Queenstown in 3 Days: a guidebook for getting the most out of your visit

Embark on a magical 3-day journey in Queenstown, New Zealand, where natural beauty and culture merge in a unique experience. Following this itinerary you will discover the city in all its splendour, from cultural highlights in the town centre, to ascending and adventuring along the iconic Skyline, to Glenorchy and Milford Sound where fjords and mountains are home to film sets.

This 72 hour itinerary will allow you to experience the best things to do in and around Queenstown, making the most of your visit.

Get ready for an unforgettable day in Queenstown, the jewel of New Zealand's South Island! On your first day in the city you'll explore the historic architecture of St Joseph's Catholic Church, delight in contemporary art at the city's best gallery and end the day at the highest peak of the Southern Alps - a perfect combination of culture and sensory enjoyment!

Start the morning at St. Joseph's Church

After breakfast, start your city tour at St Joseph's Catholic Church on Melbourne Street. This is the site of Queenstown's first Catholic church, whose history dates back to 1863 and after two decades of transformations, the church was finally erected in 1898. This town landmark is easily identifiable by its distinctive statue of St Joseph.

In addition to its beautiful architecture, the church itself serves as a showcase for Queenstown, where the focus is on natural beauty.

Visit the Mildford Gallery

Then, 600 metres from the church you'll find your next stop: Milford Galleries. This is one of the most important art centres in the city centre. This gallery exhibits the richness and variety ofMaori traditions.

In addition, the gallery presents permanent exhibitions, talks, sculpture and painting rooms of classical and contemporary art, so you can contrast New Zealand history through art.

Visit Fear Factory

Then walk 350 metres into the Fear Factory haunted house for a dose of New Zealand slang adrenaline in the haunted corridors of the haunted house.

This is an experience you can enjoy alone or as a family as everyone over the age of 15 is welcome.

Get up close to the Queenstown Skyline

After this cultural introduction, walk 800 metres to Skyline Queenstown. Hop aboard one of the Skyline cable car gondolas for breathtaking panoramic views of Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables Mountains at 450 metres above sea level.

For a thrilling ride down the mountain, you can skip the gondola and try paragliding or the Skyline luge. The luge is a go-kart that goes down a winding track at high speed. There are tracks for beginners and advanced riders, so you can choose your level of challenge. I highly recommend you make this one of your top things to do in Queenstown with kids, it's one of their favourites and welcomes children and adults from the age of 2 and upwards.

Lunch stop

Once off the slopes, you can return to the gondolas and have lunch at the on-site Stratosfare Restaurant & Bar. The food here is delicious, as are the views, but the prices are also top-notch. Another option is to return to the centre of Queenstown to recharge your batteries.

Just 200 metres from Skyline you'll find El Camino Cantina Queenstown and Bespoke Kitchen. In both restaurants the food is good and the prices are more friendly.

Walk around Lake Wakatipu

After lunch, you can enjoy a leisurely stroll around Lake Wakatipu and enter theQueenstown Botanical Gardens. And if you feel like continuing the adrenaline rush above, take a speedboat ride on the Wakatipu and the Shotover and Kawarau Rivers. Along the way you'll see the Remarkables mountain range as the speedboat drifts and makes 360° turns.

Evening of Polynesian Cuisine

End the day at Blue Kanu restaurant where the finest exponents of Hawaiian, New Zealand and Tongan cuisine merge to highlight the culinary art of the Polynesians. Blue Kanu is located just a couple of blocks from Lake Wakatipu on Camp St. James Road.

On your second day you can't miss the opportunity to see the jewel in Queenstown's crown: Milford Sound. The drive is a spectacle and you have at least a couple of options to see it.

You can go on your own by taking a coach or hiring a car and then drive via State Hwy 6 and State Hwy 94 for 4 hours. If you prefer convenience, you can also book your place on a tour of Milford Sound. This kind of guided tour usually includes a cruise, hiking, aerial tours and lunch for one of the best day trips from Queenstown. Once you've decided on your destination, let's get going!

Milford Sound

Milford Sound is a stunning destination located in Fiordland National Park on New Zealand's South Island. In fact, its beauty is so striking that Traveler calls it the Eighth Wonder of the World, which is why they recommend it as part of a ' road trip of a lifetime'

With majestic rainforests, towering mountains, waterfalls and a variety of wildlife including penguins, dolphins and fur seals, this destination is a must-see for any traveller to New Zealand and exploration is usually done by air, land and sea.

What can you see on a guided tour?

The adventure usually begins with a light aircraft flight from where you will have the opportunity to admire New Zealand's majestic Southern Alps. This mountain range is known for its vibrantly coloured natural beauty. If you schedule your trip between December and February, you'll see green. If your trip takes place between June and August, you'll see snow-capped mountains with their classic white colour. It's up to you whether to include it in your Queenstown summer or winter bucket list.

The park is huge. Note that the Piopiotahi or Milford Sound is part of the Te Wahipounamu. The next activity you can do to get to know the park is to go on a cruise where you can see the Lady Bowen Falls cascading down from the adjacent mountains of Fiordland National Park. You can also admire Seal Rock and hopefully see the surrounding wildlife.

