Stand on the Goodwill Bridge at first light and the Brisbane River does most of the work for you: a brown-green bend curling around the city centre, ferries cutting white lines across it, and the glass towers of the CBD stacked up behind the mangroves. Brisbane is a river city that behaves like a subtropical one, which means you plan around water, shade and the time of day.
It suits travellers who like their cities walkable and unhurried, who are happy to swap a museum for a botanic garden, and who want wildlife, art and colonial history within a single ferry ride of each other. This guide covers the sights and experiences worth your time, drawn from the city's landmarks, museums, galleries and green spaces, plus a one-day route that strings the best of them together.
Top things to do in Brisbane
1. Brisbane City Hall and King George Square
Brisbane's most significant historical landmark, restored between 2010 and 2013, sits between Adelaide and Ann Streets. The square in front of it is a natural starting point for a day in the centre, and the area has free public Wi-Fi.
Pair it with the Museum of Brisbane inside the same building, and with the clock tower tour, so you only cross the city centre once.
2. Brisbane City Hall Clock Tower and Museum of Brisbane
The 92-metre clock tower carries Australia's largest analogue clock face and opened in 1930. A tour takes you up through Brisbane's oldest operating cage lifts.
The Museum of Brisbane, on Level 3 of City Hall, holds a permanent display on the history of Brisbane alongside rotating exhibits by local artists. Daily tours into the clocktower and observation deck run from the museum and bookings are essential, so reserve before you arrive.
3. City Botanic Gardens
A 10 to 15 minute walk from the city centre and from Central or Roma Street railway stations, these gardens are open around the clock and free to enter, with walking and cycling tracks and exhibits.
Free one-hour guided tours run Monday to Saturday at 11AM and 1PM with no need to book. Those tours mix the history of the gardens with the history of the city, which makes them a good orientation early in your trip.
4. Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art
The Queensland Art Gallery sits at Stanley Place, South Bank, and is housed in two buildings within the cultural precinct. Entry is free except for some special exhibitions.
The Gallery of Modern Art is part of the Queensland Art Gallery and a short walk from the main gallery. It opened in 2006 and regularly hosts exhibitions featuring internationally famous artists alongside local contemporary work. Both are open 10AM to 5PM, so a single afternoon covers them comfortably.
5. Queensland Museum and Sciencentre
On the corner of Grey and Melbourne Streets at South Bank, the Queensland Museum runs several exhibitions that generally focus on natural history and Queensland history. Entry is free except for some special exhibitions.
The Sciencentre occupies Level 1 of the museum and is a hands-on, interactive science facility particularly popular with families and children. It carries its own admission fee, so decide on arrival whether you want both.
6. Wheel of Brisbane
On Russell Street at South Bank, this Ferris wheel lifts you 60 metres for views across the Brisbane River. The trip is a 15-minute ride in an enclosed, climate-controlled gondola.
It runs daily from 10AM to 10PM. Going late in the evening gives you the lit-up river and city rather than the daytime glare, and it sits within easy walking distance of the South Bank cultural precinct.
7. Queensland Maritime Museum
On the corner of Stanley and Sidon Streets at South Bank, the museum holds a range of exhibitions and vessels. You can step aboard HMAS Diamantina and see Ella's Pink Lady, the yacht Jessica Watson sailed solo unassisted on her record-breaking journey.
It opens daily from 9:30AM to 4:30PM. Combine it with the Queensland Museum and the art galleries, all of which cluster around the same part of South Bank.
8. Commissariat Store Museum
At 115 William Street, this museum occupies the oldest habitable building in Queensland and highlights both the building itself and aspects of Brisbane and Queensland's convict, colonial and more recent history. It is run by The Royal Historical Society of Queensland.
It opens Tuesday to Friday from 10AM to 4PM, so it will not fit a weekend itinerary. An audio tour can be downloaded from the website in advance, which is worth doing before you go.
9. MacArthur Museum
On Level 8 of MacArthur Chambers at 201 Edward Street, this museum occupies what was during the Second World War the Office of General Douglas MacArthur, and takes you back to the early 1940s.
It opens Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday from 10AM to 3PM, so check the day before you plan around it. It is a small, focused museum that pairs well with a walk through the city centre afterwards.
