Asking yourself “How do I get from Queenstown Airport to the city?”
Hopefully, you are, as this post will give you all the options.
I’m like you, you hate this feeling. You’ve arrived at your accommodation, but the question floats in the back of your mind. Did I get ripped off? When it comes to taxis at least.
This post will get rid of that yuck feeling.
For each of the options, we’re going from Queenstown Airport to the Queenstown i-Site in the middle of Queenstown (and it’s close to the world-famous Fergburger).
There are at five options departing from Queenstown Airport (if you’re not renting a car):
And yes, for the rocket scientists out there, you can take each mode of transport from the city to Queenstown Airport.
A plane taking off from Queenstown Airport, ask for the window seat!
1. WALKING FROM QUEENSTOWN AIRPORT TO THE CITY
As long as you have a backpack (it’s not great for suitcases), there’s a nice trail that runs from close to Frankton where the airport is, right to the edge of the city centre. It’s called the Frankton Track, one of the many nice walks along Lake Wakatipu, and is part of the Te Araroa Trail 🙂
You simply follow the route above (it’s on Maps.me too). At 7.8km, for the faster walkers, it’ll take you 90 minutes or so, but even if it takes two hours some of you will appreciate the walk.
The wide trail along the lakefront is more or less flat. Stick left and you’ll have no problems with the cyclists. This is potentially one of the most scenic walks from any airport worldwide. You’ve got views of The Remarkables, Frankton Peninsula, and Lake Wakitipu (you’ll love the photo below that shows the surroundings).
That’s not to say there are any better walks in Queenstown 😉
2. PUBLIC BUS
May 2023 Update: The driver shortages for the Queenstown buses isn’t so bad now and they’re usually stick to the timetable. I do recommending downloading the Queenstown buses transit app which gives real time information on when the next bus is due to arrive.
You have two options for the bus, I take the second option because I like saving money! Especially when so many of the things to do in Queenstown are expensive.
And charging people extra for using public transport from an airport is something I don’t agree with.
Option 1: You can catch the #1 orbus directly from the airport (they run every 15 minutes) at this stop and the closest bus stop is this one which is less than 200 metres from the iSite. The bus ride takes about 20 minutes (timetable here).
How much does it cost?
Cash: To and from the airport, costs $10.
Bee Card: If you plan on using the public buses regularly as a way get around Queenstown, you can get a Bee Card from the Paper Plus inside the airport. The card costs $5, and the minimum top-up is $10 so you’ll be paying at least $15. The fare from the airport to the city with your Bee Card is $2 ($1.20 for children).
If you’re not planning on catching any other bus rides in Queenstown, it’s cheaper to pay cash. But if you’re going to use public transport a few times buy a Bee Card.
Option 2: From Frankton Bus Hub you can catch two buses to the vcity, both #1 (Fernhill) and #2 (Arthurs Point). The walk from the airport is about 1km, which will take 10-15 minutes. And the bus journey is ~15 minutes to the city centre.
How much does it cost?
Cash: Because this is not from the airport, the cash journey is $5.
Bee Card: $2 ($1.20 for children)
Can you see why I recommend walking around the lake? It’s stunning
3. SHUTTLES
There are several shuttle companies that run via Queenstown Airport, but Super Shuttles is the market leader to get to the city as they’re the most frequently. It’s true that you might get unlucky and be the last one to be dropped off (they have 11 seats) but if you’re a group with lots of luggage they can make a good option.
How much does it cost?
- 1 person: $24
- 2 people: $30
- 3 people: $36
- 4 people: $42
- 5 people: $48
- 6 people: $54
- 7 people: $60
- 8 people: $66
- 9 people: $72
- 10 people: $78
- 11 people (exclusive use): $95
You can book in advance on the website, and entering your flight details will ensure they’ll be ready for you when you land. Alternatively, you can just get one when you land as they come through the airport every 20 minutes or so.
4. RIDE-SHARING APPS
Unfortunately YourRide, the NZ-owned ride-sharing service doesn’t serve Queenstown, so your two options are Uber and Ola.
You can get picked up by either from the airport, but for a ride under 10 km they are pricy due to the kilometre charge in Queenstown of $2.20. I’ve just done a quick look to see what kind of prices they charge.
Uber ~$25
Ola ~$30-34
With that pricing, Uber is a no brainer, unless you haven’t used Ola yet and use one of the promo codes for signing up (I wrote about ridesharing promo codes in this post).
