Rainbow Bridge

I admit. I’m afraid of heights. But this bridge somehow is welcoming and fun.
And I thought the Rainbow Bridge was for deceased pets. Not here. You just have to make an international crossing this way, on foot, whenever visiting Niagara Falls. The bridge is a very short length, and the sidewalk is wide and well protected from traffic. Views of the Falls are exquisite — especially at sunset. You will pay 50 cents, Canadian or US, to pass through the turnstile on your walk to the US. There is no fee to return to Canada. Passport mandatory.

I’ve gone though Niagara Falls about 40 times in my life and this is the first time I made a mental note to visit this bridge after crossing back over onto American soil. I usually drive to Canada so after driving through customs and finding parking (I parked off-​site) I popped out of the car and decided to check this bridge and view out.
The view is not bad but the most spectacular view of the falls is blocked off by another viewpoint tower a few hundred meters away from this bridge so it kind of ruined the moment. It’s far enough away where you can take a picture of the whole thing in one shot (no panoramic shot required) but because of the other tower that’s closer to the falls, I would say that this bridge only moderately satisfied my walk across the bridge.
MAKE SURE TO HAVE YOUR PASSPORT ON YOU. Even though you already went through customs, you have to go back through customs again when you walk back, otherwise, you’re screwed.
Parking: $ 10 for the «official» parking that’s closer to the bridge itself or $ 5 off-​site parking that’s only about 2 minutes walk longer

US citizen crossing from Canada back into the USA— I don’t think I’ve ever been treated with more hostility than I did trying to get back into my own country. I travel internationally several times a year and have been through immigration countless times coming back home. I know what to do and how to answer basic questions. The border agent was unprovoked and near irate with me and my family. We all have passports and ample documents, not sure why this happened. Clearly I’m still so confounded and upset that I’m writing this.
Forget the view… just be prepared to leave your dignity in Canada. In any other situation I would have stood up for myself. But not when getting home with my family is possibly in the hands of an agent who threatens a HOLDING CELL out of the blue (she was confused with the contents of our car… baby toys and clothes). Really, I can’t believe this happened.

We took this bridge form the American side to the Canadian side. Wish we’d known that you could walk it and have your feet in both countries! Next time!

Nice route into Canada! We had a long wait on Labor Day weekend, so it’s probably a better idea to go during less crowded times, but the border patrol was very efficient and friendly.

It was a fun experience to walk across this bridge and international border. There is a $ 0.50 toll when you travel Canada to USA but they provide a change machine before you have to pay.

Very cool and relaxing to cross the bridge. INS agents were friendly (both us & Canada)

Am ersten Tag unseres Besuches der Niagarafälle haben wir uns zu Fuß auf den Weg nach Kanada gemacht, da für den nächsten Tag schlechtes Wetter angesagt wurde. Hierzu nutzt man die Rainbow Bridge, die die gleichnamigen Städte Niagara Falls auf der amerikanischen und kanadischen Seite verbindet.
Die Rainbow Bridge ist eine Bogenbrücke aus Stahl, die die Schlucht des Niagara Rivers überspannt. Wir haben uns für den Fußweg entschieden, da der Weg nicht weit war, die Parksituation auf der kanadischen Seite unklar war und uns die Autoschlange abgeschreckt hat. Ein weitere Grund war selbstverständlich, dass von der Brücke tolle Bilder aufgenommen werden können.
Die Rainbow Bridge wurde damals erstellt, da die frühere Honeymoon Bridge im Jahre 1938 von einer Eisbarriere im Fluss zerstört wurde. Die offizielle Eröffnung der Brücke fand am 1. November 1941 statt.
Auf der Mitte der Brücke befindet sich die Grenze zwischen den USA und Kanada. Ein sehr beliebtes Fotomotiv. Aber auch von der Brücke kann man fantastische Fotos von den Niagarafällen, den Observation Tower und dem Geschehen an den Wasserfällen knipsen.
Die Grenzkontrolle war bestimmt aber freundlich und wir durften uns über einen weiteren Länderstempel von Kanada freuen. Ein Besuch der kanadischen Seite ist aus meiner Sicht alternativlos, da man von hier aus den besten Blick auf die gesamten Wasserfälle hat.
Eine wirklich tolle Brücke mit einer beeindruckenden Aussicht auf die Niagara Falls.

