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Queenstown's town centre curving around Queenstown Bay on Lake Wakatipu, seen from the hill above, with wooded peninsulas and mountains beyond

Where to stay in Queenstown

Photographed in 2016. Photo: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Queenstown

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About Queenstown

Queenstown Airport is in Frankton, about 8 km by road from the town centre. The choice runs from the lakeside town centre and the suburbs near the airport to Arrowtown, Glenorchy and Wānaka, about 69 km away over the Crown Range.

New Zealand. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Queenstown (ZQN) in Frankton, about 8 km by road from the town centre. Source
Taxi from the airport
The airport's own guide puts a taxi to the town centre at about NZD 50 to 85 and to Arrowtown at about NZD 85 to 115, its NZD 9.10 charge per ride included. Source
Local visitor levy
None in force. The council's proposed levy on short-term visitor accommodation is on hold, as its project page said in April 2026. Source
Entry
EU, UK and US visitors need no visa but must hold an NZeTA before flying, from NZD 17 in the official app. A visit lasts up to 3 months, or 6 months for British citizens. Source
International visitor levy
NZD 100 per person since 1 October 2024, up from NZD 35, paid with each NZeTA or visa application rather than per night. Source
GST
GST is 15%. Since 1 April 2024 online platforms collect it on short-stay accommodation booked through them. Source
Holiday home rules
Hosts register with the council. In the lower and medium density and large lot residential zones a house is let to one group at a time, at most 2 adults per bedroom, for up to 90 nights a year unless it has a resource consent. Source
Town centres
In the Queenstown, Wānaka and Arrowtown town centre zones a registered home has no cap on the number of nights. Source
Parking with a rental car
Council-managed spaces in Queenstown are free from 6pm to 8am and on public holidays. A car in a mobility space without a permit faces an instant NZD 750 fine. Source
Monthly stays
The council counts the same paying guests staying 90 days or more as tenants; shorter stays are short-term visitor accommodation. Source
Emergency number
111 for police, fire and ambulance; 105 for the police when it is not an emergency Source

Areas of Queenstown

The pedestrian Queenstown Mall with shops, street lamps and trees, and people walking under a cloudy sky
Photographed in 2017. Photo: Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Queenstown town centre

The resort town's centre on the north-western shore of Lake Wakatipu, with the pedestrian Queenstown Mall. It suits a first visit on foot and short stays, and its town centre zone has no cap on the nights a registered home can be let.

Queenstown Airport
about 8 km

Car and parking

Council spaces are free from 6pm to 8am and on public holidays. The council car parks include Boundary Street, Lakeview, Memorial Street, Athol Street, Ballarat Street with 102 spaces and the Stanley and Ballarat Street corner with 131. The council publishes no hourly tariff online and PayMyPark adds 50 cents per transaction for casual users (via GetCar), so read the sign.

Frankton

A suburb of Queenstown that was once a separate settlement, home to the airport and the Remarkables Park town centre. It suits early flights and a base with the Frankton bus interchange, where airport buses connect with routes to Arrowtown and Jacks Point.

Queenstown Airport
about 1 km
Queenstown town centre
about 7 km

Car and parking

The council runs no park-and-ride at Frankton (via GetCar), and street parking rules here were not verified as of September 2026, so ask the host whether a space comes with the booking.

Houses of Kelvin Heights along the shore of Lake Wakatipu, with the snow-streaked Remarkables range behind under a clear sky
Photographed in 2014. Photo: Misaochan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Kelvin Heights

The Queenstown suburb on the Kelvin Peninsula, across the Frankton Arm from the town centre, with houses along the lake shore and the Remarkables behind. It suits a house for a family or group with a car.

Queenstown Airport
about 8 km
Queenstown town centre
about 14 km

Car and parking

The town centre is about 3 km across the water but about 14 km by road round the Frankton Arm. Street parking rules were not verified as of September 2026; ask the host about parking.

Buckingham Street in Arrowtown with cars parked along the kerb, people on the footpath outside old shopfronts and wooded hills behind
Photographed in 2019. Photo: Schwede66, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Arrowtown

A historic gold-mining town with many well-preserved buildings from the gold era. It suits a quieter base with a car; its town centre zone has no cap on let nights, its historic residential zone a cap of 90 a year.

Queenstown Airport
about 15 km
Queenstown town centre
about 20 km

Car and parking

Parking rules in Arrowtown were not verified as of September 2026; ask the host. The airport's guide puts a taxi from the airport at about NZD 85 to 115.

Houses of Wānaka spreading towards the blue water of Lake Wānaka, with brown hills and snow-capped mountains behind, seen from the air
Photo: Hagai Agmon-Snir حچاي اچمون-سنير חגי אגמון-שניר, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wānaka

A ski and summer resort town at the southern end of Lake Wānaka and the gateway to Mount Aspiring National Park. It suits a second base for a longer trip, and its town centre zone has no cap on let nights.

Queenstown Airport
about 64 km
Queenstown town centre
about 69 km

Car and parking

About 69 km from Queenstown over the Crown Range, where chains must be carried from May to September and the council fines NZD 750 for not fitting them when a sign requires it, or about 114 km through Cromwell (via GetCar). Street parking rules were not verified.

The dark wooden General Store in Glenorchy, with picnic tables and flower planters in front and a hill behind
Photographed in 2016. Photo: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Glenorchy

A small settlement at the northern end of Lake Wakatipu, with two pubs, a café and small shops catering mainly to visitors. It suits a quiet stay at the head of the lake, less so a base for daily trips into town.

Queenstown Airport
about 54 km
Queenstown town centre
about 46 km

Car and parking

The lakeside road from Queenstown is about 46 km. Beyond the village the road to Paradise is gravel for 9 km after the Rees River bridge and can flood in heavy rain, so check the rental terms on unsealed roads (via GetCar).

Guides

Questions

Which part of Queenstown is best for a first visit?

The town centre, on Lake Wakatipu, with the pedestrian Queenstown Mall and council car parks that are free from 6pm to 8am. Frankton, about 1 km from the airport, suits early flights.

Does Queenstown charge a tourist tax?

No. The council's proposed levy on short-term visitor accommodation is on hold, as its project page said in April 2026. GST is 15%, and visitors pay the NZD 100 international visitor levy once, with the NZeTA.

Is parking free in Queenstown at night?

Yes, in council-managed spaces: parking is free from 6pm to 8am the next morning and on public holidays. By day it is paid at the machine or in the PayMyPark app.

Can a Queenstown holiday home be let all year?

In the lower and medium density residential zones a registered house can take paying guests for up to 90 nights a year without a resource consent, one group at a time. In the Queenstown, Wānaka and Arrowtown town centre zones there is no cap on nights.