The gondola ticket we list
Christchurch Gondola return ride to the Port Hills
★ 4.6 · 472 guest ratings
- Price fromfrom $26
- Valid1 day
- Free cancellationIncluded
Your booking starts here
Choose a date. Get the price.
Set your date and group size and the total follows along; the next page then shows the live price and what is still open.
- No-fee cancellation up to 24 hrs before
- Lock in now, pay later
- Fills up 6 days in advance
Details to note
Included, bring with you, excluded
Included3
- A return ride between the base and the summit
- The Discovery Ride at the summit station
- Arrive when you like within opening hours
Bring3
- A warm layer: the summit is exposed to wind
- Shoes with grip if you plan to walk the rim
- A contactless card for the bus or shuttle
Not in the price2
- Transport to the Heathcote base station
- Food and drink at the Red Rock Cafe
852metres
of line, measured on the level
10minutes
for an average ride to the top
440people
carried to the summit in an hour
472reviews
from guests on GetYourGuide
Compared
Four ways to buy a ride up the Port Hills
Gondola plus a day on the tram
Christchurch Gondola and Tram City Tour Combo
★ 4.6 · 837 guest ratings
- Price fromfrom $48
- Valid1 day
- Free cancellationIncluded
Gondola, tram and a punt
Christchurch: Tram, Punt and Gondola Ride Combo Ticket
★ 4.7 · 675 guest ratings
- Price fromfrom $72
- Valid1 day
- Free cancellationIncluded
Gondola plus the Avon
Christchurch: Gondola Ticket and Punt Ride on the Avon River
★ 4.6 · 92 guest ratings
- Price fromfrom $50
- Valid1 day
- Free cancellationIncluded
Understanding the grid
The plain return ticket beside the three combos that bundle it with the tram or a punt, rated and priced live.
Each price is a per-person starting rate on GetYourGuide.
In their words
Words from travelers
4.6
★★★★★472 booked-guest reviews
We took one of the first rides of the day, and I would choose that timing again. The staff were kind and polite, and on our next trip a better camera is coming with us for those views.
PetriceApril 2026, with family
A smooth, well-run ride. At the top we walked around Mount Pleasant for the wide views of the city; give it an hour, as the path gets rocky and steep. Good cafe too.
DebraMarch 2026, as a couple
Cloud hung over the hills on our day, but we went up anyway and caught part of the view on the climb. I suspect it is better value when the sun is out. Lovely staff.
KarenMarch 2026, as a couple
The observation deck showed us Christchurch and Lyttelton below. A hot drink in the cafe warmed us after the wind outside, and the free history ride was a bit old-fashioned but informative.
KeithMarch 2026, as a couple
Climbing into the mist felt a little nerve-racking and very exciting. Coming down, the sky had cleared and the view was superb. The history ride under the shop was a lovely surprise.
EricaSeptember 2025, as a couple
The trip up is a sight in itself as you look back over the city, and the views from the top are even better. Not something to miss if you are in Christchurch.
TrevorJune 2025, as a couple
the ride
What a visit to the Christchurch Gondola is like
The Christchurch Gondola lifts you from a base station in Heathcote Valley to the top of the Port Hills, where the city lies on one side and Lyttelton Harbour on the other. The ticket we recommend is a simple return: you turn up on the day you booked, at any hour the line is running, and ride when you are ready. It starts from $26 and can be cancelled free up to 24 hours ahead.
The gondola ride in Christchurch is short and calm. Cabins seating up to four climb 852 horizontal metres in about 10 minutes, the plain and the grid of streets sliding away behind you. At the summit station you step out to a cafe, a gift shop, decks facing both ways and the start of several walking tracks.
Most people spend an hour or two at the top before riding down, which is the span the operator itself suggests. It is not an adventure ride and it is not a museum. It is an easy way to stand on the rim of an old volcano above a city, look across to the Southern Alps, and be back in town for lunch, with the whole layout of Christchurch finally making sense.
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Cabins, crater rim and harbour
Photos from Christchurch Gondola listings
why up here
A hilltop between a city and a harbour
From the city the Port Hills look like a low brown wall along the southern edge of town. From the top they reveal what they really are: the rim of a great bowl, with the blue water of Lyttelton Harbour filling the floor of the crater on the far side. The contrast between the flat, gridded city and the deep sheltered harbour is what makes the view so striking.
Tourism New Zealand describes the outlook from the summit station as 360 degrees, taking in the city and Lyttelton Harbour. ChristchurchNZ widens it to the Southern Alps under snow, the Canterbury Plains, Pegasus Bay and the Pacific. On a clear day you can follow the coastline north and the mountain chain west for as far as your eyes allow.
People have crossed these hills for a long time. The Bridle Path, which starts just below the gondola, is the track that early European settlers used between the port and the new town. Riding up in a cabin, you can look down on the same slopes they climbed on foot with everything they owned, and appreciate how hard that first crossing must have been.
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How the ticket works and what it costs
At the gate the operator charges NZ$45 for an adult return, NZ$22 for a child aged 5 to 15 and NZ$123 for a family of 2 adults with up to 3 children; under-5s ride free. Booked through this site, the same return ride starts from $26, priced in your own currency on the booking form, so you know the cost before you travel.
