Things to do · Queenstown · New Zealand
16 best things to do in Queenstown
16 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Nick Bramhall from Tillicoultry, Scotland, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Quick answer
The essential sights in Queenstown are Skyline Gondola and Luge, TSS Earnslaw cruise and Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge bungy. Of the 16 picks below, 6 are free, 2 work on a rainy day and 8 suit children. Allow about 5 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Skyline Gondola and Luge
- Free sights
- 6
- Good on a rainy day
- Kiwi Birdlife Park
- Time to see the highlights
- 5 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skyline Gondola and Luge | Queenstown Town Centre | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| TSS Earnslaw cruise | Lake Wakatipu | 1.5–4 hours with a farm visit | Mid-priced |
| Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge bungy | Gibbston | 1–2 hours | Expensive |
| Shotover Jet | Arthurs Point | 1 hour including transfers | Expensive |
| The Remarkables | Frankton | Half to full day | Mid-priced |
| Queenstown Gardens | Queenstown Town Centre | 1 hour | Free |
| Arrowtown and the Chinese Settlement | Arrowtown | Half a day | Free |
| Ben Lomond Track | Bob's Peak | 6–8 hours return from town | Free |
| Queenstown Hill Time Walk | Queenstown Hill | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Kiwi Birdlife Park | Queenstown Town Centre | 1–1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Onsen Hot Pools | Arthurs Point | 1 hour | Expensive |
| Coronet Peak | Arthurs Point | Full day | Expensive |
| Gibbston Valley wineries | Gibbston | Half a day | Mid-priced |
| Lake Hayes walk | Arrowtown | 2–2.5 hours | Free |
| Moke Lake | Moke Lake Road | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Skippers Canyon | Shotover River | Half a day | Mid-priced |
The 16 best things to do
Viewpoint · Queenstown Town Centre
1.Skyline Gondola and Luge
Gondolas climb from Brecon Street up Bob's Peak to a viewing deck about 450 metres above the town, looking over Lake Wakatipu, Cecil Peak and the Remarkables. At the top, a chairlift serves several luge tracks, and a restaurant and stargazing tours operate in the evenings.
Buy a gondola-and-luge combination and ride at least three luge runs; the first one is a slower practice run.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Views
- Kids
- Couples
- After dark
Experience · Lake Wakatipu
2.TSS Earnslaw cruise
The coal-fired twin-screw steamship, launched in 1912, still crosses Lake Wakatipu from Steamer Wharf to Walter Peak High Country Farm. You can watch the stokers in the engine room and join a sing-along at the piano, then add a farm tour with sheep-shearing and a barbecue lunch or dinner at Walter Peak.
Stand on the stern deck on the way out for the best views back to town and the Remarkables.
- Time needed
- 1.5–4 hours with a farm visit
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Kids
- Views
Experience · Gibbston
3.Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge bungy
AJ Hackett opened the world's first commercial bungy site here in 1988, from a 43-metre-high historic bridge over the Kawarau River. Jumpers can choose to touch the water, and a viewing deck and visitor centre let non-jumpers watch.
Combine watching or jumping with lunch at a Gibbston winery a few minutes up the road.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Book ahead in summer and school holidays; time slots fill quickly.
- Iconic
- Active
- Views
Experience · Arthurs Point
4.Shotover Jet
Jetboats skim through the narrow rock canyons of the Shotover River at high speed, passing within metres of the cliffs and spinning 360 degrees. The operator has run trips on the river since the 1960s, and the ride is suitable for older children.
Expect to get splashed; wear quick-drying clothes and a warm layer outside summer.
- Time needed
- 1 hour including transfers
- Cost
- Expensive
- Active
- Kids
- Iconic
Nature · Frankton
5.The Remarkables
The serrated range that forms Queenstown's backdrop rises to over 2,300 metres. Its ski area, about 45 minutes from town, has beginner-friendly slopes and terrain parks, and in summer the access road leads to the alpine Lake Alta walk.
Even without skiing, drive to the ski-area car park on a clear day for views back across the Wakatipu Basin.
- Time needed
- Half to full day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Active
- Views
- Nature
- Iconic
- Kids
Garden · Queenstown Town Centre
6.Queenstown Gardens
The peninsula park beside the town centre has a rose garden, mature trees, a disc-golf course, the Queenstown Ice Arena, a playground and a lakeside path with views of the Remarkables and Kelvin Heights.
Walk the shoreline loop around the peninsula at sunset, then continue along the lakefront to Frankton on the Queenstown Trail.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Couples
- Views
Historic site · Arrowtown
7.Arrowtown and the Chinese Settlement
Arrowtown's gold-rush main street of 1860s buildings leads to the Arrow River, where restored huts and stores of the Chinese miners' settlement recall the Cantonese workers who came to the Otago goldfields. The Lakes District Museum on Buckingham Street tells the wider story and lends gold pans for the river.
