Far North Queensland · Australia
Cairns
Gateway to the reef, the rainforest and the tropics.
The launchpad for the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree, with a lagoon-lined esplanade and a railway that climbs into the clouds.
Cairns is where the tropics begin in earnest. The city itself trades a beach for a free saltwater lagoon on the esplanade, but it's the day trips that astonish, the outer reef, the scenic railway to Kuranda, the waterfall circuit on the Tablelands, and the road to Cape Tribulation where the rainforest meets the sea.
Best for
Reef + rainforest
Dry season
May–Oct
Reef trips
Outer reef pontoons
Esplanade
Free lagoon
Best time to visit
May–October (dry season, clear reef days)
Getting there
Fly direct to Cairns from most Australian capitals.
A local secret
“Drive up to the Atherton Tablelands and string together the waterfall circuit, Millaa Millaa, Zillie and Ellinjaa, then swim under the falls before the tour buses arrive.”
Eat. Do.
Stay. Know.
Everything in Cairns, indexed to the bone. Hover a row.
- 01Native AustralianWaterfront$$$
Ochre Restaurant
Native Australian flavours done properly, crocodile, wattleseed, bush tomato. A genuine sense of place.
UnmissableCouples - 02SeafoodMarlin Marina$$
Prawn Star
Eat seafood buckets on a working trawler in the marina, chaotic, cash-only-feeling fun.
UnmissableFamilyLocal secret - 03Modern AustralianEsplanade$$$
Dundee's on the Waterfront
Reliable crowd-pleaser overlooking the inlet, a safe family dinner with a view.
Family - 04CaféGrafton Lane$$
Caffiend
A laneway café the locals queue for, the best breakfast in the city.
Local secretFamily - 05Bar & grillMarina$$$
Salt House
Waterfront cocktails and wood-fired plates by the marina, the grown-up sunset spot.
Couples - 06Bar & grillEsplanade$$
Rattle 'n' Hum
Big tropical bar-and-grill on the esplanade, easy, busy, kid-friendly.
FamilyKids
Nine ways in.
The Cairns guides
- 01Best RestaurantsWhere to eat, from the icons to the local secrets.
- 02Best Family ActivitiesThe things to do that actually work with kids in tow.
- 03Best Resorts & StaysWhere to base yourself, for every kind of trip.
- 04The 3-Day ItineraryA perfect long weekend, hour by hour.
- 05The 5-Day ItineraryThe unhurried week that sees it all.
- 06Rainy Day GuideWhat to do when the weather turns, and it's still a great day.
- 07Kids GuideHand-picked for travelling with children.
- 08Couples GuideThe grown-up version, romance, long lunches and quiet corners.
- 09Luxury GuideWhen you want the very best of it.
Ready-made itineraries
Steal our plan,
or make it yours.
Hand-built by people who've done the trip. Load either into the planner and drag it into your own perfect shape.
Reef, Rail & Rainforest
The three signature Cairns days, the outer reef, the Kuranda railway, and a taste of the Tablelands.
Settle in by the lagoon
- Afternoon
Esplanade Lagoon swim
- Evening
Dinner at Ochre
Out to the reef
- All day
Great Barrier Reef pontoon
- Evening
Prawn Star on the marina
Up to Kuranda
- Morning
Scenic Railway up
- Afternoon
Skyrail back over the canopy
Keep exploring