Trips to Christchurch
Experience Christchurch’s stunning gardens
Christchurch is best known for its many beautiful gardens, and for good reason: with over 1200 parks and gardens, the city is traditionally thought of as a ‘garden city’. Christchurch is the largest city on the South Island and offers visitors beautiful views from the top of the surrounding green hills to the Pacific Ocean and the Canterbury Plains. The majestic Southern Alps can also be seen in the distance.
For your trip to Christchurch, we recommend a visit to the majestic Christchurch Botanic Gardens, a guided punting tour on the River Avon, a historic tram ride around the city or a gondola ride up the surrounding hills.
Christchurch is also often referred to as the most English city in the world outside England. Its Englishness is evident in its parks and old Gothic-style buildings, and the people here are proud of their British heritage. If you want to get to know the city’s culture better, its many heritage sites, museums, galleries and lively restaurant scene are well worth a visit.
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Christchurch city is convenient to explore
When you’re in Christchurch, you should make a point of taking in the scenery, for example by taking a scenic ride above the valleys in the Christchurch gondola, which offers stunning panoramic views.
The best way to discover the natural beauty of Christchurch’s famous botanical gardens is on a guided botanical garden tour using electric vehicles. This way you can see as much as possible in one tour.
Christchurch’s evolving city centre is easily accessible by the beautifully restored trams, one of the city’s most beloved attractions. Christchurch also offers city tours of the area devastated by the 2011 earthquakes, the Botanic Gardens, Mona Vale House, the Museum and Arts Centre and many other places of interest.
For the shopper and food lover Christchurch
With modern shopping malls, charming boutiques and open-air markets, Christchurch’s shopping opportunities offer social, unique and fun experiences for the traveller. Restaurants, bars and breweries offer plenty of options to recharge your batteries after hours of shopping.
Inspired by unique European shopping and dining, Colombo Street is a chic shopping district that combines the iconic and distinctive character of Christchurch with an effortless European vibe. There’s also an art cinema and nice cafes, restaurants and bars. It’s the place to go if you want to explore the city’s leading fashion stores and brands.
The charming Christchurch Farmers’ Market takes place every Saturday at the historic Riccarton House. There you can treat yourself to locally produced meats, cheeses and many other delicacies. On Sundays, the same venue hosts a craft market, where Christchurch visitors can buy local arts and crafts. The Riverside Market in the heart of Christchurch is also a good destination for visitors.
When in Christchurch, make the most of the dining options, where you’ll find everything from cosy cafes and relaxed neighbourhood bars to romantic fine dining. Dare to sample all the flavours this culturally diverse area has to offer.
Day trips from Christchurch
The Canterbury area is worth enjoying over several days, so you can spend time at each of its unique attractions. A great way to see Canterbury is to take a world-famous train journey on the Tranz Alpine. Bursting with awe-inspiring scenery, the journey takes you through the magnificent Waimakariri Gorge, and from there you’ll reach the enchanting high mountains of the Southern Alps and Arthur’s Pass, where your guide will meet you. Once you have experienced the beauty of the journey, you will return by luxury vehicle.
As you travel across the vast Canterbury Plains, you are surrounded by the rugged mountain ranges of the high country. The landscape changes dramatically as you head towards the incredible Southern Alps, where you can watch the unique Waimakariri River flow. In Arthur’s Pass National Park, you can take short walks and experience the beauty of the forests, rivers and mountain scenery. Following an old bus route, you can see the breathtaking Otira Gorge, a reminder of the road builders of the 1860s and the Maori routes as they searched for precious greenstone.
You can travel through an area fringed by limestone cliffs, gorges and mountain landscapes. This is the area where the film version of C.S. Lewis’s famous Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was shot. Here you can also view the incredible Castle Hill cliffs, which have been beautifully weathered by the elements.
The return journey takes you through Porters Pass, where you can enjoy spectacular views of the Canterbury Plains before returning to Christchurch.
Getting around Christchurch
When travelling in Christchurch, public transport is easy to use, with a well-established bus network. You can also travel to your destination by train, bus or ferry. You can pay for your bus journey with a Metrocard or cash.