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Brisbane is a vibrant, friendly city with a relaxed atmosphere and a huge variety of tourist attractions to suit all tastes and styles of travel. Set right between the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast, Brisbane offers fantastic weather and easy access to the mountains and the sea.
If you’re planning a visit to this region of Queensland, be sure to add some of these unmissable attractions to your sightseeing itinerary.
1. South Bank Parklands
- Address: Clem Jones Promenade, South Brisbane, Queensland
- Website: visit.brisbane.qld.au/places-to-go/inner-city/south-bank
- Opening Hours: 5 am – 12 am daily
South Bank Parklands was the original site of the 1988 World Expo, and today it buzzes with life as locals and tourists flock to its attractions. Streets Beach, a man-made lagoon surrounded by white sands, is a popular place to swim on hot days, and kids love the nearby Aquativity water play park. There are also lawns, playgrounds, barbecue facilities, picnic areas, and plenty of cafes and eateries.
2. Cultural Centre Precinct
- Address: Grey Street, South Brisbane, Queensland
- Website: arts.qld.gov.au/visit-brisbanes-cultural-precinct
The cultural centre of Brisbane lies on the south banks of the Brisbane River. It is comprised of multiple museums, art galleries, and performance venues interspersed with trees and gardens. You’ll almost certainly drop into this area to visit one or more of its attractions during your time in Brisbane, so be sure to take the time to wander around and appreciate the award-winning architecture and scenic river views.
3. Queensland Art Gallery & Gallery of Modern Art
- Address: Stanley Pl, South Brisbane, Queensland
- Website: qagoma.qld.gov.au
- Opening Hours: 10 am – 5 pm daily
QAGOMA sits across two buildings on the South Bank Cultural Precinct, and together they boast over 1,700 works of classic and contemporary art. Artists and cultures from all over the world are represented, but special attention is placed on artists from Australia, the Pacific, and Asia.
4. Queensland Museum
- Address: Corner of Grey and Melbourne Streets, South Bank, South Brisbane, Queensland
- Website: qm.qld.gov.au
- Opening Hours: 09.30 am – 5 pm daily
Queensland Museum focuses on the natural and human history of the entire state of Queensland. You can learn about the dinosaurs that roamed in Australia millennia ago and discover the history of Australia’s Aboriginal people. There are also exhibits focusing on Queensland’s colonial origins.
5. The Museum of Brisbane
- Address: Level 3, Brisbane City Hall, 64 Adelaide St, Brisbane City, Queensland
- Website: museumofbrisbane.com.au
- Opening Hours: 10 am – 5 pm daily
The Museum of Brisbane sits inside Brisbane City Hall and is home to over 9,000 historic artifacts relevant to the city’s history. The collection was started in 1859, and it’s still growing, with the museum frequently changing its range of exhibits to highlight different facets of Brisbane’s heritage. Guided tours are available not just of the museum but of the entire heritage-listed City Hall building and its iconic clock tower.
6. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
- Address: 708 Jesmond Rd, Fig Tree Pocket, Queensland
- Website: lonepinekoalasanctuary.com
- Opening Hours: 9 am – 5 pm
Lone Pine is the oldest koala sanctuary in Australia and is where you have the opportunity to meet and cuddle with a koala under the supervision of an expert keeper. There are many other Australian species to see here, including kangaroos, kookaburras, wombats, wallabies, crocodiles, Tasmanian devils, and dingos.
Talks and shows take place regularly to help visitors learn about different species and the important work that Lone Pine does to conserve wildlife.
7. Botanic Gardens
There are two beautiful botanic gardens to explore in Brisbane, and they’re both well worth visiting to enjoy a tranquil slice of nature in this lively city.
City Botanic Gardens
- Address: 147 Alice St, Brisbane City Queensland
- Website: brisbane.qld.gov.au/city-botanic-gardens
- Opening Hours: 24/7
City Botanic Gardens lie at the heart of Brisbane CBD (Central Business District) and they have a fascinating story. They began life in 1825 when prisoners planted crops to supply the Moreton Bay prison colony, and the site has dramatically changed and expanded since then.
The gardens are now home to a huge variety of unique and rare plant species, and it’s easy to spend a couple of hours exploring among them.
Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mount Coot-tha
- Address: 152 Mount Coot-Tha Rd, Mount Coot-Tha, Queensland
- Website: brisbane.qld.gov.au/brisbane-botanic-gardens-mt-coot-tha
- Opening Hours: 8 am – 6 pm daily
Mount Coot-tha lies five miles from the city center and its stunning botanic gardens feature rainforests, lily ponds, bamboo groves, fountains, and giant fig trees. It’s free to enter the gardens, and there are complimentary guided walks to help you learn more about some of the unusual plants that thrive here.
8. Mount Coot-tha Summit
Mount-Coot-tha offers some of the very best panoramic views of the city. There’s an observation deck at the summit, or you can enjoy some refreshments with an epic view from the mountaintop cafe or restaurant. The trail to the top winds through gorgeous eucalyptus forest, where you might be lucky enough to spot wild koalas.
