Criterion Hotel

Dunedin & Otago


Period rooms at this lovingly restored 1877 hotel are smallish, but there's a guest lounge and kitchen, and the beds are comfy. Rates include a help-yourself continental breakfast. Downstairs is the distraction of a great corner pub.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Dunedin & Otago attractions

1. Grainstore Gallery

0.03 MILES

Crammed with weird theatrical sculpture, papier-mâché masks and vintage curiosities, this former Victorian grain store houses an ever-changing cornucopia…

2. Steampunk HQ

0.04 MILES

Discover an alternative past – or maybe a quirky version of the future – at this fascinating art project celebrating steampunk culture. Ancient machines…

3. Victorian Precinct

0.05 MILES

Consisting of only a couple of blocks centred on Harbour and Tyne Sts, this atmospheric enclave has some of NZ’s best-preserved Victorian commercial…

4. Whitestone City

0.09 MILES

Ōamaru's heyday is brought to life by costumed guides inside this 1882 grain store – and you too can don vintage costumes (adult/child $20/10) and get…

5. Forrester Gallery

0.12 MILES

Housed in an elegant, temple-like former bank building, the Forrester Gallery was closed for renovations at the time of research, but should be open in…

6. Friendly Bay Playground

0.18 MILES

Steampunk for kiddies: this unusual playground includes swings suspended from a giant penny farthing, a slippery pole accessed from an armoured elephant,…

7. North Otago Museum

0.21 MILES

This weighty museum plans to reopen after renovation in March 2020. The new space will house Waitaki Taonga (the Willetts Collection), one of the most…

8. Thames Street

0.24 MILES

Oamaru’s main drag owes its expansive girth to the need to accommodate the minimum turning circle of a bullock cart. The town's grand pretensions reached…