A cruise on Milford Sound – an epic fiord known as the 8th Wonder of the World – is on many people’s New Zealand bucket list. That’s why I was so excited to tick it off when we visited New Zealand in 2023.
But imagine my surprise when it wasn’t just the cruise that I loved – but the 4+ hour drive to get there. (I may have even loved it more than the cruise!)
The Queenstown to Milford Sound drive is unlike any other in the world.
You’re driving around mountains, lakes, valleys and waterfalls; stopping in small towns; watching for local wildlife; and ending it all with the cherry on top: a cruise on Milford Sound!
But there are a few things you need to know before you tackle this drive! Keep reading for my top tips and answers to FAQs about the Queenstown to Milford Sound drive.
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⭐ But first, book your car and cruise!
Before you start driving, you’ll need to secure your rental car and your Milford Sound cruise. You can also book accommodation if you’re staying overnight in Milford.
How do you get from Queenstown to Milford Sound?
There are three ways to get from Queenstown to Milford Sound:
Each option has its pros and cons. Flying is the fastest and arguably the most scenic, but also the most expensive. Driving would be the cheapest and it allows you to make all of the scenic stops between Queenstown and Milford Sound on your own schedule.
But driving is not as laid back as getting on a tour bus and letting someone else handle the road. However, not everyone likes being on a strict schedule or travelling in a larger group.
Can you do Milford Sound in a day from Queenstown?
Technically yes, you can drive to Milford Sound from Queenstown and back in one day. But it would be a very long day!
The drive is about four hours one way, not accounting for traffic, breaks or any scenic stops. Plus, you’ll want to go on a cruise once you get to Milford Sound, which will take a couple more hours.
So we’re talking about 8+ hours of driving and 2+ hours of cruising, plus scenic stops, meals, bathroom breaks, etc.
If you only have one day to do Milford Sound, I highly recommend you take a bus tour or fly.
With a bus tour, the drive time will be just as long but you won’t have to do the driving. You can sit back and chill. And with a flight to Milford Sound, you’ll be there in less than an hour!
If you want to drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound, I highly recommend giving yourself at least two days for the journey.
You can stay overnight in Milford Sound on an overnight cruise, at the luxurious Milford Sound Lodge, or nearby at Eglinton Valley Camp. You can even stop in Te Anau for a night on your way there or back, making the journey much shorter.
When we drove to Milford Sound, we actually stopped in Mossburn for a night, spent the next day checking out all of the scenic stops and doing a late afternoon cruise, stayed overnight at Eglinton Valley Camp, and then drove onto our next destination, Doubtful Sound.
Is it cheaper to drive or take a tour bus to Milford Sound?
I was curious about this, so I dove into our New Zealand trip costs to compare self-driving to Milford vs taking a bus tour.
During our April 2023 trip, our rental car cost us $62 NZD per day and we spent apx $15 NZD per 100km on gas. The route from Queenstown to Milford Sound is 574km round trip, plus we paid $25 to park there.
With that math, driving from Queenstown to Milford Sound and back cost us $173 NZD total.
If we had taken a bus tour, it would have been $219 NZD per person. However, this also includes the Milford Sound cruise cost.
So for a true comparison, I’d have to add our cruise cost to our driving costs. We were able to get an awesome deal on the cruise, thanks to the flexibility of self-driving and being able to choose from multiple operators, at $69 NZD per person.
Therefore the cost for two people to get from Queenstown to Milford Sound and back, including a cruise, is:
- Driving: $311 NZD = $62 (rental car) + $86 (gas) + $25 (parking) + $138 (cruise x2)
- Tour bus: $438 NZD = $219 tour package with cruise & transportation x2
Clearly driving is cheaper! Though if you have to spend more on your rental car or cruise, it might end up costing the same or even more.
But driving would be cheaper with more people (assuming you’re all in the same car) as the rental car, gas and parking costs wouldn’t change; you’d only be paying for more cruise tickets.
For example, if you were four people you’d spend $449 self-driving compared to $876 on the tour bus! Plus, you could share the driving responsibilities to make a day trip more comfortable.
Of course, deciding between self-driving and taking a tour bus to Milford Sound is about more than just the cost.
You also have to factor in how much time you have, if you are comfortable driving, if you want to stay overnight, and if you want to make your own stops on your own schedule.
Is it safe to drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound yourself?
Yes, it is safe to drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound, provided you follow the rules of the road and any safety guidance.
The road is a bit winding, but we didn’t find it too difficult when we drove it in April 2023. I am prone to motion sickness but wasn’t bothered by this road at all.
If you are renting a car in New Zealand, I’d recommend not making the Milford Sound drive your first time behind the wheel.
Practice driving (especially if it’s your first time driving on the left) for a few days before you take on this longer and winding journey.
You’ll also want to check to make sure road conditions are safe for driving. Occasionally the road to Milford will close due to flooding, snow, etc.
You can click here to check conditions on the Milford Road and here for highway conditions across Aotearoa New Zealand.
A note on speeding:
When driving to Milford Sound, you’ll really want to watch your speed. I say this because this is actually where Colin and I got a speeding ticket!
Many parts of the road to Milford Sound are a single lane in each direction (except the Homer Tunnel, which only allows traffic in one direction, alternating directions). Because of this, there are lots of pull-off lanes so faster cars can get ahead of slower ones.
As this is (presumably) your first time driving to Milford and you’re (hopefully) making lots of stops to check out the scenery, I encourage you to let people pass you when you safely can.
Even in stretches where the road feels abandoned, you should still watch your speed. Don’t be like us and go over the speed limit just because no one else is on the road!