There is no time slot to keep. No booking time is attached to a gondola ticket, and the record of the ticket we list says the 10 AM shown at checkout is only an automated placeholder. You reserve now, pay later, and cancel free up to 24 hours before your date should the forecast or your plans shift.
Transport is the one thing no ticket covers, single or combo. Budget for the shuttle or the bus, or plan to drive: the base station car park is free. Our tickets page lists every fare, from the walkers' one-way ticket and the family fare to the locals' Annual Pass, and says which discounts really exist.
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Your ride up
Pick a day and ride when it suits you.
No time slot: book the day, then turn up at any hour the gondola runs.
the summit
The cafe, the history ride and the shop at the top
The summit station on Mt Cavendish holds three things beside the view: a licensed cafe called Red Rock, the Discovery Ride and a gift shop, the Shop at the Top. Its counter food, kitchen menu and children's dishes make a family lunch with a view easy to arrange, and the windows frame the plains while you eat.
The Discovery Ride is the surprise. Visitors sit in a slow-moving car that carries them through a staged retelling of the region's past, starting millions of years back. Your gondola ticket already covers it, ChristchurchNZ points out, so there is no reason to skip it, even when time is short before the cabin back down.
For the curious, QR codes around the station open the operator's Scan and Learn site, which names the peaks, bays and landmarks in front of you. Keep an eye on the clock: those three close their doors 30 minutes before the final departure from the top. Plan your coffee before the late-afternoon rush back to the cabins.
Book, no fee to cancelRating summary
Rated by 472 guests
4.6
Excellent★★★★★
- 5 star rating100%
- 4 star rating0%
- 3 star rating0%
- 2 star rating0%
- 1 star rating0%
Each bar is based on the 10 newest reviews in our dataset, and GetYourGuide orders by best first. The score for all 472 reviews together is 4.6.
Find a date that works
from $26 · you can cancel for free
Instant confirmation · the booking platform
the reviews
What visitors praise after riding up
The listing behind this site carries 472 reviews with a 4.6 average; with sub-scores of 4.7 for getting you up the hill and 4.5 for value. Read the newest of them and the same handful of things comes up again and again: the views from the deck, the friendliness of the staff, and how smooth the climb feels.
Some visitors were surprised by what waits at the top. The history ride below the shop drew praise as a quirky extra, even from a reviewer who found it a little old-fashioned. The cafe gets mentions for hot drinks after time on a windy deck, and the walk around the summit area is recommended, with a note that it is rocky and steep in places.
Reviewers are honest about the weather too. One couple rode up into cloud, saw only part of the panorama and felt a sunny day would have been better value; another found the mist made the climb more thrilling and the view on the way down spectacular. Choose your day with the sky in mind and the odds are on your side.
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FAQ
Need to know?Read on.
Where does the gondola leave from?
Heathcote Valley.
The base station is at 10 Bridle Path Road, a 15-minute drive from the city centre.
How long does the ride take?
About 10 minutes.
Cabins cover 852 horizontal metres to the summit in around 10 minutes.
What are the opening hours?
10 AM to 5 PM in summer.
Winter closing is 4 PM, with a final hour of descents after that.
Do I need to book a time?
No.
The listing works any time during opening hours on the day you choose.
Is transport included?
No.
Take the Gondola Shuttle from Cathedral Square, bus 8, a taxi or your own car.
What is at the top?
A cafe, a history ride and a shop.
The summit station also opens onto decks and walking tracks along the ridge.
Is the Discovery Ride included?
Yes.
ChristchurchNZ lists it as part of the gondola ticket, and of the Annual Pass too.
Can wheelchair users ride?
Yes, in a manual chair.
A manual chair up to 600mm wide fits the cabin doorway, and a lift links the summit levels.
Can I cancel for free?
Yes, up to 24 hours before.
A cancellation made at least 24 hours before your date is refunded in full, and you can book now and pay nearer the day.
What if the weather is bad?
Check before you go.
When a storm hits, the gondola may close early or not open, and Metro then shuts the bus stop at the base.
the view
Clear days, grey days and the view from the top
Everything about this outing depends on visibility. Christchurch gets plenty of sun, with around 2143 sunshine hours a year according to ChristchurchNZ. Winter often brings the best of them: crisp blue-sky days with snow on the mountains behind the plains, the kind of day when the Alps look close enough to touch.
Cloud is the risk. It can sit on the ridge while the streets below stay dry, and when a storm blows through, the gondola can stop early or never start. Look at the hilltop from town before you set off; if you can see the summit station clearly, the view from it will be worth the fare. If you cannot, give it a few hours or a day.
Haze is the other variable. A warm summer afternoon can soften the Alps to a faint line, while the harbour side stays sharp and bright. If the mountains matter most to you, aim for a cool, clear morning after a southerly has swept the air clean, and leave the hazy afternoons for the gardens, the river and the city sights.
