Cairns itinerary: 1 to 7 days
Plans for one to seven days in Cairns, day by day: Cape Tribulation and the Daintree Rainforest first, then the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, the northern beaches from Holloways Beach to Palm Cove, Rainforestation and Barron Gorge, Fitzroy Island and Paronella Park as you add days. Every stop has a typical visit length.
How long do you have?
Map: 3 days
Cairns in 1 day
Day 1
Cape Tribulation, Queensland
Headland about 140 km north of Cairns where the Daintree Rainforest meets the coral coast, with beaches and boardwalks.
Daintree Rainforest
Ancient tropical rainforest in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, with boardwalks, river cruises and chances to see cassowaries.
Cairns in 2 days
Day 1
Cape Tribulation, Queensland
Headland about 140 km north of Cairns where the Daintree Rainforest meets the coral coast, with beaches and boardwalks.
Daintree Rainforest
Ancient tropical rainforest in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, with boardwalks, river cruises and chances to see cassowaries.
Day 2
Holloways Beach, Queensland
Quiet northern beach suburb of Cairns with a palm-lined beach, cafés and a stinger net in the warm months.
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
Gondola of about 7.5 km over the rainforest canopy from Smithfield to Kuranda, with stops at Red Peak and Barron Falls.
Cairns in 3 days
Day 1
Cape Tribulation, Queensland
Headland about 140 km north of Cairns where the Daintree Rainforest meets the coral coast, with beaches and boardwalks.
Daintree Rainforest
Ancient tropical rainforest in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, with boardwalks, river cruises and chances to see cassowaries.
Day 2
Holloways Beach, Queensland
Quiet northern beach suburb of Cairns with a palm-lined beach, cafés and a stinger net in the warm months.
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
Gondola of about 7.5 km over the rainforest canopy from Smithfield to Kuranda, with stops at Red Peak and Barron Falls.
Day 3
Trinity Beach, Queensland
Northern beach suburb with a sheltered sandy beach, an esplanade of restaurants and a swimming enclosure.
Cairns in 4 days
Day 1
Cape Tribulation, Queensland
Headland about 140 km north of Cairns where the Daintree Rainforest meets the coral coast, with beaches and boardwalks.
Daintree Rainforest
Ancient tropical rainforest in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, with boardwalks, river cruises and chances to see cassowaries.
Day 2
Holloways Beach, Queensland
Quiet northern beach suburb of Cairns with a palm-lined beach, cafés and a stinger net in the warm months.
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
Gondola of about 7.5 km over the rainforest canopy from Smithfield to Kuranda, with stops at Red Peak and Barron Falls.
Day 3
Trinity Beach, Queensland
Northern beach suburb with a sheltered sandy beach, an esplanade of restaurants and a swimming enclosure.
Day 4
Fitzroy Island
Rainforest island about 45 minutes by ferry from Cairns, with coral beaches, snorkelling and a turtle rehabilitation centre.
Cairns in 5 days
Day 1
Cape Tribulation, Queensland
Headland about 140 km north of Cairns where the Daintree Rainforest meets the coral coast, with beaches and boardwalks.
Daintree Rainforest
Ancient tropical rainforest in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, with boardwalks, river cruises and chances to see cassowaries.
Day 2
Holloways Beach, Queensland
Quiet northern beach suburb of Cairns with a palm-lined beach, cafés and a stinger net in the warm months.
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
Gondola of about 7.5 km over the rainforest canopy from Smithfield to Kuranda, with stops at Red Peak and Barron Falls.
Day 3
Trinity Beach, Queensland
Northern beach suburb with a sheltered sandy beach, an esplanade of restaurants and a swimming enclosure.
Day 4
Palm Cove, Queensland
Resort village north of Cairns with a palm-lined beach esplanade, a jetty and restaurants.
Hartley's Crocodile Adventures
Wildlife park between Cairns and Port Douglas with crocodile feeding shows, boat cruises on a lagoon and native animals.
Day 5
Fitzroy Island
Rainforest island about 45 minutes by ferry from Cairns, with coral beaches, snorkelling and a turtle rehabilitation centre.
Cairns in 6 days
Day 1
Cape Tribulation, Queensland
Headland about 140 km north of Cairns where the Daintree Rainforest meets the coral coast, with beaches and boardwalks.
Daintree Rainforest
Ancient tropical rainforest in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, with boardwalks, river cruises and chances to see cassowaries.
Day 2
Holloways Beach, Queensland
Quiet northern beach suburb of Cairns with a palm-lined beach, cafés and a stinger net in the warm months.
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
Gondola of about 7.5 km over the rainforest canopy from Smithfield to Kuranda, with stops at Red Peak and Barron Falls.
Day 3
Trinity Beach, Queensland
Northern beach suburb with a sheltered sandy beach, an esplanade of restaurants and a swimming enclosure.
