Morning
8 – 11am
Adventure capital · Editorial Top 10sThe best of
The best of
Queenstown. Ranked.
Bungy, ski fields, fine dining, lake cruises and après — the adventure capital ranked Top 10 across every category by people on the ground.
- 39+ categories
- Top 10 lists
- Tāhuna · Live
39categories39ranked lists24/7live updates
Tāhuna · LiveAdvertising·Hero spot available·1 sponsor / month · buys visibility, not rank·Enquire
LIVEZQN#1 ADVENTURESkyline Gondola#1 BUNGYKawarau Bridge#1 RESTAURANTRata#1 BURGERFergburger#1 CAFEVudu#1 INDIANMantra#1 HOTELEichardt's#1 SKICoronet Peak#1 GYMCityFitness#1 DETAILERKawash#1 SOCIALAmit SharmaREFRESHDAILY · NZTLIVEZQN#1 ADVENTURESkyline Gondola#1 BUNGYKawarau Bridge#1 RESTAURANTRata#1 BURGERFergburger#1 CAFEVudu#1 INDIANMantra#1 HOTELEichardt's#1 SKICoronet Peak#1 GYMCityFitness#1 DETAILERKawash#1 SOCIALAmit SharmaREFRESHDAILY · NZT
413
places ranked across 39 categories
39
independent Top 10 lists
25
editor's picks
2026
editorially reviewed & kept current
Rank isn't for sale — ads are labelled Ranked editorially, not by paid placement 25 editor's picks across the lists Locally curated for Queenstown
// Featured partners
Daily SpotlightFriday, Aug 7
Advertise Here #5 in Lawyers
Checketts McKay Law
Cromwell-Queenstown firm with a strong rural and viticultural practice.
Why today: Ski season — book ahead and expect the town to be full.
// Browse 39 categories
Pick a category to explore Queenstown
Best Breweries & Craft Beer in Queenstown
Lakeside taprooms, riverside breweries and Shotover Street beer bars.
~/guide/breweries Live · 20266 listed
Lakeside taprooms, riverside breweries and Shotover Street beer bars.
Altitude Brewing at the Queenstown marina is the brewery to visit if you only visit one — it pours its own beer with a lake and mountain outlook. Searchlight Brewery at 12 Industrial Place is the locals' choice with a constantly rotating tap list, and Canyon Brewing at Arthurs Point pairs a big indoor-outdoor site with the Shotover River below.
- breweries Queenstown
- craft beer Queenstown
- taproom Queenstown
- Queenstown brewery tour
Top Pick
#1
Altitude Brewing
Lakeside brewery and taproom by the Frankton marina with award-winning beers, rotating food trucks and stunning lake and mountain views.
Frankton Marina
$$Beer with a viewGroupsAn easy afternoon
- Booking
- Walk-in taproom at the Queenstown marina.
- Season
- Year-round. Frankton Track works mean a signposted detour along the Frankton Road footpath through 2026 if walking from town.
#2
Searchlight Brewery
Independent Queenstown taproom with rotating taps, handpull cask ales, a sunny beer garden, fire pit and regular live music nights.
Industrial Place, Queenstown
$$Beer rangeLocalsTrying something new
- Booking
- Walk-in. 12 Industrial Place — a deliberate trip, not a walk-past.
- Season
- Year-round, with 19 constantly rotating taps.
#3
Canyon Brewing
Microbrewery, taproom and restaurant at Arthurs Point pouring beers brewed onsite, with wood-fired pizza overlooking the Shotover River.
Arthurs Point
$$After the Shotover JetGroupsIndoor-outdoor space
- Booking
- Walk-in. Arthurs Point, above the Shotover River.
- Season
- Year-round; the outdoor terrace is the summer draw.
#4
#5
Breweries in Queenstown — common questions
// You might also like
Keep exploring Queenstown
// Same list, other cities
Best breweries in Auckland & Wellington
Ranked to the same editorial standard as this page, by the same team.
More on this category
// Browse by suburb
Popular Queenstown suburbs
// Your day, planned
Plan your perfect day in Queenstown
Pick a vibe and we'll build a morning-to-nightcap itinerary from our own ranked local picks. Shuffle it, then copy the whole day in one tap.
Bungy, jet boats and a freefall before lunch — the adventure-capital classic.
Afternoon
12 – 4pm
Evening
5 – 9pm
Nightcap
After dark
// Through a local's eyes
Queenstown, the way locals live it.
Beyond the Top 10s — the lakeside rituals, mountain runs and back-valley detours that make Tāhuna feel like home. Here's where we'd actually send a mate.
🪂Adventure capital
Kawarau & the Skyline
This is where the world's commercial bungy began — locals still get a thrill watching first-timers freefall off the Kawarau Bridge over that impossible turquoise water. On a clear afternoon the move is the Skyline Gondola up Bob's Peak, then lap after lap of the luge until your cheeks ache. In winter the same crew is first on the chairlifts at Coronet Peak or The Remarkables, chasing fresh corduroy before the day-trippers arrive.
⛵Lake & mountains
Lake Wakatipu to Glenorchy
Everything here orbits the lake. Locals love the slow theatre of the TSS Earnslaw — the century-old steamer chuffing across Wakatipu at golden hour — then the drive out to Glenorchy, easily one of the most beautiful roads in the country. Push on to Paradise and the Dart Valley and you're standing in Middle-earth, with the Humboldt range mirrored in the water and not a soul around.
🍷Gold & pinot
Arrowtown & Gibbston Valley
Twenty minutes from the buzz, time slows down. Locals wander Arrowtown's tree-lined Buckingham Street — gold-rush cottages, the old Chinese settlement on the river, and the Lakes District Museum — best in autumn when the avenues turn fire-orange. Then it's into the Gibbston wine valley, where the schisty slopes pour some of the world's finest pinot noir; cellar doors like Gibbston Valley and Amisfield reward a long, lazy lunch.
🍔Après & after dark
The Mall & Fergburger
Come down off the mountain hungry and there's only one question: are you queuing at Fergburger? Locals know the line moves fast and the burger earns its hype — best chased with a Patagonia hot chocolate two doors down. From there the lakefront Mall hums into the night, from craft-beer dens and live bands to fine dining like Rātā, where the menu finally puts those Central Otago wines to their proper use.
// Sponsored · Our partners
SponsoredProudly partnered with great Kiwi brands.
Paid placements. These brands sponsor the network and their support keeps the guides free — sponsorship buys visibility here, never a position in any Top 10.
// Good to know
Queenstown — frequently asked questions
Free insider guide
Get the best of Queenstown, before everyone else.
Join the Queenstown insider list — new Top 10s, hidden gems, new openings and local deals, straight to your inbox. Free, occasional, no spam.
// NZ City Guides Network
One network. Every great Kiwi city.
Editorial Top 10 rankings — written locally, ranked on merit. Four cities, one editorial standard. A ranking position is never for sale.
Visit guideBestAuckland.online
Auckland
City of Sails
Visit guideBestWellington.online
Wellington
Capital coffee & culture
Visit guideBestRotorua.online
Rotorua
Geothermal capital
You are hereBestQueenstown.online
Queenstown
Adventure capital
More cities coming soon · Want your city listed? Get in touch
