1

What are your interests? History? Art? Music? Food? Hikes? Bikes? Night clubs? Strip clubs? Remember, we don't know you, and what we like may be what you hate.

The usual Niagara spiel:
To steal and augment a post from poster zeldasdad:
General consensus:
If you feel you absolutely must go, then go.
If you are on your way to xToronto, go.
If you are making a random side trip to see it because it is there, you're crazy.

2

Welcome, The most important thing stated above is for you to communicate your general interests.

We could recommend hundreds of sights, routes and destinations, but right now there's no way of knowing which is any better than another.

Niagara Falls is waaaay out of your way.

3

So many people who post on this forum try to convince themselves that public transportation is fine for visiting parts of the US (like out west) where a car is bascially a necessity. But you plan to visit to the one of the few areas of the US (the Boston-Washington DC megaloplis) where public transport is the better option for getting from city to city (and around within cities), and a car is actually a major liability. It's absolutely fascinating....

Niagra Falls is impressive, so I can understand why you want to visit. And there are many scenic/historic places in New England suitable for roadtrips.

But with your timeline, you might consider devoting those "free nights" to the cities - Boston, Washington DC, Philadelphia, and certainly New York have plenty to see and do, much more than could occupy all your "nights". You could easily spend a week or two in Washington or certainly New York and barely scratch the surface.

You are being sensible in confining your reatlively short trip to a manageable region of the US (versus trying to cram in the entire country in one short visit). But this time, take the trains or buses in between. You really don't want to deal with the road traffic in between these cities, not to mention the traffic inside the cities, or deal with the hassle and expense of parking a rental car.

Also, March is still pretty much winter in this area (doesn't matter that March 21 is the first day of spring). Temperatures will be cool to cold, and snow (including "shut-down-the-government" blizzards) is quite possible even as far south as Washington DC. A bit of forsythia may be blooming here and there, but in March, the countryside will still be pretty raw and bare.

Next visit - come for two months, in the summer, and then rent the car, and take the roadtrip out west.

4

Skip Niagra. There are better places in the world to see amazing waterfalls that aren't developed as tourist traps.

5

I agree that for most of this trip a car is more trouble than it is worth. If you decide to do some day trips on your "open days" then you could consider renting one for that day. Also, yes, if we know your interests then we can better recommend other places.

I would actually one night to Washington and one to New York. Philadelphia is a great visit, but I think you can see most of what there is that is important to see in what will be most of two days.

If you decide to drop Niagara then you would have two more days. I leave that up to you. I know many people here feel it is not a good use of time. I have never been so I cannot judge. I do know that if you drive you can drive through the finger lakes area of New York that is supposed to be very nice and the Hudson River Valley which is also supposed to be very scenic. If you are a "foodie" that could include a stop to eat at the Culinary Institute of America.

As to snow, the odds of hitting a major snowstorm in the DC area is pretty low. I would think the odds of hitting snow on the way to and from Niagara would be much higher.

6

If you cut out Niagara Falls you can do this whole trip via train.

7

Hi, I did pretty much your itinerary so Im saying if its what you want to do, do it! I drove over the border from Niagara to see Toronto but i started in NYC and finished in NYC so had even more miles - and I got down as far as Virginia before heading over to Niagara falls and it was worth it! I loved Philadelphia and Washington DC, think your allowing 3 days for Washington is good, but I also enjoyed visiting Gettysburg and driving around Lancaster and the Amish areas and doing the Skyline drive.
but Im having to go back again to get to Boston and New Hampshire and I would be happy to go again to Niagara...I think dont let others put you off if you like driving and its what you want to see!
www.virtualtourist.com is also a good site for looking at what other travellers have put on their travel pages along with photos location by location.
Also get a good guide book - the Lonely planet guide book of course - and the Rough guide is also great for pointing out interesting off the usual path things of interest and pointing out highlights to consider not missing.

8

Skipping Niagarq Falls would also make ntercity buses a possibility, which will cost you from $1 to $25 per person. With the money you save on the rental car, you could probably fly to Niagara Falls one morning and back that evening.

9

I also agree with skipping Niagara Falls, but if you insist I would try to spend some time in Toronto and Montreal is an exceptional city.

Or renting a car and just drive the beautiful New England states.

I agree with #1

10

Skip Niagara and take trains between Boston>NYC>Philly>DC.

If anything, get a car in DC for some nice historical and cultural rural country drives.

11

Late March/early April is really pretty in Wash DC & Philly - everything starts to bloom. Upstate NY is gray & dreary in March, so if you really want to see Niagara, reschedule for May/June.

12

In March, there is a decent chance of hitting snowy weather in some part of your itinerary, so if you're relying on driving, you'll need a contingency plan if you're stuck somewhere due to weather.

Also, you might want to save Niagara for a warmer time of year when you can do the boat ride under the falls without freezing. Do they even run that in March?

If you go city hopping by train or bus to Boston, NY, Philadelphia, and DC, you might consider a stop off in Baltimore for a day (inner harbor, aquarium, etc)

Late March/early April is a very busy tourist time here in DC due to the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The weather is usually good, and it is a very pretty time to visit, but it will be crowded and lines will be long, so factoring in extra time to visit is a good idea.