Milford Sound Cruises: The 15 Best Sailings

Premium Milford Sound Small Group Tour & Cruise from Queenstown - Leaving Queenstown beside Lake Wakatipu

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3,001 reviews · from $216Our pick

Review of the Milford Sound small group tour from Queenstown, with scenic stops, a two-hour cruise, lunch, guide tips, and practical advice.

“The day started early and it's quite a long drive there and back but we did get to stop along the way to grab a quick bite. Our guide/driver was Jess and she was awesome! She provided lots of information and history about New Zealand and tried to keep us interested during our long journey. Once we arrived, we did the Milford Sound cruise (which includes lunch on the boat). It was an amazing experience and the views are incredible. This tour provides an easy way to see Milford Sound although if you're prone to car sickness, I would recommend taking something for that as as times it is quite…”

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Milford Sound: 2-Hour Small Boat Scenic Cruise

2.Milford Sound: 2-Hour Small Boat Scenic Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 2,561 reviews · 2 hours · from $101

Review of Milford Sound’s 2-hour small boat cruise, with waterfalls, wildlife, skipper commentary, practical tips, parking, and value advice.

“Best cruise in my entire life. With the most beautiful place on earth.”

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Small Group, Award Winning Milford Sound Day Experience & Cruise

3.Small Group, Award Winning Milford Sound Day Experience & Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,416 reviews · from $235

Review of Altitude Tours’ Milford Sound day trip from Queenstown, with small groups, scenic stops, picnic lunch, and a 1hr 45min cruise.

“Amazing day visiting Milford sound! We were blessed with a rare sunny day and our guide made extra stops for us to admire the beauty! At the end they also offer for you to fly back via Venice flight if weather permits, DO IT. Absolute highlight of the experience and trip!”

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Milford Sound Fly-Cruise-Fly Tour from Queenstown

4.Milford Sound Fly-Cruise-Fly Tour from Queenstown

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,792 reviews · from $462

Fly from Queenstown to Milford Sound, cruise the fiord, and return by a different route on this scenic half-day True South tour.

“The flight was cancelled due to weather conditions- I feel we should we notified sooner rather than last min so alternate arrangements can be made”

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From Queenstown: Milford Sound Cruise and Coach Day Tour

5.Milford Sound Cruise and Coach Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,681 reviews · 12 hours · from $162

Review of RealNZ’s Queenstown to Milford Sound coach and cruise tour, with scenic stops, practical tips, costs, timing, and honest advice.

“We had Levi as our driver on the bus. He made the long drive a pleasant experience by sharing his knowledge about the country and other stories. It was noticeable thst he really cares about making the trip special and enjoyable for the passengers! Thank you so much !”

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From Queenstown: Milford Sound Full-Day Trip by Plane & Boat

6.Milford Sound Full-Day Trip by Plane & Boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 1,558 reviews · 5 hours · from $447

Review of the Queenstown to Milford Sound flight and cruise, with scenic routes, boat details, costs, weather advice, and booking tips.

“This was a great way to see Milford Sound from Queenstown. We were prepared to make the drive, but that would have been a mistake. They picked us up at our hotel, drove us to the airport flight center, and flew us over incredible picturesque territory, including Milford Sound before landing at a small airstrip by the docks where the sight-seeing boats leave from. They bus us the two-minute trip to the docks and organized which boats we were going on. All was done for us. The boat trip was comfortable and provided a great tour of the Sound. The return trip on the airplane was on a different route;…”

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2-Hour Milford Sound Scenic Cruise

7.2-Hour Milford Sound Scenic Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,520 reviews · from $104

Review of the 2-hour Milford Sound scenic cruise, with smaller boats, waterfalls, wildlife, practical tips, pricing, and honest drawbacks.

“I had been once about 10 years back, the scenery had not changed, still a spectacular sight, the scale is so hard to fit into one picture on phones/cameras!!”

