Milford Sound Premium Coach & Cruise from Queenstown with Lunch
Overview
Available languages
12 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
The best way to experience Milford Sound from Queenstown. We take care of the driving while you sit back and enjoy the stunning views from our premium coaches with panoramic windows, glass roofs, and USB charging ports. Your friendly driver shares stories about the area's history and unique ecology, with well-timed stops to snap photos of the amazing views. Our free multi-lingual commentary app is available on both the Coach and Cruise in eight languages.
Arrive in Milford Sound feeling refreshed and ready to cruise the fiord. Get ready for unobstructed views of thundering waterfalls and the towering cliff faces. Our premium Nature Cruise comes with options to pre-order a picnic lunch or choose the To Kai buffet on selected departures.
This trip takes care of all the transportation, including round-trip travel from Queenstown to Milford Sound and a seamless connection to your cruise. All you have to do is enjoy the experience.
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Please advise of your country of origin at the time of booking
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Sunscreen and insect repellent advisable
Appropriate child restraints are NOT provided by the operator. These must be provided by the parent or caregiver - without this you may be turned away and unable to travel - please be prepared.
Please make sure you arrive at least 15mins before your departure time.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
6.30am Coach pick-up from Southern Discoveries Visitor Centre (if you selected the 6.30am tour option) 7.00am Coach pick-up from Southern Discoveries Visitor Centre (if you selected the 7.00am tour option) • Travel on a premium glass-roof coach, equipped with reclining seats, extra legroom, air-conditioning •USB charging ports and onboard toilet • Experienced, local coach drivers provide engaging and informative commentary, and show you the best short walks and photo stops along the Milford Road • Coach connects with our Milford Sound Cruise • FREE tea and coffee
Queenstown
Queenstown, New Zealand, sits on the shores of the South Island’s Lake Wakatipu. It's from here you will set off on a day trip with Milford Sound's original Cruise operator, Southern Discoveries, from Queenstown into Milford Sound to enjoy a beautiful experience of Milford Sound on a premium, low-emission coach with a delicious & freshly cooked international style buffet onboard your cruise. Discover the native wildlife, towering waterfalls and majestic mountains of the fiords in Milford Sound.
What‘s Included
Multi-lingual app for commentary available: App Store and Google Play search Southern Discoveries
Informative commentary provided by local coach driver
Return transport from Queenstown to Milford Sound on premium glass-roof coach
USB charging ports on board coach
Milford Sound Nature Cruise of up to 2 hours
FREE tea and coffee onboard the cruise
Spot diverse wildlife while on the cruise
Freshly prepared Lunch
Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
Appropriate child restraints are not provided by the operator and must be supplied by yourselves.
Options
8:30am Departure with Picnic
8:30am Departure with Picnic
7:00am Departure with Buffet
7:00am Departure with Buffet
6:30am Departure with Picnic
6:30am Departure with Picnic
Reviews
566 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Well organized day tour...
Anke B,,Jan 2, 2026
- Review from Viator
4.00Well organized day tour with professional and nice tour guide; lunch buffet on boat was better than expected as some previous ratings were bad. Just need to keep in mind that overall time in the bus is about 10h.
Milford Sound - a once in a lifetime journey
Salena K,,Jan 2, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00It is a long day but worth it to see Milford Sound. It would not be a day trip we would drive ourselves; it’s a long and tiring drive. Props to our driver Fly, who kept us informed throughout the whole journey and drove so safely and comfortably. What a gem! The cruise was just the right length and we appreciated the buffet lunch on board.
Though the experience was...
Andrea S,,Dec 31, 2025
- Review from Viator
4.00Though the experience was enjoyable, there was a challenge with the PA system in the bus. I know the guide provided interesting historical commentary and none of us could hear it. Things were quite confusing when instructions were given as my family had to find the guide to have him repeat the instructions.
Milford journey
n2cy5wvbny,,Dec 31, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00The journey is as good as the arrival. Scenery en route spectacular before you even get to Milford sound. Shayle our driver stopped at some amazing spots. I will say the buffet isn’t worth it. Bring a picnic or buy a sandwich on the way.
Good family experience to tick off the bucket list
Shane D,,Dec 30, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Nice bus with the glass roof, the family really enjoyed the Woodstone farm experience on the way to Milford Sound. Driver Nick was really good with balancing the informative commentary and music.
Amazing
Rebecca S,,Dec 28, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Such a breathtaking experience with fabulous views, scenery, food, and customer service. Would definitely do again
Proud to have had Vaughan
Zach D,,Dec 28, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Vaughan should be given a payrise! Very knowledgeable about the area, got a couple extra sneaky photo spots enroute to the boat at Milford Sound. Incredibly enjoyable to be in his company. As my husband has Maori whakapapa he truly was taken as to how proud Vaughan was to show his part of Aotearoa off. Kept everyone on a tight ship without it seeming like he was keeping a tight ship. Got us back before 7:30pm....drinking a sneaky cider for his supreme efforts in his honour. He can keep Russel Crow though, think us Aussies got the bum end of the deal. The ferry is what one would expect nice and clean. Staff were super nice to deal with and atmosphere was great!
Bucket List checked!
Kathleen T,,Dec 27, 2025
- Review from Viator
4.00Breathtaking, see the Milford Fjord almost made me cry seeing the beautiful majiestic scenic sights! One wish that our bus driver could've set some time to take pictures by the pretty lupin flowers, onnthe ride there.
Wow!
Barbara B,,Dec 27, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Super lovely. Milford sound is beautiful and Vaughn was a fantastic guide. He was super knowledgeable & had such a lively and engaging personality for the long drives we had to and from Queenstown to Milford Sound. The drive itself was stunning and I highly recommend booking with them. The boat ride was quite lovely and the stops we made along the way were spectacular
Milford sound trip
Kaushik S,,Dec 26, 2025
- Review from Viator
2.00We traveled with Southern Discovery on 26th. The Milford sound is a beautiful place and must do if you are in Queensland, NZ. But I’m not sure with this agency. The guide Baabaa could not connect with people in the bus and he was really rude and arrogant when you ask him questions. He seemed to be very reluctant to do the trip on Boxing Day. He was more busy soliciting feedback on the new coach and was visibly annoyed when he had to repeat something. Not a great experience compared to the wonderful guides we had on the trip so far. Also the choice of stops was suboptimal and we were rushed between the time we got off the bus and boarded the boat. The quality of the buffet lunch was subpar. Having said that, the coach was very nice and clean, the bus left on time and not to mention Milford sound was magical
Related Experiences
Operated by Southern Discoveries