toronto to niagara falls

You can travel from Toronto to Niagara Falls by train for just $10 this summer

If you've been itching to get out of the city and do something cool on the cheap now that things have reopened, you'll be pleased to learn about GO Transit's ridiculously inexpensive weekend passes.

For just $10, you can get a ticket that allows for unlimited rides, by bus or by train, between your starting location (say, Toronto) and any one specified destination (say, Niagara Falls) for an entire day.

If you want to spend the whole weekend cruising around the region on an unlimited pass, the price goes up to a mere $15 — and yes, you can hop on and off at any point between your starting and final destination. Right now, the only trips available are by bus, but a direct train between Niagara and Toronto will start running again this summer.

"Who's ready for real weekends again? Weekends spent enjoying the beach, having patio drinks, taking a day trip to Barrie, or just having a backyard visit with those friends who live on the other side of the Greater Golden Horseshoe," reads a blog post on the service's website.

"As Ontario begins to reopen, we know that you're looking forward to visiting with friends and family again, and returning to your favourite attractions and day trip locations. GO Transit is happy to welcome back our regular customers for safe and comfortable travel to and from work, but we're also very excited to help everyone enjoy their post-lockdown weekends a little bit more!"

These unlimited passes are only available on weekends (and holiday Mondays), but you can hit up a surprising number of places using one; Weekend service is available on the Lakeshore East, Lakeshore West and Barrie lines.

East, West, North? Where do you want to go from Union Station? South isn't an option, unless you want to swim.

Here, per GO Transit, is how it works:

  • Using the passes tab, select your station of origin and your intended destination (the furthest point you plan to travel to).
  • Next, select either the $10 One Day Pass or the $15 Weekend Pass.
  • Choose the number of passes that you need for your party (kids 12 and under ride free)
  • When you've completed your purchase, the online pass will be emailed to you.
  • Remember to activate your pass on your smartphone five minutes prior to boarding a GO bus or train.
  • Enjoy unlimited travel between your chosen points, all day or weekend long
  • These passes are only available online - not at stations or by using PRESTO.

As overrated as the City of Niagara Falls may be, $10 is pretty cheap to see one of the most powerful waterfalls on earth... and certainly less than what it would cost you in gas.

Lead photo by

Jorge Láscar


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