Do I need an ESTA to see Niagara Falls on the American side from Canada?

Hi there

I’d like to visit Niagara Falls from the Canadian side: is an eTA enough for a French citizen (from Toronto or Ottawa) and then public transport? Which Canadian city is the easiest to get there from? I plan to spend one night in Canada before seeing the falls on the American side. Do I need an ESTA to visit the American side for just a few hours and then return to Canada?

For your last question (not sure about the others): If you're arriving on foot, ESTA isn’t mandatory to enter U.S. territory, but you do need to fill out the I-94 form, which you can now do online within 7 days before your arrival for a cost of $6. And don’t forget to have a few quarters (Canadian or U.S. coins—both are accepted) for the pedestrian toll on the bridge!

Hi, Toronto is much closer to the falls than Ottawa is. Toronto is the usual starting point for trips to Niagara—easy by bus or by renting a car for the day. The latter option gives you more flexibility with schedules and also lets you loop through Niagara-on-the-Lake, which IMO is worth the detour.

Hello

Thanks, this confirms my decision to come to Toronto and find a hotel near the Union Station bus terminal to catch a bus to Niagara Falls.

Do you need an ESTA to visit the American side of Niagara Falls for a few hours and then return to Canada?

If you can get an ESTA, that’s even better. From the latest news, Trump wants to tighten stay possibilities for Canadians, and they’ll have to register with U.S. authorities if they want to stay more than 30 days. So, in practice, this means border checks will be more frequent. If you don’t have an ESTA, you risk getting kicked out by force.

Just dropped: https://www.francetvinfo.fr/monde/usa/presidentielle/donald-trump/les-etats-unis-durcissent-les-regles-de-sejour-pour-les-canadiens_7125540.html

Looks like it’s for stays longer than 1 month.

I’ll be viewing the falls while staying in Canada (eTA), where there’s a viewpoint to see the American side, which isn’t as nice.