Stand on the forecourt of Parliament House and the city's geometry unrolls in front of you: Federation Mall running down towards the lake, Mount Ainslie closing the axis at the far end. Few capitals make their own plan this legible, and fewer still let you walk through the middle of it.
Canberra suits travellers who like institutions, architecture and open space more than nightlife and crowds. A car or bicycle helps, particularly for the embassy districts and the bushland reserves, but the core sights in the Parliamentary Triangle sit close enough together to link on foot.
This guide covers the sights named in the source material, ordered so the strongest come first, followed by a one-day route and answers to the questions visitors ask most.
Top things to do in Canberra
1. Parliament House
The seat of Australia's federal government and legislature, and a remarkable piece of modern architecture on Capital Hill. The forecourt faces Federation Mall and gives the iconic view along the axis towards Mount Ainslie. Much of the inside is open to the public during business hours, and free tours run at certain times.
On sitting days you can watch proceedings from the public gallery from 2PM onwards, and Question Time in the House of Representatives galleries can be arranged by booking. Entry involves a security screening, but beyond that the building is notably open compared with equivalent institutions elsewhere.
2. Australian War Memorial
The most important of the sights in North Canberra, and the national memorial to Australia's military history. It anchors the eastern end of the Anzac Avenue axis, which is lined with military sites worth combining with your visit.
Set aside time for the surrounding precinct rather than treating the memorial as a single stop, since the avenue and its neighbouring military sites form a natural walking sequence.
3. National Gallery
One of the national cultural institutions clustered within the Parliamentary Triangle, alongside the High Court, National Archives, National Library and National Portrait Gallery. The concentration means you can move between them without repositioning the car.
Pair it with the National Portrait Gallery next door and the National Library, all within the same triangle, and plan the group as one outing rather than separate trips.
4. Questacon
The science museum in the Parliamentary Triangle, and one of the institutions that makes the triangle the densest concentration of things to see in the city. It sits in the same cluster as the High Court, National Archives, National Gallery, National Library, National Portrait Gallery and both Parliament Houses.
Because everything in the triangle is close together, slot Questacon into the same day as the galleries and the High Court rather than making a separate journey.
5. Old Parliament House
The predecessor to the current Parliament House, and part of the Parliamentary Triangle group. It is one of the buildings of national significance in the capital, and it sits within easy reach of the current Parliament House on Capital Hill.
Visit it in the same stretch as Parliament House, since the two are both in the triangle and tell the story of the same institution across two buildings.
6. High Court of Australia
The High Court building is one of the important federal institutions in the capital and sits within the Parliamentary Triangle. Like several government buildings in Canberra, it is often open for tours.
Combine it with the National Archives and the galleries nearby, all of which are in the same triangle, so you are not crossing the city repeatedly.
7. National Library of Australia
A building of national importance as well as a working library, located in the Parliamentary Triangle. It is one of the institutions that gives the triangle its character as a civic precinct rather than a single attraction.
Treat it as part of a triangle walk with the National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery and Questacon, all of which are within the same area.
8. National Portrait Gallery
Another of the Parliamentary Triangle institutions, grouped with the High Court, National Archives, National Gallery, National Library, Questacon and both Parliament Houses. It is one of the reasons the triangle rewards a full day rather than an hour.
Build it into the same visit as the National Gallery and National Library, since the three sit together within the triangle.
9. National Archives
Part of the Parliamentary Triangle cluster of national institutions. It belongs to the same walkable group as the High Court, National Gallery, National Library, National Portrait Gallery, Questacon and the two Parliament Houses.
Include it in a triangle itinerary rather than a separate trip, and pair it with the High Court, which is nearby within the same precinct.
10. Royal Australian Mint
The most notable sight in South Canberra outside the Parliamentary Triangle, and one of the government buildings that is often open for tours. It is worth the short move away from the triangle to see how the national coinage is produced.
Since it sits outside the triangle, treat it as its own stop rather than trying to fold it into a triangle walk.
