24 hours in Queenstown

Our top tips for how best to spend 24 hours in Queenstown

Now that you’ve booked your mountain bike tour in New Zealand with us you need to begin planning how to get the most out of your South Island adventure.

Since you’re probably travelling quite a distance to get to New Zealand, you might want to extend your stay and add on a day or two in Queenstown at the end of your mountain bike adventure.

To help you make the most of your extra time in New Zealand, we’ve pooled our collective local knowledge to create this handy city guide for how best to spend 24 hours in Queenstown to round off your fantastic mountain bike tour in the South Island.

Morning

For a refreshing start to your 24 hours in Queenstown, head down to the main beach for a morning stroll and if you feel like that extra bit of activity, take a walk through the Queenstown Gardens alongside Lake Wakatipu.

Fuel up for the day ahead with a coffee and a bite to eat at the local Joe’s Garage – trust us you will not disappointed! Then spend the rest of your morning looking through the quirky boutique shops in town.

Afternoon

To see some of the best views over Queenstown, take the Skyline Gondola up to the top of Bob’s Peak. Get your first taste of adrenaline on the way back down via the luge or zipline.

Insider’s tip: Purchase your gondola tickets from the food court in the mall in town and you can skip the queues!

Now that your heart rate has settled, check out the famous ‘Ferg Burger’ for lunch. The lines can be long so if you’re too hungry to wait in line for this majestic burger, head on down to Taco Medic or Madam Woo.

Evening

Incredible food and a great night out are always on the menu in Queenstown. Settle in at a friendly pub or restaurant in town and if you’re really up for it, stick around to discover Queenstown’s legendary nightlife any night of the week.

4 Local Phrases

‘Kia Ora’ ; A greeting in the Maori language, meaning ‘hello’

‘She’ll be right’; ‘Everything will be okay’

‘Yeah, nah’; A very vague Kiwi way of saying ‘no’

‘Rattle your dags’; A reference to sheep, meaning ‘hurry up’

Accommodation Options

Queenstown is full of great accommodation, but you want to be quick. The ‘no vacancy’ sign is a common sight.

Blue Peaks Lodge

The Aspen Hotel

Garden Court Apartments

Queenstown Transport Links

Queenstown is pretty small and packed full of adventure so it’s easy to explore by foot. Many operators offer their own shuttle services from town or your hotel to activities outside of the city.

Queenstown airport is located 15 minutes from the city centre. Buses and airport shuttles depart every 15 minutes from outside the terminal. Some hotels offer airport shuttles for a small fee, so make sure you ask when booking your accommodation.

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