If you’re looking to take a Milford sound day trip from Queenstown but are not sure where to start, you’re reading the right article! When we arrived in Queenstown, we knew we wanted to see Milford Sound, but weren’t sure the best way to go about doing it.
We had rented a car, but weren’t sure if we wanted to drive ourselves that far, if we could book a boat cruise alone, or if a tour from Queenstown would be a better idea, so as not to have to worry about anything on the way. We researched EVERYTHING and I will tell you all you need to know here about taking a Queenstown to Milford Sound day trip.
But first, let’s make one thing clear: visiting Milford Sound is one of the MOST INCREDIBLE things to do in New Zealand and should NOT be missed! You will understand why some people refer to this incredible place as the 8th wonder of the world with its sheer cliffs and booming waterfalls. If you make any plans while in Queenstown, make it this!
No time to read the whole article? Spoiler alert: after weighing options and prices, we booked this amazingly rated day tour. You’re welcome in advance.
Milford Sound Day Trip From Queenstown FAQ’s:
Why yes, of course, you can do a day trip from Queenstown to Milford Sound! You can drive yourself (4h each way) or you can sign up for a group tour with a guide. Most people do a day trip and only spend a day at Milford Sound.
Absolutely, unequivocally, YES! It’s one of the best sights you can see on the South Island and is worth making the trip to experience.
Yes, you can! A Milford Sound tour from Queenstown allows you to see the best of Milford Sound and Fiordland National Park in one day with an expert guide telling you all about what you see.
This article will help you choose whether to drive yourself to Milford Sound (just over 4 hours each direction) or take a tour where you will be driven with a group by a guide. Driving allows you more freedom, but you will have to make sure to manage time well and ensure you are prepared for the roads, while a tour allows you to sit back and relax.
If You are Debating Between Driving Yourself to Milford Sound from Queenstown and Taking a Day Tour
This is the first discussion we need to have about a Milford Sound day trip from Queenstown. If you have a rental car, it is indeed possible to drive yourself there on a day trip. However, you must consider the nearly 290km drive, which involves multiple drivers sharing the responsibility, planning stops, ensuring you are accustomed to the narrow (left-side) roads, and researching some information and history yourself.
Unfortunately while Milford Sound is not far from Queenstown as the crow flies (in fact it’s quite close to Glenorchy) the drive is MUCH longer. You have to drive all the way around Lake Wakatipu and some of the alps to get to the one and only entrance to Fiordland National Park past Te Anau, which usually takes over 4 hours.
If you opt for a day tour, you relinquish all planning into the hands of a capable guide who has driven this (probably) hundreds of times. You can pile into your coach or minibus, enjoy the scenery, stop for views when the bus stops, and listen to your guide telling you all the info you need to know. You can even nap – which everyone did on the way back!
You’ll even be served a packed lunch and given a ticket for the boat cruise so you have more time to relax and appreciate the surroundings.
If you have more time and don’t already have accommodation in Queenstown, you can even stay a night or two in Milford Sound at the only hotel in the park or in Te Anau, which is the closest town. But if you’re staying in Queenstown, I strongly believe that a day tour is the best option. That’s what we opted for.
But I also made you a handy chart to compare your options for a Milford Sound day trip from Queenstown or driving yourself:
| PROS of Driving Yourself to Milford Sound – no rigid schedule – Take as long as you want – Stop when you want – freedom over schedule – Stay longer. if you want | CONS of Driving Yourself to Milford Sound – gas $$ can add up – LONG and difficult drive on thin windy roads + left side – Don’t get to look in all directions all the time and appreciate scenery while driving – Can’t see all tall mountains from the car – Must plan out every aspect of your trip, pack lunch, book boat, and get there on time |
| PROS of a Milford Sound tour from Queenstown – No worrying about driving! – Dont have to navigate thin windy roads on left side – Minibus has glass ceilings to look at mountains – Can look out the window the whole time without worrying about road – Knowledgeable tour guide tells you everything from history to geology – Bus stops at all the best places – Don’t have to worry about any directions or getting lost | CONS of a Milford Sound tour from Queenstown – Rigid Schedule/fixed amount of time to spend – Not much free time – Can’t add extra stops – May be pricier than driving depending on how many in your group |
I hope that has helped you make your decision!
Which Decision We Made
After weighing these options, my parents and I booked this small group day tour here, which is NOT on a big coach but rather a small air-conditioned minibus with a max of 13 comfy seats, and our guide knew EVERYTHING. More on our tour below, or check out my vlog about our entire day on this tour:
Milford Sound Tour from Queenstown By Plane – Round Trip Flights and Cruise Option
Milford Sound has one of the most beautiful scenic flights in the world. So if neither option sounds good to you, look into this.