Day 4
Palm Cove, Queensland
Resort village north of Cairns with a palm-lined beach esplanade, a jetty and restaurants.
Hartley's Crocodile Adventures
Wildlife park between Cairns and Port Douglas with crocodile feeding shows, boat cruises on a lagoon and native animals.
Day 5
Paronella Park
Spanish-style castle ruins and gardens built by José Paronella in the 1930s beside Mena Creek Falls, with day and night tours.
Day 6
Fitzroy Island
Rainforest island about 45 minutes by ferry from Cairns, with coral beaches, snorkelling and a turtle rehabilitation centre.
Cairns in 7 days
Day 1
Cape Tribulation, Queensland
Headland about 140 km north of Cairns where the Daintree Rainforest meets the coral coast, with beaches and boardwalks.
Daintree Rainforest
Ancient tropical rainforest in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, with boardwalks, river cruises and chances to see cassowaries.
Day 2
Holloways Beach, Queensland
Quiet northern beach suburb of Cairns with a palm-lined beach, cafés and a stinger net in the warm months.
Barron Gorge National Park
Rainforest gorge near Kuranda with Barron Falls, walking tracks and lookouts reached by Skyrail or the Kuranda railway.
Day 3
Palm Cove, Queensland
Resort village north of Cairns with a palm-lined beach esplanade, a jetty and restaurants.
Hartley's Crocodile Adventures
Wildlife park between Cairns and Port Douglas with crocodile feeding shows, boat cruises on a lagoon and native animals.
Day 4
Rainforestation Nature Park
Nature park near Kuranda with amphibious Army Duck rides in the rainforest, an Aboriginal cultural show and a wildlife park.
Day 5
Port Douglas
Resort town about 60 km north of Cairns with Four Mile Beach and boat trips to the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree.
Day 6
Fitzroy Island
Rainforest island about 45 minutes by ferry from Cairns, with coral beaches, snorkelling and a turtle rehabilitation centre.
Day 7
Paronella Park
Spanish-style castle ruins and gardens built by José Paronella in the 1930s beside Mena Creek Falls, with day and night tours.
Watch: Cairns in 3 days
A one-minute look at the plan: every stop, day by day, with the map.
When to go to Cairns
June to October is the dry season and the best time to visit, with warm, sunny days, calmer seas for reef trips and lower humidity. November to April is the wet season, hot and humid with heavy rain, possible cyclones from about January to March and box jellyfish in the sea. Prices and crowds peak during Australian school holidays in July.
Plan the rest of your trip
- Where to stay: hotels in Cairns on Booking.com or Trip.com
- Skip-the-line tickets: museums and sights in Cairns on Tiqets
- Tours and day trips: things to do in Cairns on GetYourGuide
- From the airport: a private transfer in Cairns with Kiwitaxi
- Data on arrival: an eSIM for Australia from Airalo
- Last day: leave your bags in Cairns with Radical Storage and keep sightseeing
Some of these are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tips for Cairns
- Book a Great Barrier Reef trip from the Reef Fleet Terminal a few days ahead; outer reef boats leave in the morning and return in the late afternoon.
- Box jellyfish are present from about November to May; swim inside the stinger nets at the beaches or wear a stinger suit.
- Cape Tribulation is about 2.5 hours' drive north and includes the Daintree River cable ferry; start early or join a day tour.
- Skyrail and the Kuranda Scenic Railway can be combined, up one way and down the other; book the train ahead in busy months.
- The Cairns Esplanade Lagoon is a free saltwater swimming pool on the seafront, since the town has mudflats instead of a beach.
Make it your own
Open the guide in Andiamo Places to see every stop on a map with walking directions, move places between days, check opening hours for your dates, and add your own finds. After the trip, your photos become a journal and, if you like, a printed photo book.
Guides are made with the help of AI and public sources such as Wikipedia, and may contain errors. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go. Spotted a wrong photo, a pin in the wrong place, a missing stop or a better one? Write to andiamotravelapp@gmail.com: the e-mail opens with this guide filled in.
Photo credits
- Barron Gorge National Park: Kelisi, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Cape Tribulation, Queensland: Luxure, CC BY 3.0 au
- Daintree Rainforest: Killerscene, CC0
- Fitzroy Island: user riftreef, [1], CC BY 2.5
- Hartley's Crocodile Adventures: unknown author, Fair use
- Holloways Beach, Queensland: Alexander Khimushin, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Palm Cove, Queensland: Chris Olszewski, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Paronella Park: Sheba_Also 43,000 photos, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Port Douglas: Malcolmj, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Rainforestation Nature Park: unknown author, CC-BY-3.0
- Skyrail Rainforest Cableway: Louise Marshall (Skyrail Rainforest Cableway), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Trinity Beach, Queensland: Paul Toogood, CC BY-SA 4.0
Opening hours change; check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
