10 Best Things to Do in Cairns, Australia

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Cairns was probably my favorite city that I visited on my trip to Australia! Located in Northern Queensland, Cairns is considered one of the main gateways to the Great Barrier Reef! What I loved most about Cairns was how many Great Barrier Reef related activities there were to do in addition to snorkeling or diving. But, even if you are not interested in the Great Barrier Reef, there is still a lot of diverse things that you can do in Cairns for any and all ages. This post covers the top 10 best things to do in Cairns!

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1. Snorkel or Dive in the Great Barrier Reef

This is the absolute best thing to do in Cairns. As I mentioned, Cairns is considered a main gateway to the Great Barrier Reef because it’s so easily accessible from here. Cairns has an airport that is under 15 minutes from the city center and is so easy to get to and from. Once in Cairns, you have so many ways and options to either snorkel or dive in the Great Barrier Reef. I am linking the two tours I did and can highly recommend! I also encourage you to read the more in-depth article I wrote about visiting the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns, which I have also linked below!

Read more about visiting the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns in my details article HERE

2. Visit the Night Market

The Cairns night market is very interesting! I went there several times during my stay. You can find many different things at this market from food to souvenirs to clothing and artwork! You can even get a massage! There were several massage places and they were all packed all the time! They open from early evening to late night every night!

3. Take a Day Trip to Port Douglas

Port Douglas is a resort town just over an hour away from Cairns and is also a popular base for snorkeling and diving in the Great Barrier Reef. My favorite part about Port Douglas was actually getting there! The views along Captain Cook Highway were truly stunning! The drive can be very winding and narrow at times but the views more than make up for it. You can stop at Holloways Beach, Trinity Beach, or Rex Lookout if you want to but even the views from the car were fantastic.

Once in Port Douglas you could spend half a day exploring the town and the other half on a boat trip with snorkeling to the Low Isles. I took the tour below and saw a ton of turtles and got to swim right with them. Amazing!

4. Visit an Island or Two

If you are looking for places to snorkel that doe not involve jumping into the middle of the ocean then consider hoping over to either Fitzroy Island or Green Island. Both are located close to Cairns and can be visited easily as day trips. It takes about 45 minutes to get to each one from Cairns and there are ferries that take you over. In addition to snorkeling, both islands have a rain forest and a resort that you can explore. Fitzroy also has hiking trails that takes you to some incredible vistas.

See below for a tour that takes you to Fitzroy or Green Island.

5. Explore Cairns’ Esplanade

Ok, this was one of my absolute favorite things to do in Cairns. This area in Cairns is so nice and has a giant public pool known as the lagoon, walking paths, playgrounds, BBQ areas and so much more! The lagoon is open late in the summer which is great if you want to cool off from the humidity!

6. Enjoy a Nice Meal/Drinks Along the Water

I really enjoyed the vibe and atmosphere at Cairns! Especially in the evenings and at night. There are lots of amazing restaurants and bars that you can visit. If you are going during summer time, I highly recommend that you make reservations in advance. One of my favorite cocktail bars was called Sunset Bar Cairns and I really enjoyed some unique cocktails overlooking the mountains and water. Other notable places for a nice meal were Backyard Cairns and Waterbar & Grill.

7. Visit Kuranda

Kuranda is an Aboriginal rainforest where you can learn about Aboriginal culture and the wander streets of the town. Perhaps getting here may be the one of the most fun things that you can do from Cairns. To get to Kuranda, you can either take a cable car called the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway or a scenic train ride called the Kuranda Scenic Railway. It takes around 40 minutes to an hour to get to Kuranda from Cairns via the cable car. You will see amazing views of the rainforest down below from the cable car. It makes a couple of stops including to see a beautiful waterfall and gorge.

The railway takes around 90 minutes. It passes through a scenic route and also stops at the waterfall and gorge. You can take the cable car in to Kuranda and the railway back.

You should definitely book both the cable car and the railway ahead. If you don’t want to figure this out on your own, you can check out a tour below that will take care of tickets and transfers.

8. Take a Day Trip to Daintree Rainforest

The Daintree Rainforest is Australia’s biggest rainforest and is 180 million years old. Not only is it the oldest rainforest in the world, it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Daintree Rainforest is a popular day trip from Cairns and takes about an hour and half to get there. If you want to visit a rainforest and a beach all at the same place, then definitely explore Daintree Rainforest.

Once you are here you can walk some of the paths and trails, take a boat ride, explore a beach or two or visit a gorge. Check out more HERE!

You can drive to Daintree Rainforest or take a tour like the ones below that offer pickup and drop off from Cairns.

9. Fly Over the Great Barrier Reef

If you really want to experience the vastness of the Great Barrier Reef and see its wonderful shades of blues, then you should see it from above. You can do this by taking a flightseeing tour that leaves from the Cairns airport. The flight takes about 40 minutes and it was a great experience seeing the Great Barrier Reef from above. The pilot did a nice job explaining what we were seeing and giving us information about the Great Barrier Reef. Check out the exact tour I did below!

10. Take a Sunset Cruise

A nice way to relax in Cairns, especially after a day of sight seeing is to take a sunset cruise. You can do a short one with drinks and snacks or a slightly longer tour that also comes with dinner.

Bonus Places

If you are visiting with kids, especially smaller children, they may enjoy a visit to the Cairns aquarium or botanical gardens. The aquarium boasts of 6,000 marine life across nine distinct ecosystems. The botanical gardens is considered to be a tropical paradise and is renowned for having one of the best exhibitions of tropical plants in Australia.

Where to Stay in Cairns

Pick a central spot when you are booking accommodation, especially if you don’t plan on driving. I stayed at the Crystalbrook Flynn. This hotel is located in a very central spot and is walking distance to everything! HERE is a link if you want to check it out!

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