Nelson Region · New Zealand
Where to stay in Nelson
Nelson is a city in Nelson Region, New Zealand, home to about 51,000 people. This guide covers 1 aparthotel in Nelson.
- Places to stay in this guide
- 1
- Nearest airport
- NSN1 km · Nelson Airport
- Currency
- NZDNew Zealand dollar
- Time zone
- Pacific/Auckland
- Language
- English, Māori, New Zealand Sign Language
About
About Nelson
Nelson (Māori: Whakatū) is a city and unitary authority on the eastern shores of the Tasman Bay at the top of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the oldest city in the South Island and the second-oldest settled city in the country; it was established in 1841 and became a city by British royal charter in 1858.
Nelson is named after the British Admiral, Lord Nelson. It's a beautiful coastal city set amongst some of New Zealand's most stunning scenery. With over 2,500 hours of sunshine a year, Nelson is also usually New Zealand's sunniest city. The city is the economic and cultural centre for the Nelson-Tasman region and offers an excellent range of shopping, eating and cultural experiences with an abundance of parks, rivers, beaches and nature trails to explore.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Nelson
See
- Christ Church Cathedral Nelson
- Elliott Street heritage precinct
- Founders Park
- Melrose House
- Museum: Town Acre 445
- Nelson Classic Car Museum
- Suter Art Gallery
- Miyazu Japanese Garden
- Natureland
- Tahunanui Beach
- The Centre of New Zealand
- Queens Gardens
Do
- Cable Bay Adventure Park
- Fly a kite
- Haulashore Island
- Toilet
- Seals
- Sand beach
- Nelson wineries
- Nelson walkways
- Skydive Abel Tasman
- Riverside Swimming Pool
- bone carving workshop
- Rodeo
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Places to stay in Nelson
1 place to stay from the chains this guide covers, each linked to its own website.
| Place to stay |
|---|
| Quest Nelson aparthotel |
Schematic: the city centre in orange, each place to stay as a dot, distance rings in kilometres.
Where to stay
Which part of Nelson to stay in
Nelson offers a range of accommodation including backpackers, bed and breakfasts (B&Bs), holiday homes, hotels, lodges, resorts, serviced apartments and motels.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
More hotels in Nelson
49 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata; the 40 best known are shown, by the number of Wikipedia editions that cover them. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Rutherford Hotel | 4.3 km | |
| Fellworth House | 5.3 km | |
| The Prince Albert Backpackers & Bar | 4.8 km | |
| Admirals Motor Inn | 3.7 km | |
| Amber Court Motel | 0.6 km | |
| Apex Motorlodge | 1.4 km | |
| Arcadia Motel | 0.9 km | |
| Arrow Motel Apartments | 0.9 km | |
| Asure Fountain Resort Motel | 0.7 km | |
| Baywick Inn Bed & Breakfast | 5.1 km | |
| Beaches Nelson | 1.4 km | |
| Beachside Villas Motel | 0.7 km | |
| Bella Vista Motel Nelson | 0.7 km | |
| Big Sky Nelson Luxury Eco B&B | 12.1 km | |
| Brightwater Motor Inn Nelson | 14.1 km | |
| Cambria House | 5.1 km | |
| Castles Motel | 1.4 km | |
| Cedar Grove Motor Lodge | 4.7 km | |
| Chelsea Park Motor Lodge | 3.9 km | |
| Courtesy Court Motel | 0.9 km | |
| Delorenzo Studio Apartments | 4.8 km | |
| Gladstone Motel | 7.1 km | |
| Grand Arden Monaco Nelson | 2.1 km | |
| Greens Motel | 0.3 km | |
| Harbourside Lodge | 4.8 km | |
| Joya Garden & Villa Studios | 4.4 km | |
| Kings Gate Motel | 4.8 km | |
| Mapua Hills Bed and Breakfast | 14.8 km | |
| Milton Chalet Motel | 5.5 km | |
| Nelson City TOP 10 Holiday Park | 2.7 km | |
| Palazzo Motor Lodge | 4.0 km | |
| Parautane Lodge | 12.1 km | |
| Parkside Motel | 7.6 km | |
| Retiro Park Lodge | 14.9 km | |
| Riverlodge Motel | 4.9 km | |
| Saxton Lodge Nelson | 4.0 km | |
| Shelbourne Villa | 4.4 km | |
| The Beachcomber Hotel | 1.5 km | |
| The Honest Lawyer, Ascend Hotel Collection | 2.1 km | |
| The Hotel Nelson | 3.6 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Nelson
Nelson has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. February is the warmest month, with average highs of 22 °C; October is the wettest, with about 138 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Nelson: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Nelson Airport (NSN), about 1.2 km from the city centre in a straight line; Woodbourne Airport (BHE, 58 km) and Wellington International Airport (WLG, 131 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
InterCity is the national coach company, with daily services to Nelson from around the South Island, including from Picton, the port for the Cook Strait ferries from Wellington.
Getting around
The original city centre, comprising the CBD and The Wood is small enough to walk around, but for access from the surrounding suburbs and around the sites and attractions of the whole city and region you'll likely want to rent a car, take a taxi, or have a fresh set of legs and a bicycle. Ebus is Nelson's city bus service. Four routes in Nelson city operate at 30 minute intervals. Less frequent regional routes to Wakefield and Motueka. Fares $2 in Nelson/Richmond with a Beecard.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
NSN · Nelson Airport
BHE · Woodbourne Airport
WLG · Wellington International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Nelson
Eat
Nelson has a wide variety of excellent cafes and restaurants using fresh local produce. Nelson is the largest fishing port in Australasia, so the fresh seafood is always great! For the best fish and chips within 10,000 miles (according to the Wikimapia author, click the highlighted link to see the exact location right next to Guytons Fisheries Ltd on Wakefield Quay.)
Drink
Early settlers from both England and northern Germany found the hops that they had brought with them grew well in this region and they soon started to develop and propagate peculiarly New Zealand varieties such as Motueka, Nelson and Riwaka. Within a century or so, Nelson grown hops became valued as both high quality and disease free. Nowadays, all of New Zealand's commercial crop is grown in a triangle roughly formed by Brightwater, Motueka and Tapawera. The six week harvesting period in early autumn provides seasonal work for backpackers. How natural then that Nelson is now renowned as the craft brewing capital of Oceania.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Nelson: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Nelson?
Nelson has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. February is the warmest month, with average highs of 22 °C; October is the wettest, with about 138 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Nelson?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Nelson Airport (NSN), about 1.2 km from the city centre in a straight line; Woodbourne Airport (BHE, 58 km) and Wellington International Airport (WLG, 131 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Nelson?
New Zealand dollar (NZD).
Nearby
Destinations near Nelson
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.