Rainbow Bridge

The bridge that goes into Canada or back into U.S.
The line is toooooo long! You do get a nice view looking into Canada with the theme parks and skyscrapers.

When walking across the Rainbow Bridge don’t forget your selfie stick for some awesome pictures of the falls.

WALK ACROSS THIS BRIDGE!!! I walked across the bridge during the day and it was AMAZING!!! The view is great of the two falls and you can see the plaque for the international border line.
Important note. Have your passport on you. I did and I was able to speed on through. Someone in front of me didn’t when walking into the United States and they were getting hounded with questions. Same thing when going back into Canada, have your passport.
When walking on the bridge from Canada, you also need 50 cents per person to go through turnstalls. There is a change machine for both USD and CAD.

As far as I am concerned this is the best crossing between Queenston/​Lewiston, Niagara Falls ON/​NY, Fort Erie/​Buffalo. No trucks are allowed at this crossing and between the 3 of them it seems to consistently be the fastest crossing going in to the US and returning to Canada every time I use it now and compared to times before when going to the Peace Bridge.
This border crossing has a special bonus of getting to see the falls on the Canada to US side on your right. Time is always a factor when crossing and this one is the best all around one for saving time IMO.

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.
Support local!
B

This review is not for the landmark but purely on border patrol returning to the US.
My travel partner and I drove up to Buffalo for some business and decided to spend the rest of the day up in Canada for some sight-​seeing and other touristy things.
I honestly wish we didn’t.
I guess I was lucky enough to get the Captain Incompetent mentioned by a previous reviewer. Looking past his cold demeanor and focusing on his mirco expressions as well as the slight tonal changes of his voice (I really couldn’t look anywhere else but his face), I kind of concluded that he was still pretty green and was potentially relying mostly on blatant intimidation to get the job done.
Living up to his name, Cpt. Incompetent didn’t even bother looking at our passports and straight up asked what citizenship I had. My travel partner and I answered all of his questions as competently as possible. He then asked to search our trunk. We unlocked the trunk and gave him explicit instructions on how to open it because the latch was somewhat broken and barely hanging on to the car. Lo and behold, he RIPPED the latch off and had the nerve to place the blame on us.
That wasn’t even the worst of it. He then called for back up and we were demanded to exit the vehicle and to leave behind our wallets and phones. More backup shows up and we were escorted into their holding area all while being interrogated on the nature of our trip. We waited in the holding area for about 30 minutes as they ran our personal info and searched our car.
Their attitude completely flipped after finding out that I held active clearance. Suddenly, their taut lips became awkward smiles and their voices more human. We were handed declaration forms to fill out and were sent on our way. I inquired about the damages to the trunk latch and if they were going to do anything about it. All they told me was to tape it up. (GAH!!)
Next time, I think I’ll just explore Buffalo should I ever end up there again.
I understand that they were just doing their job and I hold no resentment toward the patrol officers whatsoever. However, I’m just extremely miffed about the experience in general as well as my broken trunk latch.

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, either the Canadian or the American side, depending on direction, and it is the closest bridge to the Falls.

Nice that you have the option of walking across, the bridge offers great views, and it’s right in the heart of the tourist district on either side. The auto back ups tend to be shorter here too without tractor-​trailers and GPS units sending tourists across the other bridges.

The name is nice, the actual bridge looks nice, being stranded on the bridge for an hour in line at customs is not so nice. It is so close but oh-​so-​far from the falls!

A beautiful way to cross the border. It also seemed a lot quicker than the Lewiston bridge which was a nightmare. Before my father and I crossed this bridge on our trip to Toronto, he informed me that I was conceived in Canada while he and my mom were doing a cross-​Canadian road trip. Thanks for creeping me out Dad. I want a shirt that says «Made in Canada». That story was almost as bad as when we were looking at colleges my senior year of high school and he told me about the time he got crabs as a freshman at SUNY Geneseo. He is the best and I love him dearly. Our trip to Toronto will always be remembered and hopefully I will cross the Rainbow Bridge many more times.

It is hard to believe but I had no waiting time at all at the bridge. Going over into Canada I was the only vehicle on the bridge since it was 7 am and coming back I was able to get into a line with no other vehicles in it while other checkpoints had 4 or 5 vehicles in them. Lucky I guess.

I’ve walked across this bridge to cross the border into the USA. Make sure you have 0.50¢ to pay the toll. It’s a lazy stroll across the 2 great nations where you can admire the AMerican Falls and the Horseshoe Falls from various angles. Around the mid-​point, you will observe a plaque indicating the international border.
Walking across the border is very easy, just prepared for line-​ups. I’ve been fortunate I’ve crossed the border under sunny conditions!

Some where
Over the Rainbow
Skies are blue…

Being the first bridge I’ve rated, I can’t say I have enough of a sample size of benchmarks. But, as bridges go, this view is pretty great! You’ll need to have someone on the passenger side on the way to the US ready to take pictures while you’re in line for customs.
Insider tip: Keep your vehicle to the right and you’ll get through much faster, since the lines split into several lines after it widens.

Being the driver, I didn’t notice the view from the side of the bridge looking towards Niagara Falls. I can imagine how spectacular it would be. In fact, I can imagine it being at least just as nice (if not nicer) than the view looking from the Golden Gate Bridge here back home while walking (since I read elsewhere here one can walk on foot here).
I understand I only crossed this bridge one time going into the Canada direction, but based on this experience (and relative’s work of mouth from hers), this crossing is on average faster than that at the Lewiston checkpoint. We crossed that one into the U.S. the day prior to crossing back on the Rainbow Bridge and that took a very long time.

This bridge is usually the bridge I find with the longest waits going to and from the US if you go by car. The thing is it’s also the nicest to be stuck on this bridge compared to the others in the Niagara region. You’re over the river and looking at the falls and parkway in 1 direction, the casinos in front or behind you and more of the river in the other direction.
For all travelers dealing with border people. DECLARE EVERYTHING if you enjoy travelling. Be honest with the teller and don’t be a dick. They’re doing their jobs and if you’re lying or being a dick I’d have you pulled over too. On most good days if you’re close or a little over your limits the border people are awesome and will let you go. If you’re being a dick they might have you pulled over… I know I would: P
If you’re crossing by feet it’s a short walk over and you can get through pretty quickly. No offence but the Canadian side is much nicer if you’re visiting by foot.

Always pray for a long border wait to enjoy the scenery from the bridge. If you want to savour the views, walk across. It doesn’t get any better.

You will find long lines on both sides, although we got lucky returning from Canada on a Monday.
The view of the Falls is great from the Bridge, although much harder to see from your car than by the pedestrian crossing.
I saw many people walking across, didn’t do it myself, but wish I had.
As another reviewer mentioned, the border agents, both Canadian and American, are cold and business-​like and will pepper you with ridiculous questions.

We had our passports with us, so we said why not walk over? We literally walked the bridge from Canada into NY and turned right back around and walked back to Canada. haha. From the Canada side, we had to pay a 50 cent toll (both US and Canadian coins work).
On the way back into Canada, the agents were all business. I asked for a passport stamp and he said no. I thought he was kidding, so I said, what are you talking aboot Willis? No, I didn’t say that. I said Don’t taze me bro. No, I didn’t say that either. I just made a very sad face.
He said passport stamps are only provided at the airport. Boo. But, still worth walking over!

Great views and you get to enter Canada! Sweet!
This bridge can be driven over or walked across. The car lanes were quite packed, so we decided to leg it out. There were no customs lines, the agents on both sides were awesome. There is a cool duty free shop when leaving Canada.
The only drawback is a 50 cent toll going back into the US.