9. Roma Street Parklands
- Address: 1 Parkland Blvd, Brisbane City, Queensland
- Website: visit.brisbane.qld.au/places-to-go/inner-city/roma-street-parkland
- Opening Hours: 24/7
Roma Street Parklands is a beautifully landscaped area consisting of sprawling green lawns and designer gardens. There are playgrounds, picnic tables, and barbecue facilities, and regular events take place here throughout the year. Drop by the chic Garden Room cafe for afternoon tea.
10. Eat Street Northshore
- Address: 221D MacArthur Ave, Hamilton, Queensland
- Website: eatstreetnorthshore.com.au
- Opening Hours: 4 pm – 10 pm Friday & Saturday / 4 pm – 9 pm Sunday
Housed in 180 recycled shipping containers, Eat Street Northshore is the place to go to sample some of Brisbane’s best world street food. A huge array of cuisines are represented, including Japanese, Mexican, Peruvian, Malaysian, American, Filipino, and Vietnamese.
Sustainability is an important facet of Eat Street, so you can expect to eat produce that was grown on-site and be served dishes in compostable or recyclable packaging.
11. Wheel of Brisbane
- Address: Russell St, South Brisbane, Queensland
- Website: thewheelofbrisbane.com.au
- Opening Hours: 10 am – 10 pm Monday to Thursday / 10 am – 11 pm Friday & Saturday
The Wheel of Brisbane opened in 2008 as part of Queensland’s 150th anniversary, and it continues to draw lots of visitors thanks to the incredible city views that it provides. It takes 10 minutes to ride this Ferris wheel, and when your air-conditioned gondola reaches the highest point, you’ll get epic views 196 feet above the ground.
Ride at sunset to catch the awesome display of color along Brisbane’s skyline.
12. Queen Street Mall
- Address: Queen St, Brisbane City, Queensland
- Website: visit.brisbane.qld.au/inspiration/guide-to-queen-street-mall
There are more than 700 retailers to choose from in Queen Street Mall, including independent boutiques, international high street stores, and luxury designers. The mall lies at the heart of CBD which means many of the stores are housed in charming heritage-listed arcades. There are also plenty of excellent cafes and restaurants here to keep you fuelled.
13. Howard Smith Wharves
- Address: 5 Boundary St, Brisbane City, Queensland
- Website: howardsmithwharves.com
The heritage-listed Howard Smith Wharves lie right on the riverside so you can enjoy dinner and drinks with a view. There are 13 restaurants, bars, cafes here, and an award-winning brewery. The establishments here are open both during the day and at night, but it’s in the evening when the atmosphere becomes particularly lively.
14. XXXX Brewery
- Address: 20 Paten St, Milton, Queensland
- Website: xxxx.com.au/the-brewery
- Opening Hours: 10.30 am – 5 pm Wednesday to Saturday
XXXX beer is a staple of Australian summer barbecues and bar crawls, and you can see how it’s made when you take a tour of the XXXX brewery. Two brothers created XXXX in 1878, and you can hear their story on the tour before you learn how to pour the perfect beer and sample the goods.
15. Story Bridge
Since 1940, Story Bridge has been the iconic landmark that connects Fortitude Valley with Kangaroo Point. It offers excellent views of the city’s skyscrapers, but for a truly spectacular sight, take the Story Bridge Adventure Climb to scale the very top of the structure.
You’ll be able to see all the way to the Glass House Mountains and Moreton Bay. If you love adventurous activities, consider climbing or abseiling at the nearby Kangaroo Point Cliffs.
16. Glass House Mountains
The Glass House Mountains are thirteen rugged volcanic peaks that rise out of the flat plains of the Sunshine Coast. Not all of them are open to the public but you can enjoy visits to two of them — Tibrogargan and Ngungun.
There are lots of hiking trails in the region and many opportunities to learn about Aboriginal Jinibara people at various cultural sites. It takes about an hour to reach the Glass Mountains by car and around 90 minutes via public transport.
17. Brisbane River
Brisbane River winds right through the heart of the city, and a visit to Brisbane wouldn’t be complete without at least one outing on the water. The easiest way to do this is by using the CityHopper and CrossRiver ferry services.
Catamaran boats, known as CityCats and KittyCats, regularly pass from terminal to terminal along the Brisbane River to help locals and tourists traverse central neighborhoods with ease. For a longer and more leisurely experience, take a guided river cruise on a private boat instead.
18. Brisbane’s Barrier Islands
Two barrier islands lie just off Brisbane’s coast, and both of them make fantastic day trip destinations when you want to escape the city and enjoy some time in nature. You can reach them via ferry or book a guided tour that includes transport.
North Stradbroke Island
North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah) is home to one of Australia’s best dive sites, Manta Bommie. You can expect to be surrounded by inquisitive, gentle manta rays in the waters here, and you may also spot turtles and reef sharks. Back on dry land, take the Goompi Trail with an indigenous guide to learn about traditional bush tucker hunting methods and medicines. There are also beautiful lakes and forests to take in on Stradbroke Island.
Moreton Island
Moreton Island (Mulgumpin) is the third-largest sand island in the world and is a protected national park. Some adventurous activities are prohibited here to protect the island, but there are plenty of water sports to enjoy off the coast. Snorkel or dive at the artificial reef of Tangalooma Wrecks, or try parasailing or kayaking.
Plan Your Vacation in Brisbane
This list covers some of the best sights in the city, but there are even more Brisbane attractions to discover when you start exploring for yourself. Which sights will you check out during your visit?
