If you are currently planning a trip to Port Douglas – whether as an Australian national or from overseas – one important question that you will be asking is: what is the easiest way to get to Port Douglas?
Another should be, what is the best month to visit – see here for more discussion on that.
In this article, we’ll take you through a couple of different transportation options for your convenience, including the cheapest path of least resistance.
Visiting Port Douglas from overseas
If you are planning on visiting Port Douglas from overseas, then you should aim to fly into Cairns (CNS) Airport – which is an international airport. Not only that, but this airport is also the closest to Port Douglas and will provide you with the cheapest and easiest means of reaching your intended destination.
Fortunately, there are a number of airport transfer options for you to choose from:
- Cairns Airport to Port Douglas transfer shuttle bus
- Private airport transfers from Cairns (CNS) to Port Douglas
- Hire a car from Cairns Airport to Port Douglas
The cheapest option in this case would be to take a shuttle bus from Cairns Airport to Port Douglas. However, if the idea of sitting on a bus and waiting for others to board doesn’t appeal to you, then there is the option for a private transfer – or indeed to rent your own car and be done with it.
If for whatever reason your travel plans do not allow you to fly directly into Cairns (CNS) Airport – we will share the four other closest airports to Port Douglas, below.
Visiting Port Douglas from within Australia
If you are visiting Port Douglas from within Australia, then it really depends on where you will be travelling from. Ideally, you should aim to do the same as above and fly to Cairns (CNS) Airport, but again, there are plenty of other options.
Here are the five closest airports to Port Douglas:
- Cairns (CNS) – Approximately one-hour’s drive away from Port Douglas
- Cooktown (CTN) – Approximately four-hour’s drive away
- Townsville (TSV) – Approximately five-hour’s drive away
- Palm Island (PMK) – Approximately eleven-hour’s drive away
- Kowanyama (KWM) – Approximately twelve-hour’s drive away
Let’s say for example that you are currently based in Sydney and you would like a vacation break in Port Douglas, what other travel methods could you consider?
- Drive: It might sound crazy—given that the journey from Sydney to Port Douglas by car would take you some thirty-hours—however, if you are one for road-trips and would love to set off on a cross-country experience then driving to Port Douglas certainly would be an option.
- Bus: Similarly, you could take a bus from Sydney to Port Douglas but this journey would take you two-days due to all of the stops. Not an ideal experience and it may even end up costing you more than it would to fly!
- Train: You could take the train from Sydney to Port Douglas but you would need to take a Bus from Cairns Central station to your final destination.
- Fly: Ultimately, flying directly to Cairns (CNS) from Sydney would be the best option. Not only will this save you an awful lot of time but it many cases it may even end up being cheaper for you! Once you’re there, a quick airport transfers shuttle service and you’ll be in Port Douglas and ready to enjoy your vacation!
The Takeaway
In conclusion, whether you are flying from overseas or travelling across country, the cheapest and easiest way to get to Port Douglas is to fly into Cairns (CNS) Airport – and then enjoy a convenient airport transfer service from there.