With no traffic, the drive will take 10-15 minutes. But with Queenstown being overtouristed, the highway between Frankton and Queenstown can be slow going in peak hours.
5. TAXIS
I don’t like catching taxis from the airport for a host of reasons. So much so that I won’t even look into how much they are.
If you’re looking for a luxury transfer and money isn’t an issue, Black NZ are for you.
I hope this helps you plan your journey from Queenstown Airport to the city. Of course, you might want to head to Te Anau, Arrowtown, Wanaka or any of the other dozen places nearby.
If that’s the case, and you aren’t sure what to do, feel free to get in touch with me below or on email jub@churnewzealand.com
What to read next:
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New Zealand travel tips
The cool alternative hike to Roys Peak
Things to do in New Zealand
How to get from Christchurch Airport to the City
Hey, it’s Jub here. I’m the guy behind Chur New Zealand, helping you have the best time hiking, trekking, walking…whatever you want to call it…in NZ. I’m based in Queenstown and am always out and about exploring trails, old & new. If you have any questions, reach out.
Hello Jub. I’m arriving at Queenstown airport
31st Aug at 9.15pm. Is there a bus service or shuttle to Arrowtown at this time of day
Thankyou
Paul Slako
Hey Paul,
In theory you’ll be able to get the #2 bus from the Frankton Terminus that departs at 10.20pm 🙂 Fingers crossed your flight isn’t delayed and bags turn up. It’s less than a 1.5km walk to get to the Frankton Terminus from the airport (or get a taxi). Make sure to have cash available for the bus!
Enjoy Queenstown!
Cheers,
Jub
Hey there,
I am travelling with a 10 month old in March, we don’t want to get a taxi (as some don’t have baby car seats)! Which shuttle/mode of transport would you recommend to get to the Novotel in Queenstown?
Thank you!
Hey Jasmine,
I’m not sure exactly what babies do/don’t need, but there’s a new service you could look into called SkyDrive. There’s some details at the bottom of the webpage to get in contact with them for bookings etc.
https://www.skydrive.co.nz/faq
Cheers,
Jub
Hi Jub…
Glad to read your article. We are 3 adults, will arrive at 14.00 and bring 3 big luggage and 1 small luggage. we are going to Absoloot Motel in downtown.
plan A By public bus. I’ve read that after buy bee card, minimum top up is nzd 5 ? Can we top up in Bus ? And is it true that the cost will be nzd 2 if using bee card from airport to downtown, I didnt find the information abt this.
plan B by Shuttle. still confused, if I arrive at airport so I go to the shuttle terminal, and find out how many people will go to downtown, so the cost depend on how many people will go together ? we are 3 person, if there is 5 person join with us so the cost will be nzd 54 for 8 of us ? Or we have to pay nzd 29 because we are 3 persons ? and the shuttle will drop everybody on each their location ?
or do you have best suggestion for us not plan A or B?
many thanks.
sierra
Hey Sierra,
Sorry I typed out a long reply then deleted it. In short, you’re correct on the bus…pay with cash onboard to get your Bee Card.
The shuttle will be a lot more expensive and not much faster…go with Plan A to get to Absoloot, it’s a short walk from the bus stop!
Have a great trip!
Cheers,
Jub
Hi Jub,
Four of us arrive ZQN via rental car on 6 March ’24. We’ll first check into our hotel, Brown’s, then turn in the rental car. Probably take the bus back to town.
On 12 March we’ll pick up a rental car at the airport for trip to Cromwell/environs. Return rental car on 15 March. Take flight to MEL.
Are there any particular considerations to think about with the plan above?
Appreciate your CHUR information.
Hey Mike,
Looks pretty standard to me! If you get a Bee Card, you can get just two between the four of you.
If you’re opting to pay cash for the bus, they’ll charge you 10$ from the airport. But you can walk 10 minutes down to the Frankton Bus Hub (or near New World if you’re hungry) and pay $4.
The drive from Queenstown to Cromwell is gorgeous. Perhaps stop off at a winery in Gibbston along the way 🙂
p.s. Grab a pie from Sangas in Cromwell, delicious!
Thanks Churo, a pleasure to do business with you. Appreciate the Sangas pie tip. Any other foodie tips for Cromwell?
On-On,
Mike
Hey Mike,
Sanga’s for sure! I haven’t eaten too much in Cromwell, but liked the fries at the Brewery a few weeks back :p
Chur,
Jub
This was super useful. Thank you. You just took some of fears away.
Thanks Micro! It’s a breeeze