The airport at Milford Sound is tucked between the cliffs, making it only accessible to very skillful pilots, and also making it one of the most incredible flights genuinely in the world. For real, flying over these cliffs and seeing the river valleys and waterfalls from above might change your life.
If you have the resources, there are many fly-cruise-fly tours from Queenstown that fly you to Milford, get you on a cruise, and fly you back. This is the bougie, yet badass, way to see Milford Sound, but make sure you have a few buffer days in case the weather gets bad and you need to reschedule.
If you are up for it and aren’t keen on 8 hours of driving in one day trip, this is the best-rated Milford Sound Fly + Cruise Tour from Queenstown. It includes commentary from the captain and is also only a half day (flying is sooo much quicker) so you can do something else in the morning/afternoon if you are short on time. Check out the photo below:
What to Know Before Booking a Milford Sound Tour from Queenstown
Here are some things to know before booking a Milford Sound tour or visiting in general. See the official website for more info also.
Milford Sound is One of the Wettest Places on Earth
It rains in Milford Sound over 180 days a year, and the area gets 7m, yes SEVEN METERS of rain per year. Compare that to the Amazon’s 3m. What I mean by this is, you very possibly might get inclement weather… so, prepare for that and expect it.
However, Milford Sound is also one of the only places in the world that might possibly get MORE beautiful with rain. Why? The dozens and dozens of waterfalls, of course! With sheer cliffs, rain runoff has no choice but to form waterfalls all over the place, and with heavy rains, these waterfalls get bigger and more beautiful/powerful.
However, if the weather gets too bad, some operations may cease. Scenic flights are the first thing to go if weather is not optimal.
There are LOTS of Viewpoints to Pull over at in the National Park, But Not the Rest of the Drive.
You will definitely stop many times in the last hour or so before getting to Milford Sound (see stops below) to see viewpoints, lakes, and grab snacks. While most of the rest of the drive is beautiful, it is simply driving time. If you have a great guide like we did you will be engaged in stories and information, but other than that it’s a long time.
If You Get Carsick, Sit in the Front.
I was quite taken aback when I saw hospital-level barf bags in the front of the minibus, but the reality is that a lot of the drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound is quite windy. If you get carsick, bring medication and sit in the front! Our guide said that one person usually triggers others, so to speak up MUCH sooner rather than later.
Sit at the Top Right Side of the Boat
This is my top tip because all the Milford cruise boats have to stick to the left side of the cliffs while sailing out of the fjord and back into it. So the right side has the best views across the fjord by far.
If it’s a nice day, line up first and grab the open-air seats on the right side, and within 10 minutes you’ll have half the boat standing behind you trying to get some great views.
On Many/Most Parts of the Road in Fiordland National Park, You are Not Allowed to Stop Driving on the Road.
Because of the high amounts of traffic and cars/busses in the national park every day, it is illegal to stop your car in the road to view wildlife, photograph waterfalls/views, or for any reason really.
This is a benefit of being on a tour because your guide will point out terrific views and wildlife even when you are not stopping, so you know when to look and get your. camera ready. If you drive yourself, you might miss the view entirely and won’t be able to stop the car and go back to it.
Some Milford Sound Tours have Coach Busses, Some have Minibusses.
And you will be happy if you make sure to opt for one on a minibus, because let me tell you these big coaches are like mammoths on the tiny National Park roads… I don’t even know how they fit, to be honest.
There Are Different Kinds + Sizes Of Boats for Milford Sound Cruises
You only need to know this if you book your cruise by itself (as organized tours will take care of which boat you go on), but there are a few different sizes of boats that cruise the Sound.
Some are larger catamarans and others are smaller single-hulled ships. Our tour had us on one of the smaller boats, which we found very manageable with fewer people and more space. I don’t think there’s much difference, but if you book a boat by itself, you may enjoy a smaller boat cruise more.
Stops to See on a Milford Sound Tour from Queenstown
Here are some places you’ll need to stop on your day trip to Milford Sound from Queenstown.
Alpine Center: This is where our bus stopped in Te Anau. At first, I wished we stopped in town (some tours do) but when I learned their baked goods were delicious and you could buy alpaca food for $1 and feed the CUTEST little alpacas across the road, I was sold. Make sure to feed the alpacas!