Book, no fee to cancel440people an hour
Capacity of the line
Up to 440 people can ride from the base to the summit every hour.
That is the operator's own figure for the line. It explains why waits are short on most days, and why a large cruise ship arriving all at once is the one thing that builds a queue.
getting there
From the city centre to Heathcote
The base station sits out of town at 10 Bridle Path Road, a 15-minute drive from the centre. The heritage tram does not go there, so visitors without a car use the operator's shuttle or the public bus. Reaching the gondola in Christchurch takes a little planning, but every option is simple once you know where it leaves from.
The Gondola Shuttle leaves from Tram Stop 2 in Cathedral Square and takes about 15 minutes; an adult return is NZ$15 by card, according to the shuttle page. Metro bus 8 heads towards Lyttelton from the Bus Interchange on Colombo and Lichfield Streets and stops at the base, for NZ$3.00 with a contactless card.
Cruise passengers berthed at Lyttelton are even closer: the operator counts 5 minutes from the port by taxi or bus. Drivers have the easiest time of all, with a large free car park at the base that also takes campervans. Our getting-there page compares every route, with the return times that matter at the end of the day.
Book, no fee to cancelThe visit in brief
A city on one side.A harbour on the other.Ten quiet minutes up.
The ticket we list is a return ride on the gondola above Heathcote, for the day you choose and any hour the line runs. Cabins climb 852 horizontal metres in about 10 minutes to the summit station, with its cafe, its history ride and the tracks along the ridge. It starts from $26 and holds 472 reviews on GetYourGuide.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before your day
the hours
Opening hours and the quiet times to go
The gondola opens at 10 AM all year. It closes at 5 PM in summer, from 28 September, and at 4 PM in winter, from 1 May, and the last cabins come down for an hour after closing. Any hour in between is fine for a ticket from this site, so you can fit the ride around a late breakfast, a museum or a morning on the tram.
Crowds follow the cruise ships. The operator says the tram and the gondola get very busy when a large ship is in port, and on those days it recommends arriving after 2 PM. Queues also lengthen over the New Year fortnight, 26 December to 10 January, so build in some slack then. The operator publishes the dates of the big ship calls on its news page, which makes it easy to dodge them if your plans are flexible.
Outside those dates the line is usually easy to walk onto. Morning suits anyone who likes a calm start on the decks; late afternoon brings warmer, lower light across the plains and the harbour. The hours page of this guide covers sunset, closures for wind and weather, and how each season changes the visit.
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the walks
Tracks that start at the summit station
Many visitors never go beyond the decks, and they miss half the experience. The operator describes walking tracks from the summit station ranging from a short stroll of a quarter of an hour to trails of a few hours. Even the shortest takes you away from the building and out onto the open ridge, where the wind and the silence feel a long way from the city.
One of the longer options leads to the remains of World War II gun emplacements on the slopes of Mount Pleasant, with views of Lyttelton Harbour and the Pacific; the operator gives it 2 hours return. Expect rock underfoot and slick ground after rain, wear shoes that grip, and carry a warm layer for the exposed sections.
Walkers can also arrive or leave on foot. The Bridle Path climbs from a carpark just below the base station, and a one-way ride costs NZ$25 for an adult, sold at the base or at the summit store. Walking up and riding down is a fine half-day. The walks page of this guide describes each route and its grade.
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- from $26 a person
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the city
Pairing the gondola with the tram and the Avon
Gondola, heritage tram and Avon punts share one operator, a group of local families that has run them since 2005, and it packages them together. Gondola plus a tram day is NZ$82 for an adult; add a punt and the Christchurch Pass comes to NZ$122. By the operator's own reckoning, bundling more rides means a bigger saving, and the figures bear that out.
The rides in a combo do not have to be on the same day. Keep the hill for whichever morning dawns clearest and give a duller day to the tram, whose full loop with commentary lasts about 50 minutes. The punt is the only part that needs a booked time, so arrange it first and fit the rest around it. Combo tickets carry no fixed time for the hill or the tram, which leaves the rest of the plan open.
The tram and gondola combo is the bundle this site lists for the passes page, from $48 with 837 reviews. Our passes page compares all the bundles, explains how the tram, the punt and the gondola fit into one day or two, and shows when a single ticket is still the better buy, for example when all you want is the hill on one clear morning.
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Who should ride, and who should think twice
Families do well here: there is no minimum age, under-5s ride free, and the cafe caters for children. Travellers with limited mobility can ride too, since a manual wheelchair up to 600mm across fits the cabin and an elevator serves the summit floors. The Discovery Ride and the shuttle bus, though, are not wheelchair accessible.
Some things are off limits. Pets are out unless they are certified disability assist dogs, and nobody may fly a drone there. The ride is enclosed and seated, which makes it manageable for most people who dislike heights, but it does climb a steep hillside, and the first minute out of the station is the steepest-feeling part.
The real caveat is the sky. If cloud covers the hills or a gale is blowing, wait for another day; the line may not run in bad weather anyway. Because cancelling is free until 24 hours before, an early booking is no gamble if the forecast changes, and a clear day on the Port Hills is well worth waiting for.
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