10. Cathedral of St. Stephen
At 249 Elizabeth Street, this heritage-registered Gothic Revival Catholic cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Brisbane, with regular services and guided tours on weekday mornings.
Nearby is St. Stephen's Chapel, built in the 19th century and significant as the oldest surviving church building in Queensland. The cathedral is open daily from 8AM to 6PM, so it works as a quiet stop between the city centre and the river.
11. The University of Queensland
At St Lucia, on a bend of the Brisbane River, the university's sandstone buildings sit among ornamental lakes, jacaranda-lined boulevards and fine architecture. Visitor attractions include the Great Court, the UQ Art Museum at the James and Mary Emelia Mayne Centre, the Eleanor Schonell Bridge, and wildlife in the UQ lakes.
Reach it by CityCat or by bus route 66 from the CBD along the Busway. The UQ Anthropology Museum at 9 Chancellor Place, first opened in 1948, houses ethnographic objects including modern Indigenous Australian and Pacific Island artwork, and is worth adding to the same trip.
12. Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha and Japanese Garden
On Mt Coot-tha Road at Toowong, these subtropical gardens have many walks and are free to enter. Opening hours are 8AM to 5:30PM from September to March and 8AM to 5PM from April to August.
Within the gardens is the Japanese Garden, designed by the Japanese architect Kenzo Ogata with a theme of mountain, pond and stream, combining Japanese and Australian plants. The garden tours here focus more on the wide variety of plants than the city history covered at the City Botanic Gardens.
13. Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium
In the Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha on Mt Coot-tha Road at Toowong, the planetarium has free admission to its astronomy and space displays and mini theatre, with fees applying to the Cosmic Skydome. All shows feature a live segment recreating the current Brisbane night sky.
Hours vary, opening from 10AM on weekdays and 11AM on weekends, and it is closed Mondays and public holidays. On weekends, Saturday Night Live at 6PM is a very popular show, so book ahead if that is your plan.
14. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
At 708 Jesmond Road, Fig Tree Pocket, this is the world's first and largest koala sanctuary, with over 130 koalas. You can cuddle a koala, hand feed kangaroos and see other Australian wildlife. It opens 9AM to 5PM, with reduced hours on 25 April.
If you prefer not to drive, catch the hourly 445 or 430 buses from the city, or the Mirimar boat cruise from South Bank at 10:20AM. Discounts apply if you purchase tickets online in advance.
15. Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
On Glenelg Street at South Bank, this purpose-built convention centre and event venue contains four exhibition halls and hosts an average of 1,300 events each year.
It is worth checking what is on during your dates, since the programme shapes whether a visit makes sense. It sits within the South Bank precinct, so it slots easily into a day built around the museums and galleries.
If you only have one day
Morning. Start at Brisbane City Hall and King George Square, then take the clock tower tour and look through the Museum of Brisbane on Level 3, booking the tower in advance. Walk to the City Botanic Gardens and join the free guided tour at 11AM, which covers both the gardens and the city's history.
Afternoon. Cross to South Bank and spend the afternoon in the cultural precinct: the Queensland Art Gallery and the Gallery of Modern Art, then the Queensland Museum, with the Sciencentre on Level 1 if you are travelling with children. If time allows, add the Queensland Maritime Museum before it closes at 4:30PM.
Evening. Ride the Wheel of Brisbane on Russell Street, which runs until 10PM, for the river and city lights from 60 metres. Finish with a walk along the South Bank parklands, which stay open around the clock.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get to the University of Queensland without a car?
Take a CityCat, or bus route 66 from the CBD along the Busway. The campus sits on a bend of the Brisbane River at St Lucia.
When can I visit the Commissariat Store Museum?
It opens Tuesday to Friday from 10AM to 4PM. An audio tour can be downloaded from the website in advance.
What is the best way to see Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary if I am not driving?
Catch the hourly 445 or 430 buses from the city, or the Mirimar boat cruise from South Bank at 10:20AM. Buying tickets online in advance gets you a discount.
Are Brisbane's museums free?
The Queensland Museum, Queensland Art Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art and Museum of Brisbane are free, except for some special exhibitions. The Sciencentre, Commissariat Store Museum, MacArthur Museum, Queensland Maritime Museum and Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium's Cosmic Skydome charge admission.
Pick your dates around the days the smaller museums open, book the clock tower tour early, and start building your Brisbane itinerary from the river outwards.