Cairns, along with Darwin, is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Queensland and an excellent gateway destination for exploring Australia’s Northern Territory.

Best places for hiking in South Australia

If you are traveling to this city for the first time, Cairns Queensland is very touristy and has a feel to the French Riviera, with luxurious accommodations and expensive yachts.

Nicest Beaches in Australia

However, what makes Cairns Queensland so popular is its wealth of natural attractions and outdoor opportunities such as hiking at one of the national parks or forest reserves.


If you are traveling to Australia consider the following places: Perth, Brisbane, Tasmania and Adelaide.


Things to do in Cairns Queensland: Fun Outdoor Activities

Hiking & Canoeing

If you are an outdoor enthusiast and are looking to enjoy the Queensland's natural scenery, Barron National Park is just a short drive from the city center (around 30 minutes by car).

Apart from great hiking trails at the park, you can kayak along Barron River and enjoy picnicking as well as a free tour of the Barron Gorge Hydro-Power Station.

Beware that camping is not allowed at the park but if you are looking to camp out, the nearby Speewah State Forest has campsites there.

Scuba Diving & Snorkeling

Fitzroy Island

One of the best places for diving and snorkeling opportunities it’s Fitzroy Island, which is an easy forty minute ferry ride from the Cairns Reef Fleet Terminal to Marlin Marina.

Once you get to Fitzroy Island, you can hire diving and snorkeling gear, paddle boats and kayaks.

Don’t forget to book the popular glass bottom boat tour, which allows you to see colorful fish and marine plants.

Apart from water activities, the Fitzroy Island is home to a National Park home to many hiking trails that will allow you to explore all the areas of the Island.

Low Isles

The Low Isles are another hot-spot for snorkeling and diving as the waters are crystal clear and the coral is excellent.

To reach the Low Isles, head to Port Douglas where you can find many tour companies that will take out on the outer reef and the Low Isles for scuba diving and snorkeling trips.

Helicopter Tour

If you are not on a tight budget, a helicopter tour is another popular way to discover the area around Cairns from overhead.

A typical helicopter tour takes you around the rain forest and the Great Barrier Reef, allowing you to take unforgettable pictures.

Cable-way Ride

If you are visiting the town of Kuranda, another activity worth adding to your itinerary it’s a ride on the Skyrail Rain-forest Cableway, which runs between the towns of Kuranda and Caravonica (return trip takes around 3 hours)

During the ride you can get amazing views of the forest, the Barron River and the water falls.

Things to do in Cairns Queensland: Beaches

If you are looking to spend most of your vacation at the beach there are plenty of northern beaches to choose from.

Machans Beach and Holloways Beach are the nearest beaches to Cairns Queensland. You can reach these two beaches on Bus7, but if you are driving it’s around 20 minutes along Captain Cook highway.

Three of the most popular northern beaches are:

Trinity Beach

Trinity Beach is just 10 miles from Cairns and offers plenty of amenities such as restaurants, picnic tables, lodging and even shopping places.

Trinity Beach is a cool 20 minutes by car, and 50 minutes on the Bus2A.

Palm Cove

Palm Beach is one of the best international beach destinations in Cairns Queensland and features a sandy shoreline with beautiful palm trees reminiscent of Los Angeles and Miami beaches.

Palm Cove is just 30 minutes by car, and around 60 minutes on the Bus1X.

Four Mile Beach

Four Mile Beach is a short walk from Port Douglas and it is another beautiful sandy beach where you can enjoy plenty of beach activities such as Kite surfing.

Things to do in Cairns Queensland: Day Trip

Kuranda

Kuranda town is located 15 miles northwest of Cairns’ city center. There are a couple of options for getting to Kuranda and these include public transit, car and railway.

If you are using car rental, take first the Captain Cook Highway towards Macalister Range then the Kennedy Highway (It takes around 30 minutes by car).

Having said this, one of the best ways to enjoy a trip to Kuranda town is with the Kuranda Scenic Railway.

