HOW TO GET TO MILFORD SOUND FROM QUEENSTOWN

This post is about how to get to Milford Sound from Queenstown.

What is the most popular way to get from Queenstown to Milford Sound?

Driving your own car.

How far is Milford Sound from Queenstown by road?

287km (178 miles), which will take about 4 hours.

If driving isn’t an option for you, there are a few different ways to get to Milford Sound from Queenstown which I’ll cover below.

What’s the best way to get to Milford Sound?

If you’re asking me, a scenic flight! But it’ll depend on the specifics of your trip, are you going to Milford Sound for a day trip from Queenstown or planning to spend a few days in the area.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Drive
2. Organised tours
3. Plane
4. Bus Only
5. Hitchhike

HOW TO GET TO MILFORD SOUND FROM QUEENSTOWN

1. THE QUEENSTOWN TO MILFORD SOUND DRIVE

The Queenstown to Milford Sound drive is grueling! On a map, it doesn’t look far, but I’m sure there are plenty of people who have thought they had left enough time to get to their cruise but found themselves 30+ minutes late.

You’ll see on the map below (clicking on the image below will open it up in Google Maps) that the expected time is under 4 hours. I think you’ll find most people will say to allow at least four hours.

It’s a beautiful drive, especially once you get past Te Anau. If you’re planning to drive all in one go, leave yourself a lot of time. There are often roadworks between Te Anay and Milford Sound, and if you get stuck in a stream of cars you can lose a lot of time fast.

And there are lots of places to stop on the way, including:

• Mirror Lakes
• Lake Gunn
• Lake Marian Track (see photo above)
• Key Summit

And if you find yourself in Milford Sound well before you need to be? Well, there are worst places to be 😉

Ideally, you’ll make the drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound at least a two day trip (the drive from Queenstown to Te Anau has a few stops on the way as it is)…if you’re going just for the cruise before returning, you might be better off taking a bus or the fly cruise fly option. Pending budget of course.

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2. BUS TOURS TO MILFORD SOUND

A bus tour from Queenstown to Milford Sound is super popular and a great option if you’ve only got limited time in the area.

There are a whole host of options, and in peak times, dozens of buses will be transporting guests to and from Milford Sound every day.

Most of the options have a similar offering, with the core idea of buses getting you to Milford Sound, you then join a cruise around Milford Sound before returning in the evening. It’s a long day, but the most affordable way to see Milfod Sound.

And if you checkout BookMe.co.nz in the days leading up to you trip, you can get some good discounts. The same goes with GetYourGuide, but I seem to find better deals on BookMe.

Here are a few options:

• Milford Sound Coach & Nature Cruise w Picnic Lunch – Southern Discoveries
• RealNZ – Milford Sound Coach & Cruise ex Queenstown – Real NZ
• From Queenstown: Milford Sound Full-Day Tour with Lunch – Great Sights New Zealand

The drive to/from Queenstown and Milford Sound is long. That’s why these tours are so popular, you don’t need to drive and the buses have massive windows so you get to see all the things. And the bus drivers are full of knowledge about Milford Sound and the surrounding areas.

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3. HELICOPTER/PLANE TO MILFORD SOUND

There’s an airport at Milford Sound!

If the idea of spending hours on the road doesn’t appeal to you, then a scenic flight to Milford Sound might be what you’re looking for.

The scenic flight is one of the best things I’ve done in New Zealand. Yes, this is the most expensive option to get to Milford Sound from Queenstown but if you’re not on a super tight budget, it’s worth it.

There are a few different companies that offer scenic flights from Queenstown to Milford Sound, but I always recommend the local owned and operated Air Milford. I know a few of the staff, they’re the best and my flight with them was epic.

I’ll discuss the options below, but you can see all the prices and book online at AirMilford.co.nz or here at Viator.com.

You can fly one way from Queenstown to Milford Sound which is great if you’re staying at Milford Lodge, walking the Milford Track or want to spend more time in the area.

The most popular option is the fly-cruise-fly for a Milford Sound day trip.

The biggest down side to flying to Milford Sound is you’re vulnerable to bad weather. If you can’t fly, well then you might miss out on seeing Milford Sound. So you’re best bet is too book in your flight for your first day in Queenstown, and if it’s no good that day, fingers crossed the next day is good. If all flights are grounded during your visit, you won’t be charged!

FWIW, they do fly about 250 days a year.

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4. QUEENSTOWN TO MILFORD SOUND – BUS ONLY

There are two main companies that offer a bus from Queenstown to Milford Sound. While they’re great, they’re not the best option if you’re planning to do the cruise before returning the same day. Why? There’s plenty of orgnaised bus tours that include the cruise and are cheaper.

That said if you just need to get to Milford Sound and are looking to spend a few days there, then the bus one way if a good option.

InterCity

At the time of writing, InterCity runs a service from Queenstown to Milford Sound four days a week (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday).

It departs at 7.40 am, and arrives in Milford Sound at 1.35 pm (5 hours and 55 minutes total), which is reasonable, and seats are regularly $88.

You can also book the Gem of the Sound cruise with InterCity, or a flight back with Air Milford.

The return trips depart at 3.50 pm, and arrive at 8.15 pm (Saturday, Sunday, Monday). That’s a lot faster with a 4h 25 minutes total time with a cost of $70.

Tracknet

Starting back up in late October, Tracknet will offer a daily service between Queenstown and Milford Sound with two departures each day at 7 am and 10.30 am. It’s more expensive at 99$ one way, but is a smaller bus than InterCity. They also offer track transport for the Milford Track.

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5. HITCHHIKING TO MILFORD SOUND

It’s easy enough to hitchhike from Queenstown to Milford Sound, though if you get unlucky, this will be a long day!

There are two main places people will hitchhike from Queenstown. I prefer the second of these two options.

If you’re staying in town, get a bus to Frankton Bus Terminal which is cheap with a Bee Card…if you’ve got all the time in the world, you could walk there via the Frankton Track.

From Frankton Bus Terminus, you can cross the road and start hitchhiking from there. This isn’t the greatest spot with lots of traffic only travelling a short distance.

I prefer catching the #4 bus to Jack’s Point (you can get a free transfer with your Bee Card). Get off at this bus stop, and walk back to the highway. You could start hitchhiking near the junction, but I prefer walking south about 500 metres where there’s way more room for cars to pull over safely.

I go into more details on exactly how to get to here on my post about hitchhiking out of Queenstown.

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If you have any questions about how to get from Queenstown to Milford Sound leave a comment below or email me jub@churnewzealand.com