Short answer: Port Douglas is about 68 km north of Cairns Airport and the drive takes 60–80 minutes. There is no train. Your realistic choices are a private transfer, a shared shuttle, a hire car, a taxi, a rideshare such as Uber, or a public coach that runs only a few days a week. For one person on a budget the shuttle is cheapest. For two or more people, or anyone with children, lots of luggage or a tight schedule, a private transfer is usually the best way to get from Cairns to Port Douglas.
We drive this road every day, so this guide is written from the driver's seat. We run private transfers, and we have tried to be straight about when one of the other options suits you better.
| Option | Typical cost (one way) | Door-to-door time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private transfer | From $170 per vehicle | 60–80 min | Couples, families, groups, anyone who values time |
| Shared shuttle | About $45–$60 per person | 75–110 min plus waiting | Solo travellers on a budget |
| Public coach | About $25–$35 per person | 70 min, city stop to town stop | Backpackers with flexible dates |
| Taxi | About $160–$220, metered | 60–80 min | Unplanned, last-minute trips |
| Uber / rideshare | Varies widely with demand | 60–80 min plus wait for a driver | One-way trips north when cars are about |
| Hire car | About $60–$120 a day plus fuel | 60–80 min plus paperwork | People planning lots of day trips |
Prices for the other operators are approximate and were checked in October 2026. They change with season and demand, so confirm before you book.
How far is Cairns Airport from Port Douglas? About 68 km by road. From the Cairns CBD it is a touch further, roughly 70 km, because the airport sits on the northern side of the city. From Palm Cove it is only about 42 km.
The Cairns to Port Douglas drive time is 60–80 minutes in normal conditions. Three things stretch it:
If you are driving back for a flight, allow a buffer. We plan our airport runs to arrive two hours before a domestic departure and three before an international one.
A private transfer is a pre-booked car or van with a driver, for your group only. At Cairns Airport the driver meets you in the arrivals hall with a name board, takes you straight to the vehicle and drives directly to your accommodation.
Cost: with us, from $170 for the whole vehicle for 1–2 passengers, $180 for up to 4, and $220 for 5–7. Other operators price in a similar range, some higher for luxury vehicles. The price is fixed when you book.
Time: 60–80 minutes door to door. Nothing is added for other passengers because there are none.
Good points: no waiting, your flight is tracked, child seats are fitted in advance, luggage is not a problem, and you can ask for a photo stop. For three or more people it usually costs about the same as shuttle seats, or less.
Drawbacks: for a solo traveller it is the dearest way to go apart from a taxi. It also needs booking ahead; we ask for at least 48 hours' notice. Our pickups run 6am–7pm, with earlier pickups by arrangement for a $50 surcharge.
More detail: Cairns Airport to Port Douglas transfers, return transfers and family and group transfers.
Several companies run a Cairns to Port Douglas shuttle: a minibus that leaves the airport on a timetable, usually a handful of departures a day, and drops passengers at their hotels one by one. Most also pick up in Cairns City and Palm Cove.
Cost: about $45–$60 per person each way. Children are often slightly cheaper. Return fares sometimes carry a small discount.
Time: the drive itself is the same road, but allow 75–110 minutes on board depending on how many hotels are ahead of yours, plus the wait at the airport for the next departure. If your flight lands just after a shuttle has gone, that wait can be an hour or more.
Good points: the cheapest comfortable option for one person, and good value for two. It is a proper booked service with a set price.
Drawbacks: you travel to the timetable, not your flight. A delayed flight can mean a missed shuttle. Late-evening arrivals may find no service at all. Going home, shuttles collect from hotels across Port Douglas before leaving town, so pickup times are early. And the per-seat price adds up: four adults pay $180–$240, which is more than a private vehicle.
We don't run shared shuttles ourselves, so if this is the right choice for you, search for "Cairns Airport Port Douglas shuttle" and compare timetables against your flight time.
There is no regular suburban bus between Cairns and Port Douglas. The Cairns public bus network stops at Palm Cove. What does exist is a long-distance coach: Trans North runs a coastal service between Cairns and Cooktown that stops in Port Douglas.
Cost: about $25–$35 per person.
Time: about 70 minutes from the Cairns City stop to the Port Douglas stop.
Good points: the cheapest way to make the trip.