The Kuranda railway line offers breathtaking mountain scenery views and an amazing vertical drop view as it passes through Stoney Creek Falls Bridge.

The Scenic line also cuts through the Barron Gorge National Park and stops at Barron Falls allowing you to catch a glimpse of these majestic waterfalls.

Once in Kuranda, you can check out a koala and butterfly sanctuary as well as the Cairns Wildlife Safari Reserve.

Things to do in Cairns Queensland: Shopping

For retail shopping, the Cairns Central Shopping center (located on Spence Street, near Cairns Central Station) offers plenty of department stores to choose from as well as a food court.

Pier Market Place, adjacent Marlin Marina, is another popular shopping center that offers over 100 different department stores, cafes and a food court.

For souvenir shopping, the Chinese night market on Esplanade Street (along the waterfront) is one of the best places where you can find all kinds of handmade items.

Things to do in Cairns Queensland: Nightlife & Entertainment

The nightlife in Cairns Queensland consists of bars and a few nightclubs mostly located on the city center.

Along the waterfront on Esplanade Street you can find a few bars and cafes where you can enjoy a quite drink.

Bungalow district, along Spence Street, also features plenty of bars and nightclubs such as Tropos nightclub, which plays mainly hip-hop and R&B music.

Things to do in Cairns Queensland: Events & Festivals

Port Douglas Carnivale

The Port Douglas Carnivale, held in May in Port Douglas, is a popular event that features a different theme every year.

This year the event features a vintage era theme and you’ll be able to see vintage cars, beautiful street parades, amazing floats and plenty of live entertainment.

Go Troppo Arts Festival

The Go Troppo Arts Festival, held in October in Port Douglas, is one of the most popular cultural events in Australia. The festival is a community event, and brings together artists, performers and dancers from all over the region to share their passion for art.

Cairns Blues Festival

If you love Blues music, and are traveling in early May, you can catch the Cairns Blues Festival at Fogarty Park.

Cairns Show

The Cairns Show is a two day event that happens in July on Severin Street. The event features the best arts and craft in the northern territory, along with farming shows, and fun competitions such as wood chopping contests.

See. Places to visit in New South Wales
fun places to go in Australia for young and old 
Top natural attractions in Australia
things to do on Australia's west coast

Invercargill is located south of New Zealand and north of Stewart Island, which is home to the majestic Rakiura National Park.

Top 10 Sights to See in New Zealand

Those of you traveling from Scotland will feel quite at home in this part of New Zealand as locals are proud of their Scottish heritage, and they even have a Scottish twang to their accents.

If you are looking to explore nearby cities, Invercargill New Zealand is just a couple of hours drive from Queenstown and Dunedin New Zealand.

Things to do in Invercargill New Zealand: Places of Interest

Queens Park

Queens Park, located between the Windsor and Avenal neighborhoods, is one of the most popular urban parks in Invercargill New Zealand.

Apart from being able to enjoy a multitude of recreational activities, the park is home to a golf course, an art gallery museum, an observatory and a botanical Garden.

Thomsons Bush

The Thomsons Bush is an excellent park home to a mile of walking paths, and open areas where you can enjoy recreational activities.

Thomsons Bush, located in the Waikiwi neighborhood, is actually a protected native forest, and as you walk along the paths, you can marvel at the lush forest.

Elizabeth Park

If you are traveling with your pet, Elizabeth Park is one of the few pet-friendly parks where dogs can roam freely.

Also, if you are planning in renting bikes, Elizabeth Park (located on Rockdale neighborhood) has a cool BMX circuit.

Splash Palace Water Park

If you are traveling with the family, one of the most popular things to do in Invercargill with kids it’s to visit Splash Palace.

The water park is located on Elles Road (adjacent Rugby Park), and features water areas for the little ones, water slides and a spa pool for adults to relax.

Oreti Beach

If you are traveling to Invercargill New Zealand, you can spend some time at the Oreti Beach, which is located 5 miles west of Invercargill's city center.

