Things to do in Queenstown (without a car)
- margauxgathy6
- Sep 28
- 4 min read
Known as the Adventure Capital of New Zealand, Queenstown has endless things to do. It’s a fairly large city with an international airport and decent nightlife. You could easily fill four days here, and more if you do more of the activities on offer.
For more on New Zealand and getting around without a car, see my full post here.
Hiking in Queenstown
Ben Lomond
It is a tough hike up to the top of Ben Lomond, the mountain that looms over Queenstown. It took me just over 3 hours to go up, and 2.5 hours down, from the bottom of the cable car (which you can reach on foot from Queenstown city). If you take the cable car up, you’ll shave off about an hour of the hike which covers the switchback section in the forest. The trail to the saddle of Ben Lomond is well maintained and wide, but after that, it becomes a bit rougher and you’ll have a couple small scrambles in the last 45 minutes. The views from the top are worth it though, and you will see a lot more from the summit than if you just stop at the saddle. It might be possible to take the cable car down without paying for it if you walk into the terminal and look like you know what you’re doing, but don’t take my word for it! By then it’s not long to the bottom anyway.
Queenstown Hill
Queenstown Hill is a short and easy hike behind Queenstown itself. You can walk to the trailhead from the city. It’s mostly forested until a bit higher up where you get views over Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown, and Ben Lomond.
Adventure Activities
The world’s first bungee jump was in Queenstown and it’s still in use today. The world’s highest bungee jump is also in Queenstown, along with several others, so you won’t be lacking if you’re looking to do that! There are also zipline courses through the trees, skydiving, paragliding, and canyoning available. These activities are not cheap though, you are looking at NZ$200+ for most of those activities, regardless of who you book with. There are plenty of agencies you’ll see walking around town to get prices and book through.
The Shotover Jet is also a staple of Queenstown. A powerful jet boat takes you down the Shotover River, through canyons and rocky areas. The drivers are very skilled and spin you in 360s. It’s a lot of fun. To get to some of the jet boat sites, you might get to drive down the famous Skipper’s Canyon Road, the 17th most dangerous road in the world which is literally on the edge of a cliff. Don’t worry too much though - the buses are all on a schedule so that you won’t cross paths with anyone else! The price of the Shotover Jet again is around NZD$200.
Swimming in Lake Wakatipu is also a staple of Queenstown. It is predictably freezing cold, but very refreshing and there is a great atmosphere down by the lake. It’s easy to spend an afternoon there.
Day Trip to Glenorchy and the Routeburn Track
Because of the airport, it is fairly easy to rent a car in Queenstown. If you can rent one for a day, I highly recommend taking a day trip to Glenorchy to hike a part of the Routeburn Track, one of New Zealand’s Great Walks. Even if you don’t hike, the drive there is worth it - easily one of the most beautiful roads I’ve ever driven. You’ll have to drive a little bit off-road to reach the trailhead, so double check your rental company allows this, and you can park for free.
In a day you can hike a good section of the trail. It’s not too strenuous and goes through the forest along the river. The colour of the water is something else, and the whole walk is breathtaking. You can make the turnaround point the waterfall or one of the huts along the route, depending on how fast you’re moving.
If you have more time or are looking for something a little easier, you can drive to Glenorchy Lagoon where there are boardwalks with fantastic mountain views. There are also lupins in the spring season in this area, and you can visit the famous red Glenorchy hut. In terms of views, though, I would recommend doing the Routeburn over this boardwalk trail!
Food In Queenstown
Fergburger: this burger place is a Queenstown classic, and the queues down the street prove it. Be prepared to wait, but the wait will be worth it. They have all kinds of burgers on offer, including lots of veggie and vegan options. I had the tofu burger and it was incredible!
Winnie’s: Winnie’s Gourmet Pizza Bar is another famous spot and has great pizza. Later at night the place turns into a bar with great music and good vibes.
More Things to do in Queenstown
If you are looking for more to do during your time in Queenstown, the nearby Arrowtown provides a great day trip. You can take the bus there and spend a day walking around the little town and forest around it.
Milford Sound: if you decide to skip Te Anau (which I don’t recommend because it is stunning!), you can take a day tour to Milford Sound from Queenstown. It’s the same tour as from Te Anau, you just leave earlier, get back later, and have more bus time. But it’s very feasible. If you want to read about that, see my post on Te Anau here.
I hope this gives you a good overview of things to do in Queenstown. It’s such a fun city set in the most beautiful surroundings, so you won’t get bored! As always, please look after the nature that you are in, and only leave your footprints behind :)
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