Nelson

Nelson is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island. It is in a region often known as Nelson Bays or the "Top of the South" and is actually slightly north of the capital city of Wellington in the North Island. Wikivoyage

Population 51,100 (Wikidata)

Live guideOpen the live guide From your hotelStart from your hotel

Before you go

Emergency numbers in New Zealand

111AnyAll emergencies

Visas and entry What your passport needs for New Zealand

Getting there

Where are you starting from?

Remembered in this browser only, with the last few you used.

Still gathering the markets around Nelson. I'll let you know here when it's all in — or open the live guide.

Best-documented sights

All of them in the guide

Within a kilometre of the centre, ordered by how well documented each is — not by a "best" anyone decided. Each opens on the map in the guide. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited there.

Eating nearby

All 60 places to eat

Somewhere to run

Getting around

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Places © OpenStreetMap contributors, as of 9 October 2026. Description from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA). Events from Wikidata and Wikivoyage, population from Wikidata.