What are the top things to do in Brisbane?

South Bank Parklands, Story Bridge, Queensland Art Gallery and GOMA, Queensland Museum and Sciencentre, and more. Paste your own list into Tripsapien and it checks each place's hours, closures, and booking pressure for your exact dates.

Which neighborhoods should I explore in Brisbane?

CBD and Riverfront, South Bank and South Brisbane, Fortitude Valley, New Farm and Teneriffe. Tripsapien groups your places by neighborhood so each day stays in one or two areas instead of zig-zagging.

When is the best time to visit Brisbane?

September, May, August balance comfortable temperatures with fewer rainy days. Pick your month below to see that month's events, public holidays, and seasonal timing.

Will the places on my list be open when I'm in Brisbane?

Tripsapien checks each place against the exact dates you're in Brisbane and flags closures, limited hours, and sell-outs before the trip.

Brisbane Australia

Things to do in Brisbane

By Tripsapien Research / Updated May 20, 2026

Brisbane sits on the Brisbane River in subtropical southeast Queensland, with the CBD, South Bank, Fortitude Valley, New Farm, West End, Kangaroo Point, Teneriffe, and Mount Coot-tha linking river ferries, art museums, music venues, markets, botanic gardens, and coast day trips. The city is warmer, greener, and more river-focused than Sydney or Melbourne, with South Bank, Story Bridge, GOMA, Lone Pine, and CityCat ferries shaping the first visit.

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About Brisbane

City overview

Food & drink

Brisbane food is subtropical and river-city casual: Moreton Bay bugs are sweet slipper-lobster tails often grilled with butter, barramundi and prawns carry seafood menus, mango desserts and avocado toast fit warm mornings, and steak stays common in Queensland pubs and grills. Eat Street Northshore, Fish Lane, James