It's also possible to see Mitre Peak, a mountain that, like something out of the Little Prince's imagination, is famous for its hat-like shape. In Maori culture Mitre Peak is a sacred place but it doesn't stop adventure sports from coming alive. You can kayak, raft, bungee jump, hike, jet boating and more in these UNESCO World Heritage-listed mountains and fjords.

Evening dinner at an iconic landmark in the city

In the evening, on your return to central Queenstown, dine at The Cow, a restaurant housed in an old stone barn that once housed cows that used to wander down the street to be milked daily.

This is the oldest operating restaurant in town. Here they strive to keep the reputation of their classics high, from the humble homemade bread accompanied by spicy garlic sauce, to their wood-fired pizzas where you can find a variety of flavours and bases, including gluten-free. Find them one block from Skycity Casino.

Fancy dining on the lake? Alternatively, dine at Perky's, a floating bar on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. This is an ideal place for those who prefer to dine on tapas accompanied by the best drinks and cocktails, including the popular mulled wine.

You can't leave Queenstown without seeing its most famous film locations, as well as the highest point in the Southern Alps. For this reason, the third day is dedicated to walking the route from the town centre to Mount Earnslaw, via Isengard on the Glenorchy-Routeburn road.

There are 6 essential stops. Although it sounds long, by car it takes about 2 hours to cover the whole route, however, the time at each stop will depend on what you want to do. You can book the Lord of the Rings tour or go on your own. And, so you don't miss any iconic locations, here's a map. Let's get started!

The Ithilien encampment

The first thing to do is to have breakfast in the centre of Queenstown before setting off on the walk. There are very few restaurants on the walk. I recommend you to buy some snacks to have in your backpack. Once you've recharged your batteries, walk 12 kilometres to 12 Mile Delta, where Ithilien Camp is located.

If you're a Lord of the Rings fan, this is where you'll have your first vivid memory of the saga. What makes this place particularly special is the small bonfire where Frodo, Sam and Gollum sat down to feast on rabbit. Sitting in the very spot where the characters from the novel shared a meal and seeing the perfectly preserved surroundings is a thrilling experience that every fan of J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece should experience.

Bob's Cave

Take a break to recover from the previous shock with one of the walks recommended by locals about 3.5 kilometres from Ithilien. This is the location of a scenic Bob's Cove Track that flanks Lake Wakatipu. During this section you pass through a red beech forest, which includes mature trees. The trail passes a couple of secluded coves, as well as a number of spas where you can splash around in the water.

The hike to Bob's Cove is quick, takes about 30 minutes and the views are breathtaking. Despite being considered a paradise hiking activity, one of **Queenstown'**s best walks to be precise, it remains relatively uncrowded. Perhaps because it hasn't been photographed on film yet, but hey, that's likely to change soon so don't forget to get your postcards here.

Paradise

Did you know that Paradise is a real place at the end of the Queenstown - Glenorchy road, right? And what if I told you that it was also used as the location for the House of Beorn, by the way, which took centre stage in The Desolation of Smaug in The Hobbit trilogy. Isn't that cool? And scenes from Wolverine were also shot among these picturesque mountains.

On a calm day, the reflections of the surrounding mountains take your breath away. Located 38 kilometres from Bob's Cave, this is a great place to get your camera out but also to stretch your legs on a leisurely stroll on completely flat terrain.

Isengard

Your next stop is 10 kilometres from Paradise. Situated just north of the charming township of Glenorchy. In the Dart Valley lies a place that provided the backdrop for the breathtaking Valley of the Wizards in the Lord of the Rings saga: Isengard.

Isengard, is one of the most photographed locations in Tolkien's work. Set against a rugged mountain range, it creates a unique weather pattern of sudden clouds and mists. This produces a mystical and at times awe-inspiring atmosphere that Peter Jackson felt was perfect for illustrating the power of Isengard on the big screen.

Nan Curunir/The Valley of the Wizards

In the late Third Age, the valley at the southern foot of the Misty Mountains, where Isengard stood, was called Nan Curunír. This iconic stop is situated 2.5 kilometres from Isengard.

The name is derived from the Wizard Saruman's sindarin, Curunír, who lived there. Nan Curunir was located at the base of the mountain Methedras, in the southernmost valley of the Misty Mountains. The place became Isengard at the end of the Second Age, and the name Nan Curunir was given to it when Saruman chose it as his residence.

The setting you see here made it to the screen in not one, but three films in the Lord of the Rings saga.

Mount Earnslaw or Pikirakatahi

Earnslaw is 14.5 kilometres from the Wizarding Valley. This mountain is part of the Hobbit route through New Zealand. It is one of the most impressive places in the trilogy. The mountain ranges surrounding Pikirakatahi also served as part of the Misty Mountains trail in Lord of the Rings.

As you make your way from Queenstown to Glenorchy, you can see the exact spot where Bilbo and the Company of Dwarves continued their journey on foot after leaving Rivendell. Here the Fellowship trudged through the snow in The Fellowship of the Ring.

At Mount Earnslaw or Pikirakatahi you'll be greeted by towering granite walls rising 800 metres from the bottom of the basin. A large glacier creates numerous waterfalls with its meltwater, which spill down from the top of the cliffs. Not a bad way to end one of Queenstown' s best excursions and return to the centre.

On the way back to town, depending on how much time you have spent at each stop, you can take advantage of a late lunch at one of the restaurants facing Lake Wakatipu, before heading to the airport.