Visit in late April for the gold and red autumn trees, and borrow a gold pan to try your luck in the Arrow River.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Couples
- Photo spot
- Kids
Nature · Bob's Peak
8.Ben Lomond Track
From the top of the gondola, this demanding track climbs to the Ben Lomond saddle and on to the 1,748-metre summit, with views across Lake Wakatipu, the Remarkables and Mount Aspiring on clear days. The saddle alone is a satisfying shorter goal.
Start early, carry plenty of water and warm layers, and check the mountain forecast; snow can linger near the summit into spring.
- Time needed
- 6–8 hours return from town
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Active
- Views
- Nature
- Outdoors
Viewpoint · Queenstown Hill
1.Queenstown Hill Time Walk
A well-formed track climbs through forest above Frankton Road to the 'Basket of Dreams' sculpture and open tussock slopes, with panels on local history along the way. The views over the town, the lake and the Remarkables rival the gondola's, without the ticket.
Allow two to three hours return and go in the late afternoon for softer light on the lake.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Active
- Outdoors
Zoo · Queenstown Town Centre
2.Kiwi Birdlife Park
A small conservation park at the base of the gondola with kiwi in nocturnal houses, tuatara and native birds such as kea and kākā. Conservation talks and feeding sessions run through the day.
Time your visit with a kiwi talk; the birds are hard to spot in the dark houses without a keeper's guidance.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
- Rainy day
Experience · Arthurs Point
3.Onsen Hot Pools
Private cedar hot tubs set into the hillside at Arthurs Point look out over the Shotover River canyon through retractable walls. A soak after skiing or hiking is one of the town's most popular indulgences.
Book an evening slot in winter to soak under the stars after a day on the slopes.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Sessions are by reservation and often book out days ahead.
- Couples
- After dark
- Views
- Rainy day
Experience · Arthurs Point
4.Coronet Peak
Queenstown's closest ski area, about 25 minutes from town, has long groomed runs, views across the Wakatipu Basin and night skiing on selected evenings in mid-winter. Outside the snow season, the access road leads to a lookout over Arrowtown and the Shotover valley.
Use the ski shuttle from town rather than driving; the access road can require chains in winter.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Active
- Views
- Outdoors
Experience · Gibbston
5.Gibbston Valley wineries
The narrow Gibbston Valley along the Kawarau River is one of the coolest sub-regions of Central Otago, best known for pinot noir. Several cellar doors sit close together on State Highway 6, and the Queenstown Trail links them by bike.
Cycle or take a wine tour between cellar doors rather than driving, and book lunch at winery restaurants at weekends.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Food
- Couples
- Outdoors
Nature · Arrowtown
6.Lake Hayes walk
An 8-km flat loop circles Lake Hayes between Frankton and Arrowtown, famous for mirror reflections of the surrounding hills on calm mornings and for its autumn colours. The Lake Hayes Pavilion has a café at the northern end.
Go early on a windless morning for the reflections photographers come for.
- Time needed
- 2–2.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
- Nature
- Kids
Nature · Moke Lake Road
7.Moke Lake
A quiet lake in a mountain valley about 15 minutes' drive from town, the last part on a gravel road. A loop track of about two hours circles the water, and a Department of Conservation campsite sits at the southern end.
Come at dawn or dusk for still water and fewer people; there are no facilities beyond the campsite toilets.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Off the beaten path
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
Historic site · Shotover River
8.Skippers Canyon
A narrow, cliff-edged road built for gold miners in the 1880s winds into the Shotover River gorge to the old Skippers settlement, its schoolhouse and the Skippers Suspension Bridge. It is one of New Zealand's most dramatic historic roads.
Most rental-car agreements exclude Skippers Road; go with a 4WD tour or a jetboat-and-tour combination.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Views
- Active
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| History | TSS Earnslaw cruise, Arrowtown and the Chinese Settlement and Skippers Canyon |
| Views | Skyline Gondola and Luge, TSS Earnslaw cruise, Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge bungy and Queenstown Gardens |
| Outdoors and nature | The Remarkables, Queenstown Gardens, Ben Lomond Track and Queenstown Hill Time Walk |
| Food and markets | Gibbston Valley wineries |
| After dark | Skyline Gondola and Luge and Onsen Hot Pools |
| With children | Skyline Gondola and Luge, TSS Earnslaw cruise, Shotover Jet and Queenstown Gardens |
| On a rainy day | Kiwi Birdlife Park and Onsen Hot Pools |
What to book ahead
- Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge bungy: Book ahead in summer and school holidays; time slots fill quickly.
- Onsen Hot Pools: Sessions are by reservation and often book out days ahead.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Queenstown?
Skyline Gondola and Luge. Gondolas climb from Brecon Street up Bob's Peak to a viewing deck about 450 metres above the town, looking over Lake Wakatipu, Cecil Peak and the Remarkables.
+What can you do for free in Queenstown?
Queenstown Gardens, Arrowtown and the Chinese Settlement, Ben Lomond Track, Queenstown Hill Time Walk and Lake Hayes walk. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Queenstown when it rains?
Head indoors to Kiwi Birdlife Park and Onsen Hot Pools.
+What is there to do in Queenstown at night?
Skyline Gondola and Luge and Onsen Hot Pools are best after dark.