Things to do in Invercargill New Zealand: Fun Day Trips

Stewart Island

If you love hiking and would like to explore New Zealand’s great outdoors, a day trip to Rakiura National Park on Stewart Island should be high on your agenda.

You can get to Steward Island by plane but the ferry ride is one of the most fun ways to get there.

To reach Stewart Island, you need to get to the seaport town of Bluff, which is just 12 miles south of Invercargill New Zealand along the Bluff Highway (the drive takes less than 30 minutes).

The ferry service is between Bluff town and Oban village (Steward Island) and the trip takes around 60 minutes (ticket prices hover around $60 one way).

The natural scenery at the Rakiura National Park is quite breathtaking and once you get here, you can expect lush forest with plenty of fauna to observe, as well as many trails to hike along.

Rakiura National Park can be enjoyed on a day trip, but if you wish to make it a two or three day affair, there is a variety of accommodations around the Oban village to suit all budgets.

Fiordland National Park

Another day trip worth adding to your Invercargill itinerary, it’s a visit to Fiordland National Park.

This park is located northwest of Invercargill’s city center and the overall driving time to reach the park is 3 hours.

To gain access to the park, you need to take the 'Te Anau Mossburn Highway' towards Te Anau town (around 2 hours drive).

From there, you need to take the 'Te Anau Milford Highway' towards Milford Sound (a further 90 minute drive).

Once you get to Fiordland Park, you can enjoy plenty of outdoor activities such as hiking and canoeing.

Milford Sound

Apart from exploring Fiordland Park, don’t forget to visit Milford Sound for breathtaking views of cliffs and waterfalls.

Milford Sound features an underwater observatory where you can marvel at black coral,and if you want to get better views of Milford Sound, there are many tour companies offering boat tours of Milford Sound, departing from the Milford Sound Visitors' Centre.

Things to do in Invercargill New Zealand: Shopping

For retail shopping, the Glengarry neighborhood is home to the 'Challenge Glengarry' and Make ‘n’ Bake shopping centers (both of these shopping centers are located near the Stadium Southland).

Another popular shopping center it’s the 'A Streak A' head, which is located in the Gladstone neighborhood, near Queens Park.

For boutique shopping, along Esk Street you can find many small stores and boutique shops with the usual popular designers.

Things to do in Invercargill New Zealand: Nightlife & Entertainment

The city center of Invercargill is the heart of the night scene in the city.

Along Dee Street, Esk Street and Tay Street is where you can find many restaurants, bars and the popular Tillermans bar and nightclub.

Things to do in Invercargill New Zealand: Events & Festivals

Invercargill Gypsy Fair

The Invercargill Gypsy Fair, held in April at Queens Park, is an annual event where you can enjoy a fair gypsy style. At the fair you can enjoy tarot reading, tattooing, live entertainment and more.

Dunkley's New Zealand Craft Show

The Dunkley's New Zealand Craft Show, held in September at the Stadium Southland, is one of the most popular craft events in New Zealand. At the event you can see the country’s best craftsmen and their works.

Teretonga Race Track

If you are a car racing enthusiast, Teretonga Race Track (located along Sandy Point Road) features various types of monthly racing events such as Drifting and Clubsport events. 


See. Must see places in Edinburgh

Scotland is home to some of the most stunning scenery in the world, many castles and historic sites.

Undoubtedly, there is many fun things to do in Scotland and a trip here offers you a chance to explore and experience Scotland’s rich history, customs and traditions that will leave you lasting memories of this magical and unique county.

If you are traveling from a large country such as the USA it is good to remember that Scotland is a small county that can be driven across it in a few hours. This means, you can explore also the Welsh county, as well as holiday destinations in England  such as the city of Bath England.

Fun Things to do in Scotland: Outdoor Activities

Perhaps, one of the best ways to get a feel of the Glencoe mountain scenery is by taking a train ride on the famous West Highland Railway. In fact, the West Highland Line is one of the most popular fun things to do in Scotland to soak in the Scottish scenery.

