My wife and I, citizens of Italy, will be travelling to New England for sightseeing. We'll have an ESTA (US visa waiver). We will arrive and leave at/from New York JFK and rent a car.
Since we would like to see Niagara Falls, we will need to cross the US-Canadian border and come back on the next day or so.
Should we expect any trouble obtaining a Canadian visa at the border, or reentering the US afterwards?
Can we take the rental car across, or do we need to clear it with the rental company?
Most US rental companies will allow you to take a car into Canada, as long as you are bringing it back. You should however check with your rental company that this is allowed. There may be a small surcharge. There are extra difficulties if you are a Canadian citizen, but they don't apply to you.
You can get to see the Falls without crossing into Canada, including the Maid of the Mist that Karlson mentions. However most people do say that the view is better from the Canadian side, and many Americans cross the border to see it. There are a couple of attractions not accessible from the US side.
It should also be added that almost everything you might want to see is walking distance from the Rainbow Bridge, and there is a good shuttle bus service - so you might want to just leave the car on the US side.
If all you're looking to do is see the Falls you don't need to cross the border to do that.
There is a boat tour on the Maid of the Mist, which runs from the US side of the border so you won't have to go through the border crossings.
