Why Queenstown is New Zealand's Ultimate Family Holiday Base

We're talking four seasons of family fun with unbeatable access to the outdoors, and family-friendly stays and eats for all budgets. Combine that with ease of getting around – nowhere is very far – and you’ve got yourself the perfect launchpad for a holiday with kids.

A Queenstown Family Holiday Works for Every Age

Variety makes Queenstown a great destination for families. There really is something for everyone with a vast range of things to see and do for kids and adults of all ages and stages at any time of year.

Enjoying Queenstown with Under Fives

If you’re parenting littles, chances are you’re looking for gentle adventures and a central place to stay. Popular choices include vintage steamship, the TSS Earnslaw, or another boat cruise on the lake, a trip up the gondola, a farm tour, or a visit to the central Queenstown haven that is Kiwi Park. Find a guide to the best Queenstown playgrounds here.

Exploring Queenstown with School Age Kids

If your kids are school-age, it’s about balancing those ‘only in Queenstown’ experiences with plenty of playtime in between to wear the wee dynamos out. Think luging, bowling, indoor carting, ice skating, or a round of frisbee golf in the stunning Queenstown Gardens. Or explore the many pump tracks in and around Queenstown with the help of this guide.

Making the Most of Queenstown with Teens

Holidaying with teens is when Queenstown’s vast range of adventure activities comes into its own, with adrenaline highs like skydiving, bungy jumping, jetboating, quad biking, and paragliding. Age, height and weight restrictions apply; however, many adventure activities are very family friendly. For older teens seeking independent downtime, popular attractions include the Fear Factory, and Escape Quest’s indoor and outdoor escape rooms.

Holidaying in Queenstown with a Multi-Generational Family Group

Queenstown is ideal for a multi-generational family needing a mix of action and catch-up time. Book a holiday home so you’ve space to spread out, then choose from all-ages activities like golfing, hiking, or a scenic sightseeing tour. Experience human flight at iFly, New Zealand’s only indoor skydiving attraction, suitable for everyone, ages five to 105. Or head off for a family biking adventure on off-road trails for all ages and abilities. Experience the mountain in a new way on a Yooner, where a snow kart meets a ski luge on the slopes. We've seen five year olds to 78 year olds on these fun ski luge mario carts carving up the snow.

Four Seasons of Family Fun

Queenstown becomes an entirely different experience as the colours change, the snow falls, and the flowers bloom. The sheer range of landscapes and activities means you can come to Queenstown with kids any time of year. Here’s what sets Queenstown apart each season.

Queenstown Family Fun in Summer

Summer is all about lake life, with a wealth of beaches and wild swimming spots, rope swings, lake cruises, rafting, and paddleboarding. The climate is hot and dry and the days are long, meaning more time for family picnics, endless trails for hiking and cycling. For more inspiration, here’s a guide to family summer fun.

Queenstown Autumn Family Colour

Autumn is a famously colourful time of year to visit, with the leaves turning red and gold and the temperature crisp enough to pull on a beanie but not too cold for a walk or a ride in the hills. This is also when Arrowtown hosts its annual Arrowtown Autumn Festival, a lively week of celebration, with music and entertainment for all ages.

Queenstown Family Winter Wonderland

Winter is all about family snow adventures, with the slopes open from June until early October. Whether you’re up for a week skiing or just want to introduce the kids to the fun of playing in the snow, wrap up warm and head out to one of our four ski fields, all within easy reach of downtown. Plan a fun family ski holiday with this handy guide.

Family Activities in Queenstown Spring

Spring is stunning in Queenstown, with cherry trees and wildflowers bursting into bloom. It’s warm enough to hit the hiking and cycling trails, or head out on a mountain bike with the kids. You can still catch a few runs on the slopes. Here are family spring holiday suggestions, and if the alpine weather is changeable, ideas for family fun on a rainy day.

See Queenstown in all seasons

Even if you’ve been to Queenstown before, it’s an entirely different experience each season as the colours change, the snow falls or the flowers bloom. Here's our guide to the seasons when planning a South Island family holiday:

Summer

In summer, Queenstown boasts a wealth of places to swim, near-endless trails to hike and cycle, boats to cruise on and rivers to float down, as well as kayaking and paddleboarding trips to take. Whether you book a rafting trip or jump off the pontoon in Queenstown Bay, summer is alive and well in Queenstown. The climate is hot and dry and the days are long, meaning more time for family adventures.

