10 Things to do in Queenstown: From Must Eats to Road Trips

Queenstown, the adventure capitol of New Zealand is a must visit destination for those looking for epic road trips, exhilarating attractions, or just want to see beautiful scenery. Whether you are visiting here to take a day trip to Milford Sound or want to try New Zealand’s best burger, here are some of my recommended top things to do in Queenstown, New Zealand.

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Why Visit Queenstown

For a small town, there are tons of things to do in Queenstown. Queenstown is a great base location for exploring New Zealand’s southern Island and partaking in exhilarating outdoor activities.

Queenstown is surrounded by beautiful scenery. It’s located at the edge of Lake Wakatipu surrounded by mountains in every direction.

If you are looking for adventure and extreme sports, there are places to Bungee Jump and skydive in Queenstown. If you want to get out in nature to hike and explore, there are countless trails scattered throughout the mountains surrounding Queenstown.

Queenstown has something for everyone and can be enjoyed year round. We visited in December and January, New Zealand’s summer and primarily took road trips, ate, sampled craft beer, and just enjoyed wandering the town.

Recommended Things to do in Queenstown

We spent a total of three days in Queenstown. You could obviously spend more time here, there is so much to see and do but I feel we saw a lot of what Queenstown and the surrounding area had to offer.

Any Queenstown itinerary will look the same. Day trips to Milford Sound, take the beautiful drive to Glenorchy, wait in line at Fergburger, etc..

We did a lot of sites and activities the guidebooks for Queenstown suggested and want to share our recommended things to do in Queenstown.

1. Take the Skyline Gondola & Luge

For some of the best views of Queenstown and a thrilling experience, don’t miss out on the Skyline and some of the thrilling activities that come with it.

Take the gondola up 480m to the lookout point to get a view of Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu, and the surrounding mountains.

The Skyline Gondolas are modern with floor to ceiling windows, so you won’t miss out on the views. You can also store your mountain bike on the gondola.

One thrilling activity to do while at Skyline is the Luge.

The luge is definitely an adrenaline rush as you ride the luge 1,600m down the mountain.

2. See Real Kiwi Birds and Kiwi Park

One of our goals in New Zealand was to see a Kiwi Bird a the Kiwi Park in Queenstown was the perfect place to learn and see New Zealand’s flightless bird.

The Kiwi Park is so much more then just seeing kiwi birds, there are many animals here from birds to reptiles that are native to New Zealand.

I found the Tuatara to be a fascinating species. The tuatara looks like a lizard but in fact it is its own species and was around over 220 million years ago.

Of course, most visitors come to Kiwi Park for a chance to see the kiwi bird. Kiwi Park has Kiwi Encounters throughout the day.

The Kiwi Encounter allows you to see kiwi birds while they are active at night while it is day time for us. Where the tours begin, you adjust your eyes to the darkness within the facility.

While the tour guide provides information on these cute flightless birds, you can potentially spot them running around their enclosures. We saw a total of 4 kiwi birds!

3. Try Fergburger: New Zealand's best Burger

You can’t not come to Queenstown without standing in line to try New Zealand’s best hamburger, Fergburger.

If you are staying in Queenstown for any period, you’ll notice there is one place that has a long line all day every day and people are waiting to try one of the world’s best burgers.

We stood in line maybe 10 minutes, it goes fast and then takes another 10 minutes or so to get your burger. Seating inside is very limited for the amount of people waiting.

We took our burgers across the street to a park and sat at a bench to enjoy our Fergburgers.

I ordered the Ferg Deluxe and it was delicious, the bun seemed freshly baked, the burger patty was flavorful, and all the toppings complimented the burger well.

I’d consider myself a burger connoisseur and do I think Fergburger is the best burger in the World? No. But they were the best burger I had in New Zealand and definitely beat out other burgers I’ve had in the world. I’d say to 10 for sure.

4. Sample Local Craft Beer

The craft beer scene in Queenstown was quite surprising and they love their Hazy IPA’s which I do as well.

I found some great restaurants serving craft beer and taprooms all around Queenstown, not to mention breweries.

Two of my favorite craft beer places in Queenstown were Smiths Craft Beer House and Beech Tree.

5. Drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy

Considered one of New Zealand’s most scenic drives is the road from Queenstown to Glenorchy and beyond.

We drove the Glenorchy-Queenstown Rd mainly because there were a few Lord of the Rings sites that I wanted to see.

About 15 minutes from the town of Glenorchy is the Isengard Lookout. Further up the road you can find the Lothlorien filming location as well.

Driving back to Queenstown from Glenorchy we pulled off the road on several lookouts to take photos of Lake Wakatipu and the surrounding mountains.

It’s hard to take a bad photo along this road just because the landscapes are so beautiful. I definitely see why this is one of New Zealand’s prettiest drives.

6. Road Trip to Milford Sound

If you are looking to do a day trip from Queenstown, I highly recommend driving to Milford Sound.

A day trip to Milford sound from Queenstown is easily done on your own if you have a rental car or you can take a tour to Milford Sound.

We had our own rental car and drove to Milford Sound. The drive is around 4-hours but totally worth it. You drive through parts of Fiordland National Park and some of the most scenic areas on the Southern Island.

Curious about how I visited Milford Sound, I have a dedicated post on taking a day trip to Milford Sound from Queenstown.

To fully experience what Milford Sound has to offer, I recommend this 2-Hour Milford Sound Scenic Cruise.

7. Partake in an Adventurous Activity

Queenstown is known as the “Adventure capital of New Zealand.” Whether you want to try bungee jumping, skydiving, or mountain biking you can find all these activities in and around Queenstown plus much more.

Paragliding in Queenstown appeared to be a popular activity. Most the day, I’d see paragliders circling the city and landing at a local park.

Check out GFORCE Paragliding for more information on paragliding over Queenstown.

During the winter months, skiing and snowboarding is a popular activity on some of the nearby slopes.

8. Do Some Shopping

Queenstown’s town center is very pedestrian friendly and full of shops and restaurants. You can find souvenir shops, art stores, outdoors stores, and even high end shops here.

There are even convenience, grocery, and liquor stores scattered throughout the downtown area.

9. Nightlife

Queenstown has a pretty vibrant and diverse nightlife. Every night I walked around the city, there was always something going on and crowds of people.

There are lively bars, clubs, and restaurants that are open late. Don’t miss out on the Minus 5° Ice Bar for a unique experience.

10. Relax and Enjoy the Views

One of the best places in Queenstown to relax and take in the views was Queenstown Beach. There are always people here living in the moment and enjoying the view of Lake Wakatipu and the mountains surrounding it.

There are so many other places in Queenstown to visit and just take in the views. Queenstown is located in one of the most beautiful places on earth, so enjoy every moment!

Conclusion

Queenstown truly lives up to its reputation as being the adventure capital of New Zealand as well as a great place to stay and explore other areas of the South Island. Queenstown is a mecca of outdoor activities surrounded by breathtaking landscapes. Don’t forget to visit the Kiwi Park and learn about New Zealand’s flightless bird and of course grab a delicious burger at Fergburger. Queenstown is a must visit destination in New Zealand and was one of my favorites places to explore.

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Activities and Tours 🏖️🚁

Find fun activities and things to do through Tripadvisor. If you are looking for tours and day trips, Viator and Get Your Guide have a lot of great options.

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