72 Hours in Queenstown [2023 Guide]

2/28/2023

Queenstown is a busy place, with just over 15,800 full time residents - it's known as the Adventure Capitol of New Zealand, and for good reason. With adventures for all types of travelers, Queenstown is a must stop for anyone visiting New Zealand. If you've just got a short time to explore the area, we hope this list of the best places to stay, eat, and things to do will help guide your time there and help make it the best adventure yet!

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Where to Stay in Queenstown

There are quite a number of nice hotels and private lodging options in Queenstown, however, with such a large number of tourists that visit this destination each year we recommend booking early to ensure your stay. We stayed at an Airbnb (one that we wouldn't recommend, which is why we're not sharing it), we've done the research for you and put together a list of the best places to stay in Queenstown!

Kamana Lakehouse - The highest altitude lodging in town with private hot tubs, located a little bit on the outskirts of downtown with stunning views, $$$.
Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa - With a heated indoor tub as well as stunning lake views, this option is actually closer to the airport than downtown, $$$.
Driftaway Queenstown - Claiming to be 10 minutes from everything, the Driftaway is located right downtown with great views of the lake, they have private villas and camping spots for rent, $$.
Oaks Queenstown Club Suites - A luxury apartment style hotel, the Oaks Club Suites are also right downtown with incredible amenities and views, $$.
Pinewood Lodge - This smorgasboard has everything you could be looking for, from studios to shared rooms to houses and cabins, we would recommend checking out Pinewood if you're looking for something a little different, $$.
Tahuna Lakefront Luxury - A luxurious Airbnb with incredible views, $$$.

Best Spots to Eat & Drink

Simply by walking around downtown Queenstown you'll notice there are SO MANY great places to eat, the hardest part will just be deciding where to chow down! Here's a list of some of our favorite finds while we were in Queenstown, including a few we're saving for next time!

Arthur's Gourmet Salads and Sandwiches - A downtown take-out deli serving wraps, subs or salads! (like subway, but tastier and fresher - I also have to admit, this seems like a random recommendation, but I promise it's worth it!)
Odd Saint - A local eatery with a great brunch!
Margos - Curated by the same entrepreneur as Odd Saint, this colorful Mexican cuisine restaurant will leave you wanting more!
Nest Bar & Kitchen - Located within the Kamana Hotel, the views here are unbeatable through their floor to ceiling windows!
Saigon Kingdom - Great asian cuisine, we got the fried rice and fried tofu and they were a hit!
Fergburger - Incredibly busy spot, arguable the most busy spot, but well worth the wait if you're able to find a spot to sit, they serve any kind of burger you could think of - vegetarian, chicken, beef, fish, lamb, pork...the list goes on!
Eatery by Frank's - A cute cafe with exceptional brunch dishes!
Cookie Muncher - Perfect for a family dessert, this cookie bar serves up the ultimate sweet treat with lots of milkshake/cookie combos!

Things to Do

Known as the Adventure Capitol of New Zealand, there's no shortage of adrenaline pumping activities to do. From riding the world's largest swing to cage diving with sharks, we've gathered a list of the best things to do - for adrenaline junkies and those who are well, not looking for adrenaline.

Take the Queenstown Ferry - For those looking to do something fun while enjoying the incredible views Queenstown has to offer, you can take the local ferry towards Kelvin Heights (about a 10 minute ride right across Queenstown Bay). We had to do this in order to get to our Airbnb, but with the price and the views we would highly recommend! Looking for something a little faster paced? Try the Shotover Jet Boat Tour for high speed thrills!
Hydro Attack - The most unique boat ride in Queenstown hands down, we've definitely got this on our list for next time we're on the South Island! With speeds up to 80 kph on water and 40 kph underwater, this experience will leave you breathless!
Meet Izzy - Did you know the local grocery store in Queenstown has their own cat? Yeah, neither did we. If you head to the local grocery store (New World Queenstown) then chances are you'll spot Izzy the Supermarket Cat sleeping outside! Want to take it up a notch? Head downtown and you might spot Happy the Singing Dog! (seriously.)
Road Trip to Mt. Cook National Park - One of our favorite adventures from Queenstown, we were so happy we decided to spend at least one day driving up to Mt. Cook National Park. With some of the most beautiful views and bluest lakes we've ever seen, you'll even be able to spot New Zealand's tallest mountain as well as some glaciers! (Read our Guide to Mt. Cook National Park here.)
Catch the Southern Lights - This one will take a bit of luck, but if you're visiting between March and September then keep your eyes to the sky during dark nights and you might just catch the Southern Lights. There are a couple of spots in Queenstown to try your luck, but we always went to Kelvin Beach or Wakatipu Kuikui!
Cruise Milford Sound - Another one of our favorites, you can easily take a day trip to Milford Sound for a half day cruise and make your way back to Queenstown! We booked through Cruise Milford New Zealand and had an incredible time! (we even saw pods of dolphins!)
Go Bungee Jumping - A popular sport in New Zealand, bungee jumping is a great way to get your adrenaline pumping! Located near Queenstown, AJ Hackett Bungy is also home to the World's Largest Swing (if you're up for it) ;)
Skyline Queenstown - Take an easy gondola ride 450 meters up to Bob's Peak for some of the best views in town! Feeling extra adventurous? Take a tandem paraglide ride down!
Go Hiking - The views might be incredible from downtown Queenstown, but the views from nearby hikes will wow you even more! We recommend checking out Queenstown Hill (5 km loop), Lake Wakatipu (3 km loop), and Moke Lake (6.5 km loop).
Onsen Hot Pools - Although we didn't learn about this option until after our time in Queenstown, you can bet it's at the top of our list for next time! These private, boutique style day spa hot pools come with incredible views too!
Go Shark Diving!! - Ok so this might not technically be in Queenstown, however, while staying in Queenstown we were able to take a day trip down to Bluff, about 3 hours away, to go shark diving with Shark Experience NZ! Although it might be a long drive just for one activity, it was one EPIC activity, and we 1000% recommend doing this if you're on the South Island! It was hands down our favorite thing we did during our entire time in New Zealand.

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