The idea of walking to another country is such a cool idea. It’s a little difficult to find the way to the foot of the bridge on the American side. I tried to navigate to it at night, but I just couldn’t find it. When I tried again in the morning, it’s tucked into a little alleyway with just two turnstiles. There was no direction for what to expect. Until I saw someone just walk in the turnstiles, that’s when I knew what to do. When I came back to the USA side, I also saw a group of tourists looking puzzled so I told them they had to just go through the turnstiles and walk over the bridge to see Canadian customs. Once you get on the bridge, it’s super windy! I made sure I held onto everything on me. The view of the Falls is pretty cool from the bridge and it’s really about a 5 minute walk. There’s also a duty free store once you come out of customs and some of the items are definitely cheaper than in the US.

One of, I believe, three bridges connecting the US and CN, pretty cool crossing an invisible border to another city let alone a country. Our little bro, what a country you are. My most recent crossing was on my way to TO, amazing place itself. Montréal is next up!
Niagara Falls for a backdrop is nice, the views you can catch of the falls are astonishingly gorgeous too. Gives me such a sense of pride being in this area, freedom to the point you an breath deep and taste it. This is what living is all about, feeling free! It happens so little in this crazy world we live in these days. If you’re ever in need of that freedom smell and feel, come on over and cross the Rainbow Bridge into CN. You won’t regret it!

It’s one of the few bridges that separates Canada from the United States via Niagara Falls.
Each side of the bridge has its own customs and immigration checkpoints for Canada and the United States. Unluckily or not, I had the experience of being searched in my rental car and luggage before being granted access into Canada. Through the course of the immigration process into Canada, it was not enough to say I was on vacation to see Niagara Falls from Hawaii, but I guess that’s how it is. Keeping everything good, so nothing illegal slips through the border unintentionally. Going into Canada with a US Passport is one thing, but returning to the American side with it is much more easier! The only downside of it is that there can be long lines at the border, filled with cars of awaiting people wanting to cross over. I looked at the bridge on the Canadian side and it looked beautifully aesthetically pleasing.
The bridge itself spans a good 1,000 feet long and there are good views from Canada and the USA from the bridge, especially when you’re walking on the pedestrian bridge. You definitely would need your US Passport or Nexus card, depending what citizenship you identify with. I used my EZ Pass to pay the border tolls, so that was very cool to have in the rental car. The experience on the rainbow bridge was a disappointing experience — at least when going to Canada. While getting back into the US, it was very easy, just needed to answer a few questions from the border guard. I like the US side much more.
Whether you are visiting Canada for pleasure or business from the USA and driving, one of the bridges that’s most frequently used is the rainbow bridge. Best bet is to cross here, but be fare warned about getting searched. Saying that you are on vacation to see the Niagara Falls ain’t going to cut it — at least in my situation. It really sucked that it happened and it cut about 20 minutes off schedule too. Hoping that your experience will be better than mine. Regardless of how you cross the border, the rainbow bridge is the international border separating the USA and Canada.
You can always swim across to save money, but then again, its suicide.
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B

I go to Niagara Falls many times a year and the best time of year is during the summer months. You can take a leisurely stroll and you get a great view of the Falls. Another fun thing to do on the bridge is standing over the international border so you can have one foot in Canada and the other in the U.S. If you are on the bridge at night, the Falls are lit up and on certain days, there is a fireworks display.
You can also go during the winter months but you definitely don’t want to hang around the bridge too long lest you freeze in place.
There’s usually plenty of free street parking and after dusk and during winter months, parking in Niagara Falls State Park lot is free. Other times, it is $ 10 USD. The pedestrian entrance to Rainbow Bridge is located through the NFSP parking lot.
If you’re going to Clifton Hill/​Niagara Falls, Ontario, I strongly suggest parking your car in New York and walking over instead of driving. Traffic moves extremely slowly over Rainbow Bridge and I’ve made the mistake once or twice.
Please note, you need a valid passport and visa to re-​enter the U.S. If you’re an American citizen, passport, enhanced driver license, passport card, or NEXUS card is needed for re-​entry.

Walk the Rainbow Bridge if you are able to. The experience of walking from one country to another is really quite fun. And you can linger for as long as you want to appreciate the views. Who knows? You may just create a poem worthy to be called a masterpiece. Or maybe you will figure out how to achieve world peace. Or maybe you will simply achieve inner peace. These are easier to accomplish here because it is not as crowded as Niagara Parkway — which, even though closer to the falls, is just considerably more crowded.
You can also see the International Boundary Line up close and do what was our favorite tourist thing of the trip: take a picture of yourself being in two countries at once!
If you decide to walk the bridge, the toll is $ 0.50, and they accept both American and Canadian coins. Remember to bring your passport, though, or you will not be able to go back.
Now, if you are to drive through, prepare to be asked the mandatory border questions such as «Where are you staying and for how long?» or «What is your business in Canada?» Going in was not a problem for us but going back to the US was another story. So be prepared to wait. Maybe you will be stopped, maybe you won’t. Just remember that this is the border. Have your passport ready. Toll to drive through is $ 3.50 per car.
Whatever the hassle you may or may not go through whilst crossing the bridge, just remember that you are in close proximity to one of the most majestic gifts of nature. So take heart and be ready to appreciate said gift, after crossing the bridge.

Its very interesting how the border control works from Canada to the US. Traveling the bridge by car, you must pay a $ 3:50 toll from Us to Canada. The officer gives this intrusive and redundant interview before allowing you to pass. «Where are you from?» «What are you carrying?» «What are you going to do?» Their serious faces are quite comical. Then on the way back, its the same except there is no toll.
However, by foot, the commute from US to Canada is no charge and a nice scenic route. Here you can see the actual border line between the two countries. Also you can see the surrounding area and actually stop to enjoy the view. Coming back to the US by foot is when you have to pay the toll… which is only $ 0.50.

5 stars for the incredible view of both the American and Canadian falls, but if I could give 0 stars for the wait time to cross this bridge, I would. I stayed here the weekend of a Bills home game (the stadium is 36 miles from the bridge) and the amount of traffic crossing to and from the game was absurd. Waited over an hour getting to the US side and over 2 hours to get back to the Canadian side. That’s not a typo. Over 2 HOURS. And it’s not as if half the lanes were closed. I counted 10 lanes on each side, all of which were open on a Sunday.
I realize I can’t blame the bridge for the wait time. And considering all lanes were open, I don’t think I can blame US or Canadian Customs either. But whoever designed this bridge with only 2 lanes on each side clearly did not plan for the volume of traffic crossing on weekends. I’m told the wait is not as bad, but still pretty bad even when the Bills aren’t playing at home.

Going to Canada from Buffalo? Or Buffalo from Canada? This is a great bridge to take if you are.
You do have three choices in Buffalo, and each offers its own views and the like. In fact, everyone has a reason one is better than the others etc. I don’t have that, I’m driven purely by which is the fastest at a moment in time. So far Rainbow has not let me down.
The view coming and going into Canada is nice, regardless of direction looked. If you happen to spend some time on the bridge waiting to get through customs, the views make it worthwhile.
This is also a «walking» bridge, and there are always people taking advantage of that option.
Cost is $ 3.25, US or CAD, collected only on the US side going into Canada.
The end of this bridge will drop you off at the Falls, and it is the closets bridge to the Falls.

Small bridge… small bridge… small bridge…
BEAUTIFUL views :)
’nuff said.

This bridge is one of the crossing for Canada and New york. Prepare for a wait. Enjoy the view. Hopefully you don’t have to pee. It takes a while to get across and staring at the Niagara Falls doesn’t help if you have the urge to urinate.
It would probably be quicker if you went by foot. I saw a chinese kid holding a bag and running across the boarder. No one chased after him. However I saw two boarder patrol come out of the office and said to each other did you see that kid running? Great job securing the boarder guys!
The Boarder Agent that checked out our car reminded me of one of the cops on Southland. The one that used to be on the OC. The dude kinda looked like he haven’t drank his morning coffee and that the donut shop ran out of donuts. He glance at the passport, opened the trunk and closed it. Good thing he didn’t see that body under all the luggage. I kid!

The wait on this bridge tends to be shorter than at Peace and Lewiston.
Also what’s cool is that you can walk or take your bicycle across here.
And of course the view is phenomenal.

One of the most beautiful ways to cross the border.
Not sure why lower than 5 stars.
As in Windsor or Mexico you don’t have the splendor of looking at Niagara Falls as you cross the border.
Yes it’s the border, there are lines. It took us like 45 minutes to cross. We had a very nice border patrol officer experience.

What can I say about this bridge? Simply wow what an amazing view & my reason for the high rating.
You cross the bridge to get back & forth from Canada & the USA.
It’s not a very long walk, u do pass through customs so of course make sure to have your passport.
I definitely recommend taking the walk across, great view of the Falls.