These are the best places to travel this summer

Wellington

Shop

Get even more with a Lonely Planet guide.

Shop Book

LONELY PLANET’S RECOMMENDED eSIM

Stay connected in Wellington

with

Saily is an affordable eSIM service that helps you stay connected and secure, anywhere in the world.

Get your eSIM

Overview

On a sunny, windless day, Wellington is up there with the best of them. For starters it’s lovely to look at, sitting on a hook-shaped harbour ringed with ranges that wear a cloak of snow in winter. Victorian timber architecture laces the bushy hillsides above the harbour, which resonate with native birdsong.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • The Wellington Museum.

    Wellington Museum

    Wellington

    For an imaginative, interactive experience of Wellington’s social and maritime history, head to this bewitching little museum, inside an 1892 bond store…

  • Karori Reservoir Tower at Zealandia.

    Zealandia

    Wellington

    This groundbreaking ecosanctuary is nooked into a valley in the hills about 2km west of downtown Wellington. Living wild within the fenced, predator-free…

  • Te Papa National Museum at Lambton Harbour.

    Te Papa

    Wellington

    New Zealand's national museum is hard to miss, taking up a sizeable chunk of the Wellington waterfront. ‘Te Papa Tongarewa’ loosely translates as …

  • The Duck Pond at Wellington Botanic Gardens.

    Wellington Botanic Gardens

    Wellington

    These hilly, 25-hectare botanic gardens can be effortlessly visited via the Wellington Cable Car (nice bit of planning, eh?), although there are several…

  • View of Wellington harbor from Mount Victoria lookout in Wellington, New Zealand.

    Mt Victoria Lookout

    Wellington

    The city's most impressive viewpoint is atop 196m-high Mt Victoria (Matairangi), east of the city centre. You can take bus 20 most of the way up, but the…

  • Cable Car and view over Wellington city and harbour, Kelburn, Wellington, New Zealand

    Wellington Cable Car

    Wellington

    One of Wellington’s big-ticket attractions is the little red cable car that clanks up the slope from Lambton Quay to Kelburn. At the top are the…

  • Wellington, New Zealand - August 27, 2013: Front Entrance at Weta Cave; Shutterstock ID 306493316; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Gillmore; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online-Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: 65050/ Online Design /LaurenGillmore/POI

    Weta Workshop

    Wellington

    Academy Award–winning special-effects and props company Weta Workshop has been responsible for bringing the likes of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit,…

  • New Zealand Parliament

    New Zealand Parliament

    Wellington

    New Zealand might be a young country but it has one of the oldest continuously functioning parliaments in the world and has chalked up more than its share…

View more attractions
Advertisement

Plan with a local

Get a book. Get inspired. Get exploring.

Explore all books

in partnership with getyourguide

Book popular activities in Wellington

Advertisement