Is it worth driving to Milford Sound?
Absolutely! Driving to Milford Sound is so worth it. You get to make so many scenic stops – tour buses don’t make all of these stops and planes fly right over them.
Don’t miss: 28 Scenic Stops on the Road from Queenstown to Milford Sound
You get to travel on your own schedule, rather than sticking to a tour’s schedule. And your journey will be less crowded, since you can time it to not show up to popular spots at the same time as all of the big tour buses.
Plus, self driving gives you the option to stay overnight in or near Milford Sound. It is also a more affordable option, especially if you have a rental car for a longer portion of your New Zealand trip.
When we travelled to New Zealand in April 2023, we got a great deal with Discover Cars for our rental at $62 NZD ($52 CAD, $38 USD, €35, £31) per day.
Book your car rental with Discover Cars here!
8 tips for driving from Queenstown to Milford Sound
1. Give yourself lots of time for the drive
While Google Maps might tell you the drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound is only 3 hrs 45 mins, that’s not accounting for traffic, changing weather conditions, scenic stops, lunch, bathroom breaks, etc.
Especially if you’re planning to go out on some hikes or sit down for a full meal, you’ll want to give yourself plenty of time to get there.
I suggest starting out early from Queenstown and/or booking a late afternoon cruise to give yourself more time to get there.
And remember, if you’re feeling rushed, you can always make some of the scenic stops on your way back from Milford instead of doing them all on the way there. It’s an out-and-back road, after all!
2. Consider staying in Te Anau
Most of the scenic stops on the road to Milford are located between Te Anau and Milford Sound.
Te Anau is about two hours from Queenstown, so many people choose to drive to Te Anau, stay there overnight, and then start fresh the next morning seeing the sights on their way to Milford.
This is a great option to break up the driving and spend time exploring Te Anau. Check out top-rated hotels in Te Anau here.
3. Stay overnight or have a safe plan to drive back
As I mentioned above, I do not recommend self-driving to Milford Sound from Queenstown and back in a single day.
It’s a lot of driving and a very long day. If you have the time and budget, I recommend staying overnight. Or, consider taking a tour bus instead of driving yourself.
There are affordable options, like Eglinton Valley Camp where we stayed, about an hour from Milford or Milford Sound Lodge, a more luxury option right in Milford Sound.
If you have to drive there and back in one day, please ensure you’re doing so as safely as possible, preferably with multiple drivers to share the job.
4. Watch out for wildlife
Aotearoa New Zealand is known as a wildlife mecca and you’ll hopefully spot lots of incredible flora and fauna during your visit and drive to Milford Sound. As always, follow the rules of Leave No Trace and be respectful.
Keas are a very cool type of bird that are common in Fiordland National Park. This southern alpine parrot is very intelligent and we were so excited when one hopped on our car while we waited to go through the Homer Tunnel.
But as the many signs will tell you, please don’t feed them!
5. Check road conditions
The road to Milford does close due to weather so be sure to check road conditions before you start out. It would suck to get halfway there only to realize you have to turn back.
Milford Sound is open year-round but obviously snow and flooding are more common in the winter. Click here to learn about current road conditions on Milford Road.
6. Look for the signs
The most popular scenic stops are well sign-posted, so you don’t have to be glued to Google Maps the whole time. You’ll see signs along the drive for some of the major scenic sights, like Mirror Lakes and Monkey Creek.
Signs will pop up a few kilometres before the stop and then again at the stop showing you how to turn in. Some of the bigger stops even have dedicated parking lots.
Check out the 28 scenic stops you won’t want to miss on the road to Milford Sound!
7. Fill up your car in Te Anau
While there is one gas station in Milford Sound, customers note that due to a finicky satellite card reader, it can be hit or miss whether you’ll actually be able to use it.
Therefore, Te Anau is the last place for gas and I highly recommend you fill up before you set out on the rest of Milford Highway.
Te Anau is also a good place to grab a snack so you’re not reliant on the one Milford Sound cafe for food. You can do what we did – hit the grocery store in Te Anau for cheap road trip snacks!
But also, don’t miss Miles Better Pies in Te Anau. I still dream about the venison and plum pie we had there!
8. Beware of parking costs at Milford Sound
One downside to self-driving from Queenstown to Milford Sound is having to pay for parking (and gas). Parking at the Milford Sound Visitor Terminal is notoriously expensive.
When we visited in April 2023, it was $25 NZD for five hours. Unfortunately, there was no option to pay for less than five hours.
As of April 2025, it is $10 NZD per hour if you enter before 3pm and $5 NZD per hour if you enter after 3pm. If you catch the last cruise of the day (apx 4pm departure), you may be able to snag the discounted rate!
There is free parking available but it’s about a 30 minute walk from the visitor terminal and may not have as much space.
If you do decide to park at the visitor terminal, don’t forget to pay so you don’t get ticketed!
Wrapping up your Queenstown to Milford Sound drive
Despite not actually having a driver’s licence myself (I’m a passenger princess!), I love a good road trip. And it’s hard to think of one that’s more incredible than the Queenstown to Milford Sound drive.
With spectacular stops along the way, the journey to Milford Sound is almost as good as the cruise you’ll go on once you get there – maybe it’s even better!
And the best way to experience it is in your own car, making as many stops as you want at your own pace.
As long as you obey the road signs, do a little research and give yourself lots of time to get there, you’ll have no problem taking on this road trip. And, I’m sure, no problem falling in love with the scenery!
Now that you’re all prepped for your Fiordland road trip, check out what stops to make along the way, plus plan out your cruise on Milford Sound. You may even want to add on a Doubtful Sound overnight cruise!
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