Where to Stay in Niagara

The 1864 landmark on the corner of King and Picton that anchors Old Town: Victorian rooms, a spa and afternoon tea in the Drawing Room. You pay for the location, which is walking distance to the Shaw theatres and Queen Street.

Georgian-style Vintage Hotels property at the mouth of the Niagara River with a pool and Tiara restaurant. Quieter than Prince of Wales and a five-minute walk to Queen Street; ask for a river-view room.

A converted 1890s canning factory on the edge of Old Town with 100 Fountain Spa, an outdoor hot-spring pool and the Cannery restaurant. The most spa-focused of the Vintage Hotels three and a good pick for a winter icewine weekend.

Contemporary boutique hotel right on Queen Street with suites, a Marc Weber-designed spa and Treadwell Cuisine in the building. The address is as central as NOTL gets; noise is not an issue after the shops close.

Adults-oriented boutique inn down by the marina with feather beds, a daily wine-and-cheese hour and breakfast included. Two blocks from Queen Street and the quietest of the central options.

Sleek 30-room hotel across from the Festival Theatre with Zees Grill on the ground floor; the modern counterweight to NOTL's Victorian inns. Ideal if you are here for the Shaw and want to walk to a late show.

1832 mansion on Queen Street with lake views from the front rooms, a garden patio and HobNob restaurant. Old Town charm with fewer tour buses than the Prince of Wales corner.

Lakefront inn on Gate Street with gardens, a spa and a wraparound dining room looking toward Fort Niagara. Rebuilt after a fire but keeps the old-house feel, and it is one of the few Old Town hotels with a real lake outlook.

Cave Spring Vineyard's inn in the heart of Jordan Village: suites in converted 19th-century buildings, some with fireplaces, plus the restaurant across the street and the winery tasting bar next door. The obvious base for a Bench weekend.

The value pick among Old Town's heritage inns — 1835 building on Picton Street with simple rooms and a courtyard, run by Vintage Hotels. Same walk-everywhere location as its pricier siblings at a fraction of the rate.

Georgian manor on the Niagara Parkway surrounded by 17 acres of its own vines, with a restaurant, fireplaces in most rooms and estate wines poured at the bar. Ten minutes from Old Town and next door to the Reif–Inniskillin stretch.

Cave Spring's Jordan Village inn with the winery cellar and tasting room literally next door and the Bench wineries within a ten-minute drive. Suites over the shops of Main Street, with a spa in the Vintage House across the road.

The 1877 estate guest house and a bed-and-breakfast on the winery grounds, with vineyard views up the Bench and the winery restaurant a short walk away. One of the few places in Niagara where you actually sleep in the vineyard.

Peller does not have rooms, but its parent company partners with Vintage Hotels on stay-and-dine packages that include the 10Below icewine lounge and the Winery Restaurant. Worth knowing if you want a winery-centred package without a B&B.

NOTL has more than 200 licensed B&Bs, many on Line 2 through Line 6 and along Lakeshore Road with vineyard views out the window; the NOTL Bed & Breakfast Association directory is the reliable way to find one. Expect breakfast, parking and hosts who know the wineries.

Small family winery on Lakeshore Road that also rents a vineyard guest house, so you can walk from the tasting room to your porch. Rustic rather than luxury; check current availability as rentals are seasonal.

Cottages and suites on working vineyards around Vineland and Beamsville turn up on the rental platforms — search 'vineyard' plus Vineland or Beamsville. Handy for groups of four to eight who want a kitchen and a view rather than a hotel.

Big resort hotel at the QEW / Glendale exit with a full gym, tennis and a spa, ten minutes from Old Town and fifteen from the Falls. Not charming, but the rates are far below Old Town and it is the best location for splitting time between NOTL and the Bench.

One of the tall Fallsview towers with direct views of the Horseshoe Falls, attached to the casino and Fallsview restaurant strip. Weekday rates drop sharply; the wineries are 20–30 minutes by car or shuttle.

Boutique alternative to the Fallsview towers, in a converted dairy near the tourist area with a good restaurant and spa. Mid-range prices, easy Parkway access to the NOTL wineries.

Motel-style rooms above a pub on Main Street in Jordan, a two-minute walk from Cave Spring and Inn on the Twenty. Basic, clean and by far the cheapest way to sleep in the middle of the Bench.

Lakeside hotel at the Jordan Harbour exit of the QEW with a pool and lake-view rooms, ten minutes to Jordan Village and Vineland. The practical Bench base if you want chain reliability and a highway exit.

Suite hotel at Highway 406 and the QEW, equidistant from NOTL, the Bench and the Falls. Big rooms and parking make it a favourite for tour-group launches and families with a rental car.

Lake Ontario waterfront park in Lincoln with a seasonal campground and beach, next to the Jordan Harbour boat launch. A ten-minute drive up to the Bench wineries, and Sip Niagara is held on the grounds in October.

Large campground with cabins, pool and shuttle to the Falls at the west end of Lundy's Lane; 25 minutes to NOTL wineries and closer to the Bench than most Falls hotels. Good for families and RVs on a wine-plus-Falls trip.