Guides › New Zealand (South Island) › Queenstown, New Zealand
City guide

Queenstown, New Zealand

Queenstown is a resort town in Otago in the south-west of New Zealand's South Island. It is the largest town in the Queenstown-Lakes District, and the primary administrative centre.

Type City

Why go

  • Resort town in New Zealand's South Island.
  • 1 curated must-see attraction on record, including Queenstown.
  • Served by Queenstown Airport (ZQN).

History

Queenstown is a resort town in Otago in the south-west of New Zealand's South Island. It is the largest town in the Queenstown-Lakes District, and the primary administrative centre.

Must-see attractions

Outdoor

Airports

Queenstown Airport (ZQN) 6.4 km to the centre
Queenstown, OTA, NZ — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 4 airlines (Air New Zealand, Jetstar Airways, Emirates, Qantas) · direct flights to 4 destinations incl. Sydney, Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 4 airlines, 4 direct destinations

Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.

Indoor

Getting there by ferry

Real NZ Booking House
Ferry terminal · 0.7 km from the centre
Outdoor
TSS Earnslaw
Ferry terminal · 0.8 km from the centre · RealNZ
Outdoor
Queenstown Ferries
Ferry route
Outdoor
TSS Earnslaw Cruise
Ferry route
Outdoor

Where things are

Full geo-intelligence in Better Mapping →
Local search powered by Geoverts and geo-intelligence by Better Mapping base map © OSM

Photographs

When to go

Tourist season
October – March

The warmer, longer-day half of the southern-hemisphere year.

Shoulder season
April – May, September

Milder and quieter, with better value.

Worth avoiding
June – August

The southern winter — check local conditions before travelling.

Getting there & around

Getting there. The nearest airport on record is Queenstown Airport (ZQN). Check rail and road links from the tourism sources below. By air: ZQN has direct flights to 4 destinations on 4 airlines (incl. Sydney, Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington). By water: 2 ferry terminals within 20 km (nearest: Real NZ Booking House, 0.7 km); routes include Queenstown Ferries, TSS Earnslaw Cruise.

Getting around. Use the map above to orient yourself; nearby hotels, attractions and places to eat are listed from the live Ultimate data for Queenstown, New Zealand. Local transit details will be added as the guide is expanded.

Local transit

Bus · Otago · Schedules & GTFS data (official feed)

Trains & rail

Coaches & shuttles

About 90 minutes over the Crown Range. · Wanaka, NZ guide →
A full day through the Mackenzie Country, about eight hours. · Christchurch, New Zealand guide →
Intercity coach

Private aviation

On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.

Broker · Any aircraft via operators worldwide · Global charter broker with 30+ offices; private jets, group charters and cargo.
FBO, charter, management · Managed fleet · FBO network and management across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
Fractional, jet card · Embraer Praetor, Bombardier Challenger & Global, Gulfstream · Fractional ownership and jet cards in North America and Europe.
Charter, management · Large-cabin & VIP airliners · Geneva-based operator known for large-cabin and VIP airliner charters.
Charter, management, FBO, MRO · Managed fleet worldwide · General Dynamics company: charter, completions and FBOs in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the US.

Tours & experiences