Drawbacks: it runs only around three days a week, leaves Cairns City early in the morning, and does not go to the airport or to your hotel. You need to get yourself from the airport to the city stop, and from the stop in Port Douglas to where you are staying. With suitcases, that usually means a taxi at one or both ends. Check the current timetable on the operator's website before planning around it.
Taxis wait outside both terminals at Cairns Airport, so this is the one option that needs no planning at all.
Cost: the Cairns to Port Douglas taxi fare is metered. Expect roughly $160–$220, more late at night, on public holidays or in a maxi taxi for a larger group. Ask the driver for an estimate before you set off.
Time: 60–80 minutes.
Good points: available on the spot in Cairns, and direct.
Drawbacks: you do not know the price until you arrive, child seats are not guaranteed, and on a busy afternoon the queue can be long. The bigger issue is the return. Port Douglas has only a small number of taxis, so getting one for a 68 km run to the airport at 5am cannot be left to chance; book it well ahead if you go this way.
Uber operates in Cairns and will accept a trip to Port Douglas. Other rideshare apps come and go.
Cost: very variable. App estimates for this trip range from under $100 at quiet times to well over $200 when demand is high. Because the driver has a 68 km empty run home, some decline the job after accepting it.
Time: 60–80 minutes once you are in the car.
Good points: can be the cheapest door-to-door option for two or three people if you catch a low price.
Drawbacks: no way to lock the price in advance, no guarantee of a child seat or room for luggage, and cancellations are common on long trips. For the return leg it is unreliable: very few rideshare drivers are based in Port Douglas, and there may be none online early in the morning. We compare the two in more detail in Uber vs private transfer at Cairns Airport.
All the major hire companies have desks at Cairns Airport, and driving yourself is straightforward: turn right out of the airport, follow the signs north, and stay on the Captain Cook Highway until the Port Douglas turn-off.
Cost: roughly $60–$120 a day for a small to mid-size car in most months, more in school holidays, plus fuel (about a quarter of a tank for the return trip) and any insurance excess reduction.
Time: 60–80 minutes of driving, plus 20–40 minutes at the hire desk in busy periods.
Good points: freedom. If you plan to visit Mossman Gorge, the Daintree, Cape Tribulation or the Tablelands under your own steam, a car pays for itself.
Drawbacks: many visitors to Port Douglas find the car sits in the resort car park. The town is small and flat, most reef and rainforest tours include hotel pickup, and Macrossan Street is walkable from most accommodation. Paying for a week's hire to use it twice is poor value. A common compromise is a transfer in each direction and a one- or two-day hire from an office in Port Douglas for the days you want to explore.
If you do drive, take the coastal section gently. It is winding, there are few overtaking spots, and wallabies and cassowaries are a real hazard around dawn and dusk.
Whichever way you travel, you use the same road. From the airport you pass the Northern Beaches turn-offs, then the highway meets the sea just beyond Palm Cove and stays beside it for most of the next 30 km. In order, heading north:
On a private transfer a short photo stop costs nothing. Tell your driver when you get in. There is more on the road itself in our Captain Cook Highway guide.
The way back deserves more planning than the way up. In Cairns there are taxis and rideshare cars at the kerb; in Port Douglas there are very few of either. Whatever you choose, book the return before you travel. Shuttles and private transfers both take advance bookings, and with a private transfer from Port Douglas to Cairns Airport the pickup is timed to your flight.
For two or more people, a pre-booked private transfer: it is direct, the price is fixed, and it takes 60–80 minutes. For a solo traveller on a budget, a shared shuttle.
About 68 km by road, or 60–80 minutes' drive.
There is a long-distance coach a few days a week from Cairns City, and shared shuttles every day from the airport. There is no local public bus beyond Palm Cove.
No. The only passenger railway north of Cairns is the Kuranda Scenic Railway, which goes inland to Kuranda, not to Port Douglas.
Roughly $160–$220 on the meter from the airport, depending on time of day and traffic.
Usually yes, heading north. Coming back from Port Douglas it is much harder to find a driver.
Most visitors don't. The town is compact and tours collect from hotels. Hire one for a day or two if you want to explore the Daintree or the Tablelands on your own.
Private Cairns to Port Douglas transfers from $170 for the whole vehicle. Book at least 48 hours ahead.