Cairns on a Budget

Cheap things to do in Cairns! Budget tours and accommodation, sightseeing tours, free activities - making sure you have a great holiday at a budget price in North Queensland

lots to do on a budget in Cairns

Choose from our hand picked activities and tours. Australia boasts some of the best natural wonders in the World our events highlight the best things to see and do in Australia.

Discover the Best Deals in Cairns

Experience Cairns and Tropical North Queensland on a budget!

The region boasts the meeting of two UNESCO World Heritage-listed natural wonders – the spectacular Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics Daintree Rainforest.

You can visit the AthertonTablelands, Port Douglas and even see the oldest aboriginal art on the planet – the list goes on. With a good assortment of tours and accommodation for those who are on a budget and want to experience the true beauty of Tropical North Queensland.

With its breathtaking scenery and warm climate, this region has taken its place as the most desired domestic holiday spot and world-class international tourist destination.

Cheap boat tours include snorkelling, lunch, glass-bottom boats and more. It might just take a little longer to get to the reef the tours still offer the same attractions as the more prominent more expensive operators.

Top 5 Things to do in Cairns on a budget

Compass is Cairns favourite Budget Great Barrier Reef Tour
Crocodiles at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventure Park
Train & Skyrail visit to the Kuranda Village
Fitzroy Island, hiking, swimming
Tablelands and Waterfalls Tour

Top 10 Things to do in Cairns for FREE

1/ Cairns Lagoon

2/ Muddies if you have kids Muddies is so much fun

3/ Cairns Botanical Gardens

4/ If you love fitness & bushwalking the Red, Blue, Green & Yellow Arrows are awesome

5/ Centenary Lakes Nature Play has a great play area for kids

6/ Rusty’s Farm Markets open Friday to Sunday

7/ Swimming holes Behana Gorge and Crystal Cascades are great spots for a refreshing dip

8/ Munro Martin Parklands are World Class gardens

9/ Free Activities on the Esplanade – Skate Park, Exercise Equipment, Yoga, Beach Volleyball

10/ Treehouse another excellent option for kids & Wharf One Cafe right next door

Cairns Attractions

The Great Barrier Reef

No visit to Tropical North Queensland is complete without a visit to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Take in the world’s largest living structure and witness the reef’s incredible aquatic life from a glass-bottom boat.

Day trips start at $115 and family rates from around $400

The Esplanade

Cairns Esplanade is one of Cairns’ most affordable attractions.

From Yoga to Zumba, fitness programs for all fitness levels and ages are offered free.

Once you’ve burnt up the calories, you can cool down in a salt-water lagoon surrounded by sand with a clear view of the Coral Sea.

Shops, art and live entertainment are open to the backpacker set and families alike.

Galleries & Museums

Photograph: David Campbell | Courtesy Cairns Indigenous Art Fair

Don’t miss the opportunity to discover Cairns’ rich and varied culture expressed through indigenous and contemporary art displayed in its host of art galleries.

For $5 per person and $12 per http://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/cbg family, the Cairns museum offers a diversity of collections. That illustrates Cairns’ growth from frontier town for gold miners to the top class tourist attraction it is today.

Botanic Gardens

Cairns botanic gardens centre

Cairns has one of the best botanic exhibits in Australia.

One of the Free things to do in Cairns is the Cairns Botanical Gardens.

Located only 4 kilometres from the heart of the city, and the gardens are a prime example of the types of plants that grow in the tropical atmosphere of the Daintree Rainforest.

20 of the Best Tours under $120

Australian Butterfly Sanctuary

Visit the largest butterfly aviary in the Southern Hemisphere!

$20