrain is flat for the most part and safe off-road cycling trails and quiet back-country roads are ideal for cyclists. An online digital map helps you navigate Old Town and the surrounding area on your own with ease. If you prefer, most of the rental companies also offer guided cycling tours of the area and wineries.

ebike rentals

  • Let someone else do the driving. Chauffered winery tours are a great way to tour the countryside and sample local wines, craft brews, ciders and spirits. Again, numerous companies, such as Brewery & Distillery Tours Niagara, offer daily tours and happily pick you up and drop you off at your accommodation property.
  • An on-demand transit service operates between Old Town, Virgil and the Glendale hub. Pickups are arranged as needed using the NRT OnDemand app, which can be downloaded. The NOTL service runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Saturday. The service promises pickup within an hour, with an average wait time of 20 minutes. Pricing is broken down by fare category and type.

A Day Trip at the Falls
The best route to Niagara Falls is along the beautiful Niagara River Parkway, dubbed “the prettiest Sunday afternoon drive in the world” by Winston Churchill in 1943.

Niagara Falls and Hornblower

  • You can leisurely cycle or e-bike to the Falls from NOTL along the 25-km Niagara River Recreation Trail, an off-road bike and walking path that runs parallel to the Niagara Parkway and flanks the mighty Niagara River. Except for one short incline up the Niagara Escarpment at Queenston, the terrain to the Falls is relatively flat. Along the way, you’ll pass numerous wineries, historical sights, attractions and photo ops.
  • A scheduled daily Niagara-on-the-Lake Shuttle service connects to the Niagara Falls WEGO bus service at the Green Line’s Floral Clock stop (from June 30 to September 4, 2023) or at the Butterfly Conservatory stop (from April 30 to June 29 and September 5 to October 9). One-way and return tickets can be purchased at Fort George in NOTL. All-day access to the WEGO service is included if you purchase the Niagara Falls Adventure Pass Plus.
  • The NRT On-Demand Transit Service (mentioned earlier) provides service to the Niagara College Campus in Glendale, where you can connect to Bus #12 to Niagara Falls.

Summer 2023 Events in Niagara-on-the-Lake
It’s turning out to be an eventful 2023 in NOTL, where, aside from all the beautiful architecture, sites and gardens, there’s always something happening.

White Effect Dinner

June 3: Murder With a Side of Merlot at Lakeview Wine Co.
June 9: White Effect Dinner at Peller Estates Winery (be sure to pre-order your wine, beer and cider)
June 9–September 15: Jackson-Triggs Summer Concert Series
June 17: Strawberry Festival
June 18–August 29: Music Niagara Summer Festival Concert Series
June 22: NOTL Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament
June 24: Shaw Guild Garden Tour
June 24–25: Fort George in the Great War
July 1: Canada Day at Fort George
July 1–3: Canada Day Fireworks;
July 8: St. Mark’s Cherry Festival
July 15-16: Battle of Fort George Re-enactment
August 12: Peach Festival
August 12: Sip, Savour & Stroll
August 23: Shades of Summer Dinner
August 19-20: Fife & Drum Muster & Soldiers’ Field Day

Niagara-on-the-Lake History: A Land of Many Legends

Battle re-enactment

For many Indigenous peoples, the Niagara Region has been a powerful spiritual site since melting glaciers revealed the great lakes of Erie and Ontario and the mighty Niagara River approximately 13,000 years.

A Sacred Place
Considered a sacred place of great power and healing, the Niagara Region was used for religious ceremonies and rituals as well as for hunting and fishing. The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) believed the Thunderer, a powerful spirit associated with thunder and lightning, resided in the Niagara Region, and that the Falls were created by the Thunderer’s voice.

Niagara Falls at night

The region was also an important meeting place for Indigenous nations, who gathered here to discuss matters of trade diplomacy and war. It was considered a neutral zone, where conflicts could be resolved peacefully. However, if conflicts broke out between the Huron and Iroquois, warring tribes often brought their women and children to the resident Neutral Nation for safekeeping during such dangerous times.

The Neutral Nation was a highly developed culture with sophisticated agricultural techniques, which included the use of irrigation and terracing to cultivate crops like tobacco. They had extensive trade networks throughout the Great Lakes region and were known for their highly valued pottery as well as their tobacco trade. They also had a complex social and political structure, with distinct clans and a council of leaders who made decisions on behalf of the ten tribes of the Iroquois Nation.

