Discovering Queenstown: Getting around

Just how easy is it to get around Queenstown once you've arrived? We've given it a little thought and here's what we've come up with...

Arriving into Queenstown

Firstly, you don't need us to tell you how to drive into Queenstown district. You can use google maps, or even better, WAZE, to get you here if you are coming over land, and if arriving by air, well ... your travel agent will flly you into Queenstown directly. We do suggest that if coming by car or campervan, that you jump onto the Drivesafe New Zealand website for the latest helpful information on driving in New Zealand - remember, we are a left hand drive nation so plan ahead and keep yourself safe!

If you want to arrive into Queenstown via public transport, then your only other big option is via bus, coach or tour bus from Wanaka, Cromwell, Christchurch, Alexandra, Dunedin, or Invercargill. Queenstown (and on to Glenorchy) is like a cul-de-sac and the end of a street, off the main road! its a destination more than a town on a main route, so plan for it accordingly! Normal routes include Christchurch - Wanaka - Queenstown - Dunedin or visa a versa.

In Queenstown

To be honest, your options are limited. Not knowing for having the best public transport infrastructure, Queenstown is best navigated by bus or bike. And when we say bike, we mean a mountain bike on one of the mail Queenstown trails trust tracks. they are the quickest and normally the safest, option. Buses are cheap and becoming more frequent and take the stress out of driving and finding parking in a town that is unfortunately, over crowded with traffic already. And not to mention, lets all work towards lowering our travel carbon footprint by taking public transport.

Public transport

The council launched a $2 public bus network a few years back which has been great. it's easy to navigate and touches most of all of the main scenic points. it links Queenstown to Arrowtown and the outer suburbs. QueenstownNZ has a great blog post on this which you can read here. it details the routes, the costs, how to buy the Bee travel card and much more

Taxis

It's actually super easy to grab a cab in Queenstown, although for full disclosure, it's often not cheap. Thats because Queenstown is not a neat and tidy quadratic based town - our roads follow the alpine terrain so often a taxi has a distance to travel, with no return journey to pick up. Effectively, you are paying for a return trip. BUT, it is the safest and easiest way to get around if you have been enjoying the local bars and nightlife. Again we'll refer you to QueenstownNZ website for lots of other links to help you organise your transport!

Car / campervan hire

If you book early, car rental in Queenstown won't be a problem. Pickup and drop-off locations are both at the airport making it super easy to connect with a rental company. Parking for a campervan is challenging, so if you're arriving by campervan we highly suggest you drop off first, before joining us for a comfortable stay at Spinnaker Bay Apartments. if arriving by car, we have parking on site

By Foot

Queenstown central is super easy, and relatively small to explore by foot. Geographically, if you take the Queenstown Gardens, around the shoreline (past the centre) and out to the end of the bay under Sunshine Bay, and with the backdrop of Queenstown Hill, then you can explore and discover Queenstown in a day - even accounting for lunch and comfort stops! And if getting out and exploring our wonderful natural backdrop is your thing, then check out the amazing Queenstown Trail website for hiking and walking options.

By Bike

Queenstown explored by bike is easy and simple. You can get everywhere (including the tops of many of the surrounding peaks) on the many linked bike trails. If you don't have a bike, there are dozens of shops in town that will hire one out to you - from mountain bikes to gravel bikes, you can enjoy so much of Queenstown by bike. The link above will also outline the multitude of biking trails that you can use to navigate yourself around the immediate basin.

So this is just our quick overview of getting around while discovering Queenstown. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask us