Things to do in Queenstown
As longtime Queenstown locals we love this region and what it offers. Deservedly world famous, Queenstown is a year round destination with lakes, mountains, vineyards, adrenaline activities, and a bustling downtown restaurant and shopping area. These are just some of our personal recommendations to help you enjoy your stay with us:
Frankton
Short walk & coffee
You will see the Frankton lakeside walking track entrance close to your unit, down by the lakeside. Your closest coffee and food is a 10 minute walk along this track towards Frankton (turn left when you reach the track), at the Boat Shed Café and Bistro. This is an excellent location, open between 8am and 5pm. Highly recommended.
Frankton also has other great cafés, a fish and chip shop, fast food restaurants, and three shopping complexes: Remarkables Park Shopping, The Landing, and Five Mile Queenstown. There is also an entertainment precinct close to The Landing, which has a go-karting and laser tag venue.
Supermarkets
You will find a New World supermarket at Remarkables Park Shopping, and a Countdown at Five Mile Queenstown. There is also a Four Square and a Fresh Choice in central Queenstown. For the gourmet lover there is Raeward Fresh at 53 Robins Road in Queenstown.
Queenstown
Walk into Queenstown via the Frankton lakeside track
Take this track for a comfortable 35 minute walk into town. You can also pick up the bus just outside the Alpine Village Complex for a 10 minute ride along the waterfront into Queenstown.
Our favourite restaurants and cafés:
Another option is to take a 10km scenic drive out to Arrowtown (or go by the no. 2 bus, which stops outside the Alpine Village Complex). Arrowtown is a restful historic village with a gold mining history and some great gourmet eating options:
Queenstown Activities
There are a huge variety of activities, and tour companies who will pick you up from your door. We highly recommend:
- The TSS Earnslaw for a relaxing cruise on a historic steamship
- The Skyline Gondola and Luge for a fun group activity which takes you high above Queenstown
- Skippers Canyon Jet for an exciting 4WD tour and jetboat ride
- The Remarkables and Coronet Peak ski fields
- Catch a movie at the historic Arrowtown cinema
- Take a full day trip around the many boutique vineyards in the area
- See Milford Sound, described as the 8th Wonder of the World – lots of tour companies run full day trips and pricing is competitive.
Really, there is everything you might want to do in the local area, from horseback riding, to paragliding, to bungy jumping, with very active nightlife in the township, too.
Public Bus Service
Run by OrBus. There is a bus stop outside the Alpine Village Complex with regular buses running to the airport (no. 1) and the town centre (no. 1) every 15 minutes until 11pm. You can also catch the no. 2 bus to Arrowtown. If you purchase a GO Card for $5, all journeys are only $2. Your bus stop is called “Battery Hill”.
Airport
The domestic and international airport is in Frankton, just 5km from your villa. It takes about 5 minutes to drive there (though peak time traffic can be slower, and we would advise allowing 20 minutes just to be safe). Many of the car hire companies will collect you from the airport and have return depots here, too.
