All you need to know about Queenstown’s Skyline Gondola and Luge

Read my honest thoughts and get insider tips to make the most of one of Queenstown’s major attractions - The Queenstown Skyline Gondola and Luge!

Trips to New Zealand’s South Island tend to be action packed and it can be hard to decide what activities to do. In this article I’ll share my personal opinion of the Queenstown Gondola and Luge and share some practical information should you choose to visit. 

Firstly, what is the Queenstown Skyline and getting around 
The Queenstown Skyline complex sits upon Bob’s Peak overlooking central Queenstown and Queenstown Bay. You can choose from a variety of package options but we chose to do both the gondola and luge.

The gondola takes you up at the peak and once at the top you have the option to go on the luge - which, for the unfamiliar, is a cross between go-kart and toboggan. If you just want to go on the luge, you can save some cash by hiking up instead of taking the gondola but note it can take an hour or more and is quite steep. There’s lot of parking options at the base but on-street parking timeframes may be limited so to play it safe we recommend using one of the nearby paid parking options. The local buses also stop near enough to the base. 

Pre-buy your tickets
You can buy tickets onsite but we pre-purchased via their website and tickets are valid for the day you choose. There was a line for tickets when we arrived but we were able to get onto the gondola within a couple of minutes! After enjoying the view on the way up, you're greeted with a complex at the top. They have a cafe, restaurant and souvenir shop. We were going to grab some food from the cafe but the line was huge and the food was expensive and looked a bit meh honestly. I suggest eating before or after elsewhere.

All about the luge
From the gondola complex, you then make your way further up to the luge via a short open-air chairlift. This is something to be aware of - my husband has a fear of falling from the heights. While the gondola was challenging enough, it was at least secure and enclosed. We had no idea there was an open chairlift to follow! Also note, it’s similar to those on a ski field and you kind of get scooped up and need to get off it yourself at the end. This could be a challenge depending on your mobility but I did see an older woman with a cane manage ok and staff are there to assist (but not fully do it for you).

You may have the impression that the luge goes allll the way down the peak and you need to walk or gondola back-up - that’s not the case. The winding track covers just the top part of the peak and you simply chairlift back up each time. There are also some picnic tables and spots for scenic photos if you want a break between rides.

I think it’s also very important to note that the luge is a kid friendly activity. This makes it great for families (check the height restrictions first though) but for teens and adults, you want to keep this in mind should you have the need for speed! The luge has 2 tracks - fast and slow. The staff show you which is which and teach you how to control your luge. The tracks are also plenty wide should you want to overtake someone - don’t feel like you can’t, but try to leave as much space as you can. I’m usually the type to come last at go-karting but I found myself barely breaking on the fast track by lap two.

You can buy a single, 3, 5, 6 or unlimited number of rides. You definitely should get more than one, as the first time you’re really just getting your bearings - I think 3 to 5 is plenty though. From your second lap onwards, you move to a faster line to go down again as well although the place is almost always busy regardless so do expect some brief queueing. 

Final - and honest - thoughts 

Overall, I do recommend the Gondola and Luge together as an activity. I recommend the gondola mainly because it made the whole process of getting up to the luge easier. The view was nice and it was fast but it’s not something I would do on its own as Queenstown has several other free viewpoints to choose from. 

The luge itself wasn’t as long or quite as fast as I was expecting but it was still very fun navigating around the twisty turns and enjoying the view as you zoomed by.

Now, again, it is expensive for what it is, but so are most of the activities in Queenstown and we accounted for this ahead of time. It’s up to you to decide how much budget you want to allow for activities, and honestly, you enjoy Queenstownn just by walking around and admiring all the natural scenery.

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