By rail
Cairns station, the Spirit of Queensland from Brisbane; the Kuranda Scenic Railway
Australia & New Zealand · Australia
Cairns, Australia
The tropical gateway to the reef and the rainforest
Getting there
By air
Cairns (CNS), ~7 km from the city centre
Best time to visit
May to October — dry, warm and stinger-free; the wet season brings heat, storms and box jellyfish
Don't miss
The Esplanade Lagoon
The Great Barrier Reef
Kuranda Scenic Railway
Cairns Botanic Gardens
The Atherton Tablelands waterfalls
Fitzroy Island
Things to do
A day on the Great Barrier Reef
The Kuranda Scenic Railway up and the Skyrail down
Swimming in the Esplanade Lagoon
Where to eat
What to pack
Reef-safe sunscreen, a hat, swimwear, insect repellent; a stinger suit is provided on reef boats in summer
A quieter corner
The Crystal Cascades swimming holes in the rainforest, twenty minutes from the city
Questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Cairns?
May to October — dry, warm and stinger-free; the wet season brings heat, storms and box jellyfish. What to pack: Reef-safe sunscreen, a hat, swimwear, insect repellent; a stinger suit is provided on reef boats in summer.
How do I get to Cairns?
Fly into Cairns (CNS), ~7 km from the city centre.
What is there to do in Cairns?
A day on the Great Barrier Reef, the Kuranda Scenic Railway up and the Skyrail down, swimming in the Esplanade Lagoon. A quieter find: The Crystal Cascades swimming holes in the rainforest, twenty minutes from the city.
What should I eat in Cairns?
Reef fish and prawns along the Esplanade, Rusty's Markets' tropical fruit.
About Cairns
- Coastal
Where it is
Cairns is a city on the north-east coast of Queensland, Australia, on Trinity Bay between the Coral Sea and the rainforest-covered ranges, and the main gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics.
History
Cairns was founded in 1876 as a port for the goldfields inland, and grew on sugar cane, the railway up to Kuranda in the 1890s and, from the mid-20th century, reef tourism. The Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics rainforest on its doorstep are both UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
People
Cairns is a relaxed, outdoorsy city of backpackers, dive boats and families on the Esplanade; the Yidinji and Yirrganydji peoples are its traditional owners. Boats leave the marina for the reef every morning, and the city has no beach of its own, so the lagoon is where it swims.
Known for
- The Great Barrier Reef
- The Esplanade Lagoon
- The Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail
- The Daintree and the Atherton Tablelands
Did you know?
The Esplanade Lagoon was built because the city's shore is mudflats rather than sand, and it is free to swim in all year round, stingers or no stingers.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.