Day Trip to Milford Sound from Queenstown

Located in New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park, Milford Sound is one of the world’s most beautiful natural wonders and one of the countries most popular destinations. A day trip to Milford Sound from Queenstown is a must and can be done either through a tour or driving yourself.

We rented a car and drove to Milford Sound, the drive there was worth it alone. In this post, I cover it all and go into detail about our day trip to Milford Sound to include what the drive was like versus booking a tour, taking a cruise, and stopping along beautiful sites along the way.

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Table of Contents

About Milford Sound

Milford Sound is a scenic fjord located in Fiordland National Park on the South Island of New Zealand.

Milford Sound is known for its spectacular scenery and famous Mitre Peak. Mitre Peak is that iconic mountain you see in almost all Milford Sound pictures to include photos throughout this post. Mitre Peak stands at 1,683 m or 5,522 ft elevation.

Milford Sound was created by millions of years of glacial activity. According to information at Milford Sound, the glaciers created a sheer-sided valley. After melting over time, the glacial melt flooded the sea and helped carve Milford Sound we see today.

The glacier that created Milford Sound was around 2,000 m deep leaving the steep sea cliffs seen at the fjord.

Milford Sound is part of Te Wahipounamu, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Te Wahipounamu was listed as a UNESCO site in 1990.

Driving to Milford Sound from Queenstown

A road trip to Milford Sound from Queenstown is a journey in itself. It’s about a 4-ish hour drive through some of New Zealand’s most beautiful landscapes.

The drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound is just shy of 300km and takes roughly 4 hours.

Many travelers chose to stay in Te Anau before going to Milford Sound. The drive from Te Anau is about 118 km and takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours.

We decided to embark on our day trip to Milford Sound from Queenstown early in the morning. We left at 6:00 am in order to catch our 11:00 am Milford Sound cruise.

We gave ourselves 5 hours before the cruise in case we had to make any stops and to find parking and walk around the ferry port.

I do recommend leaving enough time to dive, park, get ferry tickets, and maybe make a stop or two. We decided to make stops after the cruise on the way back to Queenstown.

Milford Sound Day Tours from Queenstown

We ended up driving to Milford Sound by ourselves since we had a car rental. We booked this 2-Hour Milford Sound Scenic Cruise online in advance.

In case you don’t have a car rental or don’t feel up to the 4-hour drive, I’d recommend booking a tour to Milford Sound from either Te Anau or Queenstown.

There are tour companies in Queenstown that offer tours, but I recommend just booking online prior that way you can secure your trip t Milford Sound.

I like to use Get Your Guide or Viator to book online, here are some recommended trips to Milford Sound:

Milford Sound Cruise

If you really want to see Milford Sound beyond Mitre Peak, I highly recommend booking a Milford Sound Cruise.

You can either book your Milford Sound cruise online prior to your trip or at the ferry port. But I recommend booking in advanced since Milford Sound is one of New Zealand’s most popular attractions.

We booked this 2-Hour Milford Sound Scenic Cruise and were very happy with the tour.

The cruise ship we were on was the Mitre Peak Cruise, it was a smaller ship and we couldn’t have asked for a better cruise line.

The captain was informative and if wildlife was spotted they tried getting as close as possible without disturbing the wildlife.

Wildlife you can see at Milford Sound include fur seals, dolphins, and Fiordland Crested Penguins. On the day we went, we saw several fur seals but sadly no dolphins or penguins.

Besides spottling wildlife, the cruise goes about one hour from the port to the Tasman Sea Coast and back.

We saw a few waterfalls, Bowen Falls was spectacular as was Stirling Falls.

In the end, it was just nice to kick back and enjoy some of New Zealand’s prettiest landscapes. Milford Sound truly is spectacular.

Other Stops Along the Way

Part of the beauty of a day trip to Milford Sound is the journey of getting here. Milford Sound is a stunning location in New Zealand, but there are many other scenic attractions in Fiordland National Park that are worth stopping at.

Since we booked a tour to Milford Sound and were limited on time getting there, we saved all of our stops until after the tour for our drive back to Queenstown. Here are some of the recommended stops for wildlife, natural beauty, and food.

Eglinton Valley

One of the prettiest stops to Milford Sound was a brief stop at Eglinton Valley. We only stopped here for a minute for photos, but the open valley with towering mountains off in the distance was beautiful.

Pop's View Lookout

Another lookout that is worth a brief stop is Pop’s View. There was a viewing platform here overlooking the valley and forests below.

Monkey Creek

Monkey Creek is a scenic spot that seemed to be popular as a rest area. Monkey Creek is also a popular place to see the Kea, although we didn’t see any here.

Milford Valley Lookout

Right before or after the Homer Tunnel is the Milford Valley Lookout. This is basically a turn off from the road leading to Milford Sound, the views here are out of this world. Here, you can really get a sense of how gigantic the surrounding mountains are.

Homer Tunnel

One of the best places to see the Kea Bird is near the Homer Tunnel. In fact, we saw a few here both going to and from Milford Sound.

On the way back from Milford Sound, we were stuck at the light waiting for cars in the opposite direction to pass and saw two Kea birds next to the road.

The Kea is an alpine parrot that is endemic to the South Island of New Zealand.

Alpine Centre Cafe and Bar

A great rest stop to fill up on gas and snacks on your way to Milford Sound is the Alpine Centre Cafe and Bar. Or you can stop here on your way back to Queenstown.

We stopped at the Alpine Centre and Bar heading from Milford Sound toward Queenstown for a break and quick lunch.

This place had great lunch options to include sausage rolls, savory pies, and much more. Plus, they had great drinks like shakes and coffee.

We filled up our car here as well.

*Note: Some gas stations in New Zealand charge international credit cards a preauthorization amount of about NZD 200 even if you only fill up for a few dollars.

Learn from my mistake. I only added about $30 worth of gas to my rental car, looked at my statement and it was NZD200. Right away I called customer service and they told me that they charge the max amount to fill up to ensure money on the card is available.

After about two days the charge correctly showed on my statement. It’s shocking at first, but if you go in knowing this it isn’t bad.

Most Asked Questions About Milford Sound

Can you do Milford Sound in a day?
Milford Sound is an easy day trip from Queenstown or Te Anau. Just keep in mind it’s a full days trip but well worth it!

Can you do Milford Sound without a tour?
There are multiple ways to get to and see Milford Sound. Many tours from Queenstown include transportation and a ferry.

But if you opt to drive to Milford Sound, you can buy a ferry ticket at the terminal or book a ferry ticket to Milford Sound in advance. We booked this 2-Hour Milford Sound Cruise.

Is it better to drive to Milford Sound or take a tour?
Getting to Milford Sound is entirely up to you! There are pros and cons to both driving yourself or tagging along with a tour.

If you already have a car rental in New Zealand, then I recommend driving to Milford Sound. But if you don’t have a car, then perhaps a tour is the way to go.

In Queenstown there are many tour operators, but you can book online as well through Viator or Get Your Guide.

The pros of driving yourself to Milford Sound is that you can stop where ever you want along the way. But it is a long drive and perhaps relaxing in a vehicle while someone else is driving isn’t necessarily a bad option either.

Is Milford Sound worth it?
Milford Sound is a must visit when touring New Zealand. Milford Sound is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and natural wonder. I recommend the Milford Sound cruises to make the most out of your experience. A trip to Milford Sound is absolutely worth it.

Conclusion

A day trip to Milford Sound from Queenstown or Te Anau is nothing short of spectacular. I’ll be the first to admit that it was a long drive but a beautiful journey through Fiordland National Park.

Seeing Mitre Peak in person was a once in a lifetime opportunity and then being able to take a cruise within Milford Sound was an experience that made my trip to New Zealand complete.

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Plan Your Trip: 🗺️✈️🇳🇿

Booking Accommodations ⛺️🛖

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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.

In need of a car rental? 🚗🚘

I recommend checking with Rental Cars.