Franz Josef Travel Guide: Your Glacier Adventure in New Zealand's West Coast

Laden with a unique ice glacier landscape, Franz Josef is a town on the West Coast of the New Zealand's South island. First explored by a geologist in 1865, Franz Josef will get you closer to the ice like never before and the world heritage site deserves to be explored to the fullest. And the best way to do is to go on a guided ice walk or indulge in heli-hiking.

Also called Waiau, Franz Josef is a small town on the west coast of South Island, offering mesmerizing New Zealand packages. It derives its name from its namesake Franz Josef glacier. A recognized World Heritage Area, here you can lose yourself to the natural beauty of glaciers, rainforests, waterfalls, lakes, and of course glacier hot pools. Fox Glacier is just 23 km away from here.

Getting in Franz Josef

Franz Josef does not have an international airport on its own and the closest airport to Franz Josef that you can make use of include Christchurch and Queenstown. Apart from this, some of the other places that serve Franz Josef include Lake Tekapo, Mount Cook, Wanaka, and Te Anau. From India, you can reach Franz Josef by landing at Christchurch International Airport. Find the information for Christchurch below.

DEPARTURE	DURATION	LOWEST ROUND TRIP DEALS
Kochin	19h, 2 stops	Rs 98,000

Getting out Franz Josef

Getting out from Franz Josef is difficult so you can alternatively drive back to Christchurch which takes approximately 5 hrs and from there, you can easily take a flight to other destinations in New Zealand.

Public Transport in Franz Josef

Public transportation in Franz Josef is limited and to an extent it is nearly zero.

Taxi & Airport transfer in Franz Josef

Franz Josef Airport is suitable only for light-weight aircrafts and the closest international airport is at Christchurch which is 5 hours away from Franz Josef. There are shuttle services that operate frequently connecting Christchurch with Franz Josef. Alternatively, you can also make use of Hokitika Airport which is fairly connected with the domestic airports.

Transport & city passes in Franz Josef

Given the fact that Public Transportation in Franz Josef is limited and not very frequent, City passes are also non-existent.

Driving & Car rental in Franz Josef

Most of the tourists hire a car to get around Franz Josef. But even then you can drive only till the foot of the glacier and from there you have to walk further. There are a lot of walking tracks along the way which you can use to walk on and make sure you heed to the warning signs listed along the way.