Home › Hot Spots › Queenstown › Wanaka
Direct comparison
Instead of Queenstown, try Wanaka.
Wanaka has the same lake and mountain scenery as Queenstown with a smaller town, lower prices, and Mount Aspiring National Park at the door.
Similarity
84%
How comparable the experiences are
Crowd relief
78%
Estimated pressure reduction
Recommendation
85%
Overall editorial confidence
Skip (or time carefully)
Queenstown
Adventure Resort · New Zealand
The main strip and waterfront are tourist-saturated year-round. Skifield queues in winter. Most lakeside activities involve queuing.
Cost: $$$
Consider instead
Wanaka
Lake Town · New Zealand
Growing fast but still a fraction of Queenstown's visitor numbers.
Cost: $$$
Layers
Region
Best for
Outdoor travellers who want the Otago scenery without the Queenstown price tag and tourist density
The tradeoff
Getting more expensive as its reputation spreads. Still requires a car to access most of what makes it worthwhile.
Queenstown and Wanaka are approximately 75 km apart. Both are in the same country.