Cairns Travel Guide (2026): When to Go, Where to Stay, Getting Around
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you make a booking through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Cairns, and the One Thing Nobody Tells You We landed in Cairns expecting a beach holiday and walked down to the waterfront on the first morning ready to swim. There was no beach. Just a wide brown tidal flat, a “no swimming” feel in the air, and a row of pelicans looking unbothered. I stood there genuinely confused — this is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, and you can’t get in the water in town? A local at the coffee cart took pity on us and pointed back over our shoulder: “The Lagoon, mate. Everyone swims in the Lagoon.” ...