11. Australian National Botanic Gardens
The easiest place to experience the bush capital, specialising in Australian flora and representing most Australian climates, from the rainforests of the north to the deserts of the interior and the pines of Norfolk Island. It sits at the foot of Black Mountain.
From the gardens you can drive to the top where the Black Mountain Nature Reserve is, but it is much better to walk: a good trail starts at the gardens and is itself a fine way to experience the bush.
12. Black Mountain Nature Reserve
The reserve at the top of Black Mountain, reached from the Australian National Botanic Gardens. The summit is one of the points from which the Griffins' geometric plan of the city can be viewed, along with the Telstra Tower and the summit of Mount Ainslie.
Walk up from the botanic gardens rather than driving, and combine the two as a single outing.
13. Telstra Tower
One of the highest points from which the design of the city can be viewed, along with the summit of Mount Ainslie. The Griffins' plan, with its geometric motifs aligned to Black Mountain, Mount Ainslie, Capital Hill and City Hill, reads clearly from above.
Pair it with Black Mountain Nature Reserve, which is on the same mountain, and go when you want the overview before walking the city itself.
14. Mount Ainslie
The other summit from which the city's design can be viewed, and the hill that closes the vista from the Parliament House forecourt along Federation Mall. It is one of the topographical landmarks the Griffins' plan was aligned to.
Combine it with the Australian War Memorial and the Anzac Avenue military sites, which sit at its foot on the same axis.
15. Commonwealth Park
The park between the city and Lake Burley Griffin, designed by landscape designer Dame Sylvia Crowe in 1964. It contains sculptures, ponds and walkways, and an open-air theatre, and on the hill there is an exhibition of Canberra's creation.
Use it as the link between the city centre and the lake, and look for the exhibition on the hill as well as the sculptures and walkways at ground level.
16. Weston Park
A park to the west of the city that is very popular with Canberra residents, with good places to have a picnic, a small train and a maze. Somewhat hidden within it are an English garden, a cafe, a small art gallery and an abandoned arboretum near the nurseries.
Come for a picnic and allow time to find the less obvious corners, which are easy to miss if you stay near the main facilities.
17. Blundell's Cottage
One of the historic cottages of the area's earliest settlers, and a way to picture the early days of the territory before the city existed. It is one of the surviving landmarks of European settlement in the region.
Visit it alongside Calthorpe's House, which tells a similar story of early settler life, to get a fuller picture of the area before Canberra was built.
18. Calthorpe's House
A historic cottage of one of the earliest settler families, useful for understanding the farming area that preceded the capital. It appears both among the historic buildings and among the historic homesteads of Country ACT, some of which have guided tours and walks, cafes for lunch, coffee and cake.
Combine it with Blundell's Cottage if you want the settler story in one go, or with the Country ACT homesteads if you are heading out of the city.
19. St John the Baptist Church
An Anglican church consecrated in 1845, the oldest church in Canberra, predating the establishment of the city by almost seventy years. It has a small museum too.
Look in on the museum as well as the church itself, since it is easy to visit the building and miss the collection.
20. Royal Military College - Duntroon
A training college established in 1911, making it one of the oldest institutions in Canberra. It includes a chapel built by Australian prisoners of war held at Changi in Singapore during the Second World War, later relocated here.
The chapel is located halfway along Miles Road, so plan your route through the college around that point.
21. Sydney and Melbourne buildings
The first commercially funded buildings in Canberra, in Civic, and important local landmarks since the 1920s. Both are surrounded by loggias modelled on those of buildings in Florence, Italy, and they are occupied by a mix of restaurants, nightclubs, pubs and small businesses.
Come in the evening if you want to eat or drink here, since most of the restaurants are quite good and the buildings are the centre of Civic's nightlife.
22. Embassy of China, Embassy of Papua New Guinea and the Royal Thai Embassy
In Yarralumla, the embassy district closest to the city, these are particularly worth a look, along with the building that hosts the Estonian and Finnish embassies. Many embassies are built in an architectural style typical of their country.
It is best to have a car or bicycle for touring so you can stop and look around. Several embassies hold annual open days on weekends in spring and autumn, usually with stalls serving their native food.