The land along the Niagara River continues to have rich ties to Indigenous history and culture. The Indigenous Niagara Living Museum Tours features animated encounters and engagements with Indigenous peoples, cultural interpreters, historians, food specialists and artisans. Tours explore the geology of the Niagara Escarpment and include Fort George in Niagara-on-the-Lake, the Willowbank School of Restoration and Indigenous Community Love Garden and the Landscape of Nations Commemorative Memorial in Queenston, the Niagara Glen Nature Centre, and many more.

Walking Tour of NOTL

Our Home on Native Land
Sadly, the arrival of European explorers and settlers in the 17th century brought diseases that devastated the population of the Neutral Nation and other tribes, and their way of life was disrupted by the fur trade and conflicts.

In the 18th century, the British established Fort George, a military outpost in Niagara-on-the-Lake. During the War of 1812, Fort George played a crucial role in the defence of Upper Canada against American invasion. It was the site of several battles, including the Battle of Fort George in May 1813, when American forces captured the fort and burned down much of the town.

Following the war, the fort was rebuilt and used as a military base until the mid-19th century. Today, Fort George is a National Historic Site of Canada and a popular tourist attraction. Visitors can explore the fort’s barracks, officers’ quarters and other buildings, as well as view historical demonstrations and re-enactments of military life during the War of 1812. Fort George is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays until May 19, daily from May 20 to September 3, and Wednesday to Sunday from September 4 to October 31. By the way, entrance fees are waived on July 1, Canada Day!

Niagara on the Lake Museum tour guide

The Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum features 9,000 years of history ranging from Indigenous history to the tourism boom of the 1970s. Its gallery contains such significant artefacts as a powder horn belonging to Chief Joseph Brant, the Indian Department Coatee worn by Daniel Servos during the American Revolutionary War, uniforms from the War of 1812 and much more.

Black Canadian History
Niagara’s role in the Underground Railroad is legendary. Between 1796 and 1949, the Underground Railroad led an estimated 40,000 African American slaves to their ultimate freedom in Canada. Fort Erie, Ontario became a popular crossing for freedom seekers because of its proximity to Buffalo, New York.

Niagara Parks features some of Canada’s most poignant stories of freedom and courage among its extensive collection of displays and monuments honouring Black Canadian history. As you drive, cycle or walk along the 56-kilometre (35-mile) Niagara River Recreation Trail between Fort Erie and Niagara-on-the-Lake, you’ll come across a number of plaques and displays highlighting some of Canada’s most historic moments right here in Niagara.

Mackenzie Printery Museum

Among the interesting sites to visit along this trail is the Mackenzie Printery in Queenston, home to the Louis Roy press, the oldest wooden press in Canada, and one of only seven left in the world today. It was used to print Ontario’s first newspaper, The Upper Canada Gazette, as well as the 1793 Act Against Slavery, which prevented further introduction of enslaved people into Upper Canada and gradually allowed for the abolition of slavery.

A little further down the Parkway in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Navy Hall is a collection of buildings that served as the first seat of government for the Executive Council of Upper Canada, where John Graves Simcoe took the first legislative steps in the Act Against Slavery in 1793.

Situated at Regent and Johnson in Niagara-on-the-Lake, the Voices of Freedom Park commemorates the silenced and forgotten stories of people of African descent, whose sacrifices, labour, skills and talents contributed to the development of our town.

Ambassadors of the Past
You might be delighted to learn that some STAY Niagara-on-the-Lake member properties claim a direct link to colourful, historical figures from the past, some of whom are rumoured to roam their halls. However, we’ll keep those tales under wraps for a more appropriate time.

Many of our short-term rental property owners in Niagara-on-the-Lake are born storytellers who have made it their business to study the history of the Niagara Region and are happy to share their version(s) with anyone who will listen. So, ask away. You never know what history lesson you might uncover at the breakfast table or over a glass of wine.

History comes alive in Niagara. Isn’t it time you created a little history of your own for your travel albums?

Comin’ Up
It’s never too early to plan your trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake. Here’s a sampling of what’s to come:

Garden Tour

April 29 – Queens of the Vineyard at Caroline Cellars
May Weekends – Sip & Sizzle at various Niagara-on-the-Lake wineries
May 6 – TD Niagara Jazz Festival Spring 2023 Fundraising Event at The Hare Wine Co.
June 9 – White Effect Dinner at Peller Estates Winery
June 9 – September 15 – Summer Concert Series at Jackson-Triggs Winery Estate
June 17 & 18 – Juried Art Show at the Riverbank Art Museum
June 24 – Shaw Guild Garden Tour
July 1-3 – Artistry by the Lake
July 8 – Cherry Festival
August 12 – Peach Festival
August 12 – Sip, Savour & Stroll
August 13 – Shades of Summer Dinner