Visit Brisbane: Top Things to Do in Australia's River City

Start with the Story Bridge, either walking across it or climbing the steel arch for views out to Moreton Bay. Ride the Wheel of Brisbane at South Bank, walk the Kangaroo Point Green Bridge that opened in December 2024, and drive or catch a bus up Mount Coot-tha for a 360-degree lookout 15 minutes from the CBD. City Hall, the Botanic Gardens and the Brisbane Powerhouse fill out a first day of sightseeing.

Brisbane beaches are river and bay beaches rather than surf. Streets Beach at South Bank is a free lagoon with real sand, lifeguards and city views, and it stays open year round. Wynnum and Shorncliffe on Moreton Bay have swimming enclosures, piers and foreshore paths, both reachable by train. On the water itself, the CityCat runs the length of the river and the free CityHopper covers the inner city stops.

The best restaurants in Brisbane cluster in a few walkable strips. Fish Lane in South Brisbane packs small bars, Thai and Italian kitchens into one graffiti-lined laneway. James Street in Fortitude Valley holds the city's most booked dining rooms, while West End does Greek, Vietnamese and Sunday markets at Davies Park. For a cheaper night, Eat Street Northshore turns shipping containers into food stalls from Friday to Sunday.

South Bank's cultural precinct puts the Queensland Museum, State Library, QAGOMA and the Gallery of Modern Art within a few hundred metres, and general entry to the galleries is free. After dark, Brisbane nightlife splits between Fortitude Valley, which has been a licensed entertainment district since 2006, and Howard Smith Wharves, where beer halls and bars sit under the Story Bridge on the river's edge.

South Bank Parklands runs for 17 hectares along the river opposite the CBD, on land built for World Expo 88. Streets Beach, the Wheel of Brisbane, QPAC and the museum and gallery precinct all sit inside it, and two footbridges connect it to the city centre. Immediately behind the parklands, South Brisbane adds Fish Lane dining and most of the city's mid-range hotels.

The Valley was Australia's first dedicated entertainment precinct and still carries most of Brisbane's nightlife. Brunswick Street Mall and the surrounding blocks hold dive bars, rooftop lounges and clubs, Chinatown sits a street away, and James Street covers the higher end of the dining scene. Light sleepers should book elsewhere on Friday and Saturday nights.

A short walk upriver from South Bank, West End is where Brisbane keeps its markets and its independent food. Boundary Street runs on Greek tavernas, Vietnamese kitchens and secondhand bookshops, Davies Park Market takes over Saturday mornings, and brewpubs and live music rooms handle the evenings. Musgrave Park and the riverside path give the area more green space than the CBD.

Two riverside suburbs downstream of the Story Bridge, linked to the city by CityCat and a continuous walking path. Teneriffe converted its wool stores into apartments and small bars, New Farm has the jacaranda-lined park and the Brisbane Powerhouse arts centre, and both are quieter bases within 15 minutes of the CBD. Good choice for longer stays.

We recommend: Brisbane City in 3 days

We recommend: Brisbane in 48 hours

We recommend: city plus a beach day

We recommend: Gold Coast + Moreton Bay islands

The most popular day trip from Brisbane, about an hour south on the M1 or 1 hour 45 minutes by train to Varsity Lakes. Surfers Paradise and Burleigh Heads cover the surf beaches, the light rail links the main strips, and the theme parks at Coomera and Oxenford are the reason most families make the drive.

Around 1 hour 30 minutes north of Brisbane. Mooloolaba and Maroochydore have the swimming beaches, Noosa adds a national park headland walk and Hastings Street shopping, and the Glass House Mountains and Australia Zoo sit on the way up the Bruce Highway.

Drive 45 minutes east to Toondah Harbour at Cleveland, then take the ferry across to Minjerribah. The North Gorge headland walk is the highlight, with whales passing between June and November plus dolphins, turtles and manta rays below the cliffs. Cylinder Beach handles the swimming.

A 75-minute ferry from the Port of Brisbane reaches Mulgumpin, the world's third largest sand island, 40 km off the coast. Sandboarding down the dunes and snorkelling the Tangalooma Wrecks are the two things almost everyone does. Day tours include the ferry and gear.

About 75 minutes south of Brisbane in the Gold Coast hinterland. Rainforest walks and waterfalls in Tamborine National Park, a glow worm cave, distilleries and cellar doors along Gallery Walk, and cooler air than the coast in summer.

Roughly 2 hours 15 minutes south across the New South Wales border. The Cape Byron lighthouse walk reaches the most easterly point of mainland Australia, and the town keeps its surf beaches, markets and cafes within walking distance of each other.