23. Embassy of the United States of America
Worth a drive past as the oldest embassy in Canberra. It forms part of the Yarralumla embassy district, where the architecture is the main draw.
Include it on a driving or cycling loop of Yarralumla rather than as a standalone stop. Note that most embassies in the suburb of O'Malley are converted houses and none feature interesting architecture, so there is little reason to extend the tour there.
24. Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
A reserve not far from Canberra, and a good place to experience the Australian bush and animals. It was destroyed by a bushfire in 2003, but the nature has recovered and it remains worth visiting.
Treat it as a half-day or full-day trip out of the city rather than a quick stop, and go if you want wildlife and bushland rather than museums.
25. Namadgi National Park
The largest and only national park in the ACT, taking up about half the territory, and the most northerly of the Australian Alps national parks. There are plenty of opportunities to hike or camp, lots of walking tracks with scenic views over the Brindabella Ranges, mountain bike trails, scenic drives on unsealed roads, and rock climbing at Booroomba Rocks.
Enquire at the visitors centre on Naas Road or check the website for details. In winter roads in the park may be closed because of snowfall, and the park is a good place for those who would like a bit of snow.
26. Lanyon Homestead
One of the historic homesteads of early Canberra settlers in Country ACT, with guided tours and walks, and a cafe for lunch, coffee and cake. It can be combined with Tharwa, a small village and one of the original settlements in the ACT area.
See the old bridge over the Murrumbidgee River at Tharwa on the same trip, and use the homestead cafe as your lunch stop.
27. National Dinosaur Museum
In Gungahlin, showcasing a good range of dinosaur exhibitions in Australia. It is one of the museums outside the main South Canberra and Acton clusters.
Include it if you are heading north of the city centre, since it sits away from the Parliamentary Triangle and the ANU campus museums.
28. Canberra Space Centre
One of the premiere astrotourism sites in Australia, and another of the museums outside the central clusters.
Plan it as a dedicated trip rather than an add-on to a city day, since it is not in the Parliamentary Triangle or Acton.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at Parliament House on Capital Hill, where the forecourt faces Federation Mall and gives the iconic view towards Mount Ainslie. Join a free tour if one is running, and if it is a sitting day, note that the public gallery opens from 2PM. From there, walk the Parliamentary Triangle: the High Court of Australia, National Archives, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, National Library of Australia and Questacon are all within it, so you can move between them on foot.
Afternoon: Cross to North Canberra for the Australian War Memorial, then take in the military sites along Anzac Avenue nearby. If time allows, head up Mount Ainslie for the view back down the axis you walked in the morning, or drive to Telstra Tower and Black Mountain Nature Reserve for the same plan seen from another angle.
Evening: Finish in Civic at the Sydney and Melbourne buildings, the first commercially funded buildings in Canberra, where the loggias are modelled on those of buildings in Florence and the tenants are a mix of restaurants, pubs and small businesses. Most of the restaurants here are quite good, which makes it a straightforward place to end the day.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a car to get around Canberra?
Not for the core sights. The Parliamentary Triangle holds the High Court, National Archives, National Gallery, National Library, National Portrait Gallery, Questacon and both Parliament Houses within one area, so you can walk between them. A car or bicycle is best for touring the embassies in Yarralumla so you can stop and look around, and for reaching Country ACT.
Can I watch Parliament while I am there?
On sitting days you are allowed to view proceedings in the public gallery from 2PM onwards. Viewing Question Time from the House of Representatives galleries can be done via a booking. Much of the inside of Parliament House is open to the public during business hours, and free tours are operated at certain times. You will be screened upon entry.
When is the best time to see the embassies?
Several of the embassies hold annual open days on weekends in spring and autumn, which usually include stalls serving their native food. Outside those days, the architecture is the reason to go, and Yarralumla is the closest embassy district to the city.
What should I know before visiting Namadgi National Park?
Enquire at the visitors centre on Naas Road or see the website for further details. In winter roads in the park may be closed because of snowfall, and the park is a good place for those who would like a bit of snow.
Pick the sights that match your interests, check the details for the ones that need booking, and start mapping out your days in Canberra.