A ride on the West Highland Line, which links Mallaig to Glasgow, takes you through wonderful scenery that includes the famous 21-arch viaduct at Glenfinnan. The train ride also offers great views of the Ben Nevis Mountains and the isles of Eigg, Muck and Rum.

GlenCoe is also a great place where you can explore the highlands of Scotland. Glencoe’s beautiful mountain scenery is an ideal place where you can enjoy mountain biking, horseback riding, and fishing.

Rannoch Moor is another beautiful place in Scotland home to the ancient forest of the Caledonian, where you can explore Moor’s flora and fauna and wildlife such as red deer.

Fun Things to do in Scotland: Places of Interest

Knap of Howar Historic Site

At Knap of Howar on the Orkney island of Papa Westray, you can find two stone built houses which are the earliest North European dwellings known, dating back to around 3800 years BC.

Skara Brae Village

Skara Brae village, also located on the Orkney Island, is one of the most visited ancient sites and regarded as one of the best places to visit Europe. The village consists of eight dwellings, linked together by a series of low, covered passages.

Doune Castle

Doune Castle, where parts of the ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ was filmed, is a 14th century castle where you can explore amenities such as the Lord’s Hall, the castle gateway and more.

Craigmillar Castle Ruins

If you are looking for another landmark off-the-beaten-path, Craigmillar Castle is a 15th century castle where visitors are allowed to explore freely the castle’s endless hallways and staircases.

The Old Town of Edinburgh

Visiting the medieval town of Edinburgh is one of the most popular fun things to do in Scotland. You can walk down the narrow streets and closes while exploring charming pubs, specialty shops and historic landmarks such as the Royal Mile, St. Giles Cathedral, and the graveyards of Greyfriars Kirkyard.

Glencoe

If you are a Harry Potter fan, the area of Glencoe makes for a perfect destination to explore. Parts of the filming of the third Harry Potter movie took place in the area near the bottom of Clachaig Gully.

Glencoe Visitor Centre

The Glencoe Visitor Centre is another popular place to visit while exploring the Glencoe area. The center offers interactive presentations on how the glen was formed, as well as fun activities for adults and children.

Fun Things to do in Scotland: Festivals & Events
* Edinburgh Fringe, held in August for three weeks, is a popular summer event. In terms of events, the Fringe is one of the most popular fun things to do in Scotland during the summer, as the event feature many theater performances and comedy shows.

* Edinburgh International Film Festival, held in late June, is a great event where you can catch both UK and international movie premieres, as well as film-makers work exhibits.

* The Edinburgh Military Tattoo, also held in August, is one of the most prestigious events in the United Kingdom. This event features international military bands as well as the British Armed Forces in spectacular performances.

Fun Things to do in Scotland: Shopping



Apart from visiting historical landmarks, shopping for souvenirs is one of the most popular fun things to do in Scotland. In fact, the city of Edinburgh is one of the best places in Scotland for shopping due to the variety of shops at hand.

Two of the most popular items to shop for are knitwear such as Scottish cashmere sweaters, and Scottish shortbread.

You can also shop for antiques and gifts made in Scotland such as Scottish bagpipes, kilts and tartan woolen products all made in Scotland.

Fun Things to do in Scotland: Nightlife & Entertainment


Scotland is renowned for its musical heritage and live music is very popular here. Some of the best places to soak Scotland’s musical heritage is in pubs and bars across the country.

For a different experience, attending a Scottish traditional dancing venue such as 'Ceilidh' is another of the popular fun things to do in Scotland entertainment-wise. In fact, going to a Ceilidh makes for a different and fun night out, where you can soak in some Scottish culture.

See. Must see places in Edinburgh
Things to do in the Highlands of Scotland
places to go in Ireland for tourists
tourist places in England
Most Scenic Train Rides in Europe
Interesting places to visit in Serbia

Places to go in Belgium