There are 7 ways to get from Northern Territory to Cairns by plane, train, bus, or car
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Fly from Alice Springs Airport
best- Fly from Alice Springs Airport (ASP) to Cairns (CNS)ASP - CNS
3h 38m$315–1,241Train, bus via Alice Springs
- Take the train from Darwin to Alice Springs
- Take the bus from Alice Springs to Adelaide
- Take the train from Adelaide to Brisbane
- Take the train from Roma Street to Cairns Central Station
5d 8h$4,854–14,765Bus, train
- Take the bus from Darwin to Alice Springs
- Take the bus from Alice Springs to Adelaide
- Take the train from Adelaide to Brisbane
- Take the bus from Brisbane Roma Street to Cairns Central Station
5d 9h$2,937–6,810Drive 2,353.4 km
- Drive from Darwin to Cairns2,353.4 km
34h 39m$450–650Fly from Darwin International Airport
- Fly from Darwin International Airport (DRW) to Cairns (CNS)DRW - CNS
5h 5m$370–800Fly from Katherine
- Fly from Katherine (KTR) to Cairns (CNS)KTR - CNS
17h 28m$1,034–1,841Train, bus
- Take the train from Darwin to Adelaide Station
- Take the train from Adelaide to Brisbane
- Take the bus from Brisbane Roma Street to Cairns Central Station
6d 15h$5,720–9,026
Northern Territory to Cairns by bus, foot, and train
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Northern Territory to Cairns is to fly which costs $370 - $800 and takes 5h 5m.
The fastest way to get from Northern Territory to Cairns is to fly which takes 3h 38m and costs $310 - $1,300.
The distance between Northern Territory and Cairns is 1474 km. The road distance is 2353.4 km.
The best way to get from Northern Territory to Cairns without a car is to train and bus via Alice Springs which takes 5 days 8h and costs $4,800 - $15,000.
It takes approximately 3h 38m to get from Northern Territory to Cairns, including transfers.
Cairns is 30 min ahead of Northern Territory. It is currently 8:54 PM in Northern Territory and 9:24 PM in Cairns.
Yes, the driving distance between Northern Territory to Cairns is 2353 km. It takes approximately 34h 39m to drive from Northern Territory to Cairns.
There are 1000+ hotels available in Cairns.
What companies run services between Northern Territory, Australia and Cairns, QLD, Australia?
Airnorth flies from Alice Springs Airport (ASP) to Cairns (CNS) 3 times a week.
- Website
- qantas.com
Flights from Alice Springs Airport to Cairns
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 10m
- When
- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
- Estimated price
- $250–700
Flights from Darwin International Airport to Cairns
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 35m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $390–1,100
Flights from Darwin International Airport to Cairns via Gove
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 30m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $370–800
Flights from Darwin International Airport to Cairns via Townsville
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 35m
- When
- Monday and Wednesday
- Estimated price
- $370–800
Flights from Katherine to Cairns via Darwin International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 15h 55m
- When
- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
- Estimated price
- $480–1,500
- Website
- flyairnorth.com
Flights from Alice Springs Airport to Cairns
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 10m
- When
- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
- Estimated price
- $250–700
Flights from Darwin International Airport to Cairns via Gove
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 30m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $370–800
Flights from Katherine to Cairns via Darwin International Airport, Gove
- Ave. Duration
- 18h 10m
- When
- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
- Estimated price
- $470–1,700
Train from Darwin to Alice Springs
- Ave. Duration
- 23h 10m
- Frequency
- Twice a week
- Estimated price
- $2,222
- Book at
- https://bookings.greatsouthernrail.com.au/?_ga=2.27793852.1430812322.1538203551-1884130056.1538203551
- Saver Gold Single Cabin
- $2,222
- Everyday Gold Single Cabin
- $2,340
Train from Darwin to Adelaide Station
- Ave. Duration
- 2d 23h
- Frequency
- Twice a week
- Estimated price
- $3,159
- Book at
- https://bookings.greatsouthernrail.com.au/?_ga=2.27793852.1430812322.1538203551-1884130056.1538203551
- Saver Gold Single Cabin
- $3,159
- Everyday Gold Single Cabin
- $3,326
Train from Adelaide to Brisbane
- Ave. Duration
- 2d 7h
- Frequency
- Once a week
- Estimated price
- $2,365–5,390
- Book at
- https://bookings.greatsouthernrail.com.au/?_ga=2.27793852.1430812322.1538203551-1884130056.1538203551
- Gold
- $2,365
- Gold Premium
- $3,390
- Platinum
- $5,390
- Phone
- 1800 872 467
- Website
- queenslandrailtravel.com.au
Train from Roma Street to Cairns Central Station
- Ave. Duration
- 25h 20m
- Frequency
- 4 times a week
- Estimated price
- $85–6,171
- Book at
- https://queenslandrailtravel-booking.opendestinations.com/BookingSite/rail/search
- Website
- https://www.queenslandrailtravel.com.au/
- Schedules at
- https://www.queenslandrailtravel.com.au/Pages/Timetable.aspx
- BQuick
- $85–390
- AChoice
- $85–390
- Gold Class
- $4,927
- Heritage Class
- $6,171
- Phone
- 1300 473946
- Website
- greyhound.com.au
Bus from Alice Springs to Adelaide
- Ave. Duration
- 19h 55m
- Frequency
- 6 times a week
- Estimated price
- $210–500
- Website
- https://www.greyhound.com.au/
- Schedules at
- https://www.greyhound.com.au/timetables
- Early Bird
- $210–300
- Advantage
- $250–380
- Flexible
- $330–500
Bus from Darwin to Alice Springs
- Ave. Duration
- 21h 5m
- Frequency
- 6 times a week
- Estimated price
- $200–490
- Website
- https://www.greyhound.com.au/
- Schedules at
- https://www.greyhound.com.au/timetables
- Early Bird
- $200–290
- Advantage
- $250–370
- Flexible
- $320–490
- Phone
- 13 34 10
- reservations@premierms.com.au
- Website
- premierms.com.au
Bus from Brisbane Roma Street to Cairns Central Station
- Ave. Duration
- 29h 30m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $220–320
- Website
- https://premierms.com.au/
Want to know more about travelling around Australia
Rome2Rio's Travel Guide series provide vital information for the global traveller. Filled with useful and timely travel information, the guides answer all the hard questions - such as 'How do I buy a ticket?', 'Should I book online before I travel? ', 'How much should I expect to pay?', 'Do the trains and buses have Wifi?' - to help you get the most out of your next trip.
Related travel guides
Best ways to travel around Australia
Read the travel guide
10 amazing places to get away from it all in Australia
Read the travel guide
4 of the smartest ways to explore Australia
Read the travel guide