Te Anau: This tiny lakeside town has 5k residents and 10k tourist beds (source: our guide Erik). Even if you don’t stop in town, you will drive through it and get to see it.
Eglington Flats/Eglington Valley Viewpoint: This viewpoint has plenty of space for ALL the buses to pull off and see a vast expanse of field with menacing mountains in the distance. It’s a perfect photo op (pictured above).
Mirror Lakes: These are stunning lakes with pristine ,clear water and fallen branches visible under. the surface. These are apparently much better when there’s no wind, but I thought they were lovely with a bit of a breeze too!
Lake Gunn: This lake is named after an intrepid explorer Davey Gunn who once lived off the land in the fiordlands for many years, pioneered many tracks, lead groups, and saved some people from a remote plane crash. The lake is beautiful and a great photo op (pictured above).
Pop’s View Lookout: This epic viewpoint looks out over a valley with massive (probably snowy) mountains towering overhead. Hopefully you will have less low-hanging fog than us!
Homer Tunnel: This 1.2km tunnel took 18 years, yes EIGHTEEN YEARS to build. This is why you are able to visit Milford Sound – because of the hard work of people with pick axes many years before you! And yes, I am serious about the pick axes.
Milford Valley Lookout: Have your camera ready as soon as you get out of the tunnel because the view from the first turn is, in my opinion, the best!
Bowen Falls: This MASSIVE waterfall is one of Milford’s biggest, and it is visible on your right side (hence why you should sit on the right) as soon as you set sail. Don’t miss it!
And then all of MILFORD SOUND of course! Pretty much everything on this whole drive is stunning. Don’t forget to pay attention!
Our Milford Sound Tour from Queenstown Experience: Review
As I mentioned before, we booked a tour on Viator. Although we had a car and could have driven ourselves, we weren’t up for a day with that much involvement (driving, directions, knowing stops, maps, timings to make boat, food, etc). We did lots of research into which tour was the best, and we unequivocally came up with the one below, and we LOVED it. I’m not just saying that either.
This tour was with Altitude Tours, who have small minibusses with GLASS CEILINGS so you can see the mountains and views even when they’re above you. The bus was high-tech (with USB chargers), clean, and super comfy. Apparently, they retrofitted the buses to have even fewer seats with more room – that’s when you know a company cares.
Our guide Erik was honestly one of the most knowledgeable people I have ever met – I felt like I could ask him ANYTHING about not only the history of New Zealand, the geology of Milford Sound, and information about the area, but ANYTHING at all. Our group loved his commentary so much that he was simply telling us stories by the end of the tour!
Being a small group tour, he encouraged us all to speak up if we needed anything and chat to one another rather than just have him talk to us like a presenter. He was an absolute boss of a driver (he had driven this tour thousands of times) but very safe, and he gave us plenty of time at all the stops while communicating any time limits or meeting places clearly.
The packed lunches we got as part of the tour were actually delicious with lots of different foods for us to eat on the boat tour while we marveled at the views.
The boat tour (I think it was Mitre Peak) was also fantastic, with a friendly crew and captain giving commentary. We got a few rain showers (make sure to bring a raincoat) but it was great weather for most of our cruise, with breaks between sun and moody clouds.
We sadly didn’t see any dolphins, which I guess is common, but we did see 5 or 6 tiny adorable seals sunning themselves near one of the bigger waterfalls.
All in all, our trip could not have gone more smoothly, and thanks to our tour, we truly didn’t have to worry about a thing but rather sat back, relaxed, and learned tons from Erik while enjoying the views. This tour wasn’t sponsored for this blog post either, I’m giving my honest opinion and I know you’ll enjoy it too. It’s worth it!
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Let me know if you have any questions about the Milford Sound day trip from Queenstown, and let me know in the comments which trip you chose (or reach out/follow me on Instagram if you enjoyed these photos)!
While in Queenstown you can’t miss out on the TSS Earnslaw Cruise + Buffet of the ferry to the north island!
Passionate, full-time travel blogger with over 230k on social media and 150kMPV blog. Extraordinary photographer with two DSLR's + a drone with a love for capturing candid moments, epic drone shots, and magical compositions. I'm a natural-born content creator originally from California, but I've been on the road for 9 years living, working, traveling, blogging, and photographing my way around the world. I recommend the most amazingly adventurous and unique + boutique travel experiences/stays and helpful products to my audience and write comprehensive guides on my website that have helped millions of travelers so far. I love to inspire people to plan their dream trips, and many readers have given feedback as such. The reach on my platforms continues to soar, especially when combining cutting-edge social content with optimized articles on my high-authority website.