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Award Winning Milford Sound Full Day Tour & Cruise from Te Anau

8.Award Winning Milford Sound Full Day Tour & Cruise from Te Anau

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,198 reviews · from $185

Review of the Milford Sound day tour from Te Anau, with scenic stops, a small group, morning tea, wildlife, and a two-hour cruise.

“Absolutely delightful and a wonderful trip up to Milford Sound. I think the drive up there and all the information we learned from Tania was as enjoyable as the boat ride itself.”

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Milford Sound: Nature Cruise on a Modern Catamaran

9.Milford Sound: Nature Cruise on a Modern Catamaran

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,006 reviews · 1h 45m · from $92Best value

Review of Pure Milford’s 105-minute catamaran cruise, with waterfalls, wildlife, live commentary, comfort, access, price, and practical tips.

“It was great. The boat did not feel overcrowded. The weather was rainy, which made it better for waterfall observations! We spent the whole time on the deck. Highly recommend.”

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From Queenstown: Milford Sound Day Trip on Premium Coach

10.Milford Sound Day Trip on Premium Coach

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 976 reviews · 750 minutes - 14 hours · from $170

Review of Southern Discoveries’ Queenstown to Milford Sound coach trip, with scenic stops, glass-roof views, cruise details, costs, and practical tips.

“Great trip. Beautiful scenery on the way with a couple of stops for scenery, food and drinks and restrooms. Our bus driver, Keith, gave an interesting commentary along the way. It was a drizzly, overcast day but Milford Sound was worth it and the slight rain brought the waterfalls to life. Highly recommended.”

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Milford Sound: Boutique Small-Boat Cruise

11.Milford Sound: Boutique Small-Boat Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 942 reviews · 105 minutes - 12 hours · from $101

Review of Cruise Milford’s small-boat tour, with waterfalls, seals, mountain views, practical parking advice, and honest value tips.

“Fabulous cruise, timely and the skipper Brad was very informative. Georgie was lovely too. Perfect!”

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From Te Anau: Milford Sound Coach Tour and Cruise

12.Milford Sound Coach Tour and Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 868 reviews · 8 hours · from $110

Review of the Te Anau Milford Sound coach and cruise, with scenic stops, picnic lunch, expert commentary, practical tips, and value advice.

“The driver was excellent with commentary, stops on the way and cruise, picnic lunch with friendly staff.”

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From Te Anau: Milford Sound Coach, Cruise, and Walks

13.Milford Sound Coach, Cruise, and Walks

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 845 reviews · 1 day · from $164

Review of the Te Anau Milford Sound day tour, with a small-group van, nature cruise, short walks, lunch, and practical booking advice.

“The part we most liked about was the drive there, our guide was really knowledgeable with the history of local terrains, flora and fauna, he explained very well how the landscapes were formed. We had very interesting conversations all the way. Lunches were great! Thank you Andrew (Roo)!”

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Milford Sound Coach and Cruise tour from Queenstown

14.Milford Sound Coach and Cruise tour from Queenstown

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 789 reviews · from $152

Review of the Milford Sound coach and cruise from Queenstown, with scenic stops, lunch, practical tips, costs, comfort, and honest drawbacks.

“Did not have enough time to experience the waterfalls. Before you know it, the boat passes so quickly without any announcement. There was one only one staff helping passengers to get a great photo. So overalll, it is not worth the time and money.”

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Premium Milford Sound Tour, Cruise & Lunch from Te Anau

15.Premium Milford Sound Tour, Cruise & Lunch from Te Anau

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 755 reviews · from $185

Review of the Premium Milford Sound tour from Te Anau, with scenic stops, picnic lunch, small-group transport, and a two-hour cruise.

“This adventure is so worth it! Our driver Steve was awesome! He made the trip even better. He was so informative and stopped and show us so many awesome views!! The boat ride was breathtaking - just taking in the views, fresh air and amazing adventure was so worth it!!”

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