Dunedin is a relatively compact university city of about 130,000 people. Much of the city is concentrated around the lowlands and immediately surrounding hills, Otago Harbour, Otago Peninsula and the Pacific coast beaches of St Kilda and St Clair. The best way to start your exploration is with a downtown Dunedin city walk or cycle.
In the early days of European colonisation, Dunedin was the most developed place in New Zealand. This is reflected in the city’s stunning churches and other Victorian and Edwardian buildings.
We suggest you begin at one of the cafes on Vogel Street, then walk northeast to the railway station. There’s a great farmers market on Saturday morning. Venture up Stuart Street to the Octagon, then north along George Street to Albany Street and continue left until you reach Otago University. The university’s wonderful clock tower and the counterpoint of a lovely modernist building are next to the Leith River. The campus is easy to wander around with more examples of 150 years of architecture.
Other Dunedin city walkable must-sees are the museums, many large murals on theses of buildings, botanical gardens, and Baldwin Street, the steepest road in the world.
