Did you know it’s only just over two hours to fly over to our Top End Queensland neighbour?

There are plenty of ways to spend a weekend in Cairns – even without spending a day visiting the reef! While the Great Barrier Reef is certainly a must-see, if you’ve only got a weekend & you want to make the most of Cairns and surrounds – see our top tips below!

The city of Cairns itself is home to cafés, markets, beautiful beaches (that you can swim in!) and waterfalls and rainforests only a short drive away – it’s got just enough of the ‘top end tropics’ to feel like home, and just enough of an island vibe to feel like a holiday.

We recently popped over for two days – and we’ve pulled together the best bits that we crammed into a weekend in Cairns:

DAY 1

ARRIVE

Land in Cairns and make the very short drive into the city to your accommodation. We loveeee to spend the first few hours when we go somewhere just familiarising ourselves with the place – so head off on a nice walk along the Esplanade. There is a huge, lovely lagoon to swim in, a lot of sports equipment, climbing walls, playgrounds, sports courts – it’s a beautiful and well-used public space!

EAT: SALT HOUSE

Head back along the foreshore down to the wharf, where you will find Salt House. With it’s panoramic views of the ocean AND the mountains, there’s the option to dine in, grab a cocktail, or sip a drink on the day beds – it’s perfectly designed to merge outdoors and in.

OR for a chilled lunch on the go – we got a local’s recommendation to try little hole in the wall ‘Pho Viet’ on Abbott Street, and it was phenomenal!

DRINK: HEMINGWAYS

Continue your walk around the wharf and along the waterline and you’ll arrive at Hemingways, Cairns’ very own local brewery. It’s very industrial chic and they’ve got a great range of local beers on tap to try!

SWIM: CRYSTAL CASCADES

Depending on when your flight in was – you might have a couple of hours spare in the afternoon, and luckily for you – that’s all you need to check out some of Cairns’ epic waterfalls! If you’ve got a car, check out Crystal Cascades! A secluded freshwater swimming spot tucked away in the rainforest, and only a 20-minute drive north-west of Cairns City!

DINNER: FLYNN’S ITALIAN

Head into the Flynn’s Italian along the Esplanade – check out their ever-changing menu, we tried the four-course dinner with wine pairing while we were there! The interior feels very warm and chic – and we sat at a table overlooking the Ferris wheel which was lovely! Would absolutely recommend the Sicilian pappardelle, and the salmon with caviar – yum – and the wine pairings were absolutely bang on!

STAY: CRYSTALBROOK BAILEY

A newcomer on the Cairns hotel scene, the Crystalbrook collection of hotels have something for every type of traveller – they’re very aesthetic & and we loveeee their commitment to sustainability!

DAY 2

EAT / COFFEE: CHAMBERS

In what looks to be an old pub building – Chambers is a great place to fuel up for the day ahead. We kickstarted our day with a shot of ginger and lemon, then one of the best coffees in town, AND some delicious food. They do an all-day brunch menu, which is great to know, and we actually loved that you could scan the QR code to see what each dish actually looked like! Forward thinking!

DRIVE: GREAT BARRIER REEF DRIVE

If you’re wondering how to spend a weekend in Cairns in the best possible way – we would really recommend hiring a car for the day and heading up the coast, on one of the most spectacular drives ever!

Call into the resort town of Palm Cove for a dreamy photo of palm trees and beaches while you grab a coffee from Nu Nu! And if you’re looking for palm trees – the Thala Beach nature reserve is worth a stop in too!

SWIM: MOSSMAN GORGE

We loved calling into Kuku Yalanji country for a swim at Mossman Gorge and a walk through the rainforest – it’s certainly a different type of bushland to what we have here in the Territory!

We did a self-guided walk through the World Heritage listed Daintree Rainforest – it’s an easy loop with a suspension bridge and some swimming holes on the way, but if you’ve got more time, there are guided Indigenous led tours too!

STOP: PORT DOUGLAS

Have a late lunch at one of the many cafes or restaurants in Port Douglas – head to the famous Four Mile Beach and the lookout, and for views head up to nearby Flagstaff Hill lighthouse!

We loved the Surfy just at the bottom of Four Mile Beach – it gave a small version of Trailer Boat / Sailing Club vibes, and for a bloody good cookie / coffee, or a bakery snack, stop in to Grant Street Kitchen!

DINNER: GUERRILLA

We wanted to check out some of the neighbourhoods while we were in town so we headed out to the trendy Edge Hill for some of the best Mexican we’ve eaten – Guerrilla was fantastic – highly recommend the corn ribs and alllll of the tacos!

DAY 3

COFFEE: CAFFIEND

Coffee at Caffiend is always recommended, and it’s true! A Cairns staple – we love a cafe that is passionate about local ingredients – and good coffee, of course!

EXPLORE: MARKETS / KURANDA

Depending on when your flight out is – we’d also recommend a walk around Rusty’s Markets – they’re a bit same same but different to our markets here in Darwin – they’re hawker-style markets that operate every Friday – Sunday, there’s over a hundred vibrant stalls.

If you’ve still got your car – check out Kuranda and the scenic railway / cable car on a clear day, or if it’s been raining drive up to Barron Falls – it’s quite spectacular in full flow!

We hope you enjoyed our guide about how to spend a weekend in Cairns!

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