When you arrive

We love winter as much as our visitors do, so there’s a tangible buzz in the area as people gear up for winter fun – you’ll even feel it in the airport when you arrive! From here it’s easy to quickly get into the swing of things, as it’s only a short taxi, car or bus transfer from the airport to most Queenstown accommodation.

Within 15 minutes you’ll arrive in the compact and cosmopolitan resort’s centre, set on the shores of Lake Wakatipu and with spectacular mountain views in every direction. Queenstown is the heart of a wider ski region with 5 ski fields and generally skiers drive or take a bus to each ski field for the day (or afternoon depending on the night before!). At certain points in the season you can also enjoy night skiing.

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Getting ready

After you’ve checked in and settled into your accommodation, you can pick up ski equipment and ski passes in central Queenstown - ski shops are open until 9pm, so you can easily fit this in after dinner at one of the many local bars or restaurants. The wider region has around 100 to choose from! You can also rent equipment, book lessons and buy your ski passes on the ski fields themselves.

Pre-booked ski buses pick up from most major hotels in town, or from central meeting points and if you are driving yourself up the mountain, you must carry (and know how to fit) snow chains on your tyres.

Apres ski

After a day of fun on the slopes you might like to relax and be pampered at a local spa, or browse the shops and boutiques of downtown Queenstown and Arrowtown. No ski holiday to Queenstown is complete without experiencing the ski town nightlife, restaurants and renowned southern hospitality.

Off mountain activities

The region's average snow line sits part way up the mountains around Queenstown, which means we have a vast choice of off-snow activities available down in the valley all year round. This means activities like jetboating, walking, cruising on the lake, wine tours, golf, bungy jumping, skydiving and zip lining to be enjoyed throughout most of the winter.