Autumn

Autumn is a famously colourful time of year to visit, with the leaves changing to red and golden hues and the temperature crisp enough to pull on a beanie but not too cold for a walk or ride in the hills. This is also when Arrowtown hosts its annual Arrowtown Autumn Festival, a lively week of celebration, with music and entertainment for all ages.

Winter

Queenstown turns into a winter wonderland from June until September, and this alpine paradise is one of the best places to visit in New Zealand with family during the cooler months. Whether you’re up for a ski week or just enjoy playing in the snow and experiencing the excitement of a true, white winter, Queenstown has you covered. Wrap up warm and head out to any one of our four ski fields, all within easy access to downtown.

Spring

Spring is a time of beauty in Queenstown, with ornamental cherry trees blossoming and wildflowers popping their pastel-coloured heads up. It’s warm enough to hit the hiking and cycling trails but not so hot that you’ll be sweating. In early spring you can still catch a few runs on the ski slopes, or head out on the mountain bike trails with the kids.

Where to Stay and Eat in Queenstown with Kids

Family-friendly places to stay and eat are the foundation of any great family holiday. Luckily Queenstown has a wealth of fun places that welcome kids.

Family-Friendly Places to Stay

Queenstown offers families a wide choice of accommodation, including holiday parks, holiday homes, motels, hotels and apartments. From budget to luxury family accommodation, you’ve plenty of options when choosing your home away from home. Here’s the lowdown on Queenstown’s most family-friendly hotels, B&Bs, and holiday parks.

Kid-Approved Places to Eat

Every parent knows all family adventures begin and end with a full, happy tummy. Queenstown is known for its excellent food, with 150 eateries and restaurants for families of all ages, stages, and tastes, while Queenstown’s compact town centre makes it easy to get around. Here are the cafes, restaurants, and takeaways that keep everyone smiling.

Don’t Forget to Treat Yourself

Several of Queenstown’s family-friendly accommodation options offer in-house babysitting, so parents can enjoy a night out in Queenstown by themselves. Treat yourself to an intimate dinner a deux – this guide to the best places to eat in Queenstown has plenty of romantic suggestions or check out our guide to Queenstown’s MICHELIN listed restaurants. For a daytime indulgence try a Queenstown spa experience – many have couple’s packages.

Family-Friendly Day Trips

Queenstown is the ideal base for a family adventure to the surrounding settlements of Arrowtown, Glenorchy, and Wanaka.

Explore Wilderness in Glenorchy

Take a day trip to the southern end of Lake Whakatipu and visit the town of Glenorchy, where the mountains are vast and the walking trails bring you into ancient native beech forest bursting with birdlife. There are also a range of family-friendly activities, from a farm visit and funyaks (gentle child-friendly kayaking) for younger kids, to horse trekking and ziplines for an older crew. Here are eight fun Glenorchy activities to do with kids.

Discover Heritage in Arrowtown

Explore the heritage of Arrowtown. Stroll through the historic Arrowtown Chinese Settlement for a glimpse into early life for Chinese gold miners, discover the long Māori history of the region, and what European settler life was like, at the Lakes District Museum, or try your luck at gold panning. In the afternoon hire bikes and ride the Arrow River Bridges Trail, or simply explore the many beautiful hikes around this picturesque village.

Lake Wanders in Wānaka

Wānaka is a hour’s drive away across the Crown Range. The National Transport and Toy Museum  has over 600 vehicles, twenty aircraft, and more than 60,000 toys, or head to Puzzling World, a collection of bizarre buildings, illusions, and a maze. Take a tour with Ridgeline to a high-country sheep station, to learn about farm history and the environment, or cruise to Ruby Island, a predator-free nature reserve with a fascinating heritage.

Book a Queenstown Family Holiday for Your Next Escape

If we’ve whetted your appetite, check out these family itineraries and guides for more inspiration for your next family holiday in Queenstown.

• This three-night, four-day family itinerary combines farm tours, luging, and off-road adventures with delicious food options.
• For a week-long getaway, this five-night, six-day itinerary heads off around the region’s cycle trails, explores the ski slopes or the lake (depending on season), and ends with a dose of adrenaline adventure.
• Here’s a guide to free and affordable family fun in Queenstown.

This town really is the perfect all-season launchpad for a family adventure. With our vast range of all-ages adventures, convenient, central accommodation, and a dining scene that keeps everyone happy, no matter what age, Queenstown will turn your next family getaway into the ultimate family trip. We can’t wait to see you and the kids.