Your Insider's Guide to Après Ski in Queenstown

One of the best thing about skiing holidays is that the fun doesn’t end when the lifts stop spinning. Après Ski has been part of snow sports since people first started playing in the snow. Hands down the biggest and best Après Ski scene in the Southern Hemisphere is at Queenstown, which is tailor made for having fun after a day on the mountain. Most of the action is clustered near the lake front making the après vibes energetic and lively.

There is a lot of choice. You can go chill or you can go crazy - there's somewhere in Queenstown for everyone. So to make selecting an après ski destination (or destinations) to easy we’ve grouped a selection of the most popular local hotspots into several categories. But this is just the start - here we're literally just scratching the surface of après in Queenstown. Part of the fun is exploring and finding something new.

• The World Bar is the classic Queenstown après spot is beloved by locals and visitors alike for its beer garden, mulled wine, burgers, and their world-famous teapot cocktails. Find The World Bar on Church Street, just up from the lake. 

• Rhino’s Ski Shack is an alpine-themed bar dedicated to ski culture that pumps in the evenings with DJs and a lively crowd. Find Rhinos in the Mall. 

• Perky’s Floating Bar is a boat bar on Lake Wakatipu known for mulled wine and sunset views. Perky’s is on a classic lake cruiser boat that’s moored at the dock right in front of town. 

• Little Blackwood. Exhausted by a day of shredding but still feeling the need to get in some après then cocktail by the fire at Little Blackwood beside the lake could hit the spot.  

• The Bunker. Here's another intimate fireplace lounge with high-end cocktails and hums along nicely into the small hours.  

• Altitude Brewing. Altitude is the core Queenstown craft brewery located near the Frankton Marina. It’s super handy if you’re heading back to town from the Remarkables.  

• Attiqa & Sundeck Rooftop Bar. Attiqa goes off with DJs, cocktails, rooftop fire pits and lake views. Find this epic spot upstairs in The Mall. 

• 1876 Bar & Restaurant. Doing Queenstown on a budget? You can still enjoy the nightlife with cheap drinks and a busy backpacker scene at 1876 in Ballarat Street. 

• Cowboys Bar. If you don’t feel like you got knocked around enough on the snow then head to Cowboys to ride the mechanical bull in this Wild West themed bar. Get your yeehaa on in The Mall. 

• Coronet Peak. Get a head start up on the mountain. Coronet is famous for night skiing and DJ sets on the deck with drinks around fire pits. But remember if you want to have a drink on the mountain you must not be the one driving home. Get a shuttle or have a sober driver.  

• Broken Heart Gin Garden. Feeling like something a bit spesh? The Broken Heart is the place to go. This boutique gin palace is located at Arthurs Point just down the road from Coronet Peak.  

• Fork & Tap Pub. This pub in Arrowtown is a great spot if you’re staying out that way. It’s low key and great for a relaxed drink and a bite to eat after skiing.  

• Canyon Brewing. Canyon is another core Queenstown brew pub. Find it by the Shotover Jet facility right beside the river upstream from the bridge at Arthurs Point. Canyon is perfect as a stop off on the way back to town from Coronet Peak. 

• Altitude Brewing. This is definitely a favourite with locals and Remarks ski field staff after work. 

• Atlas Beer Cafe. This is a great little spot on the lake with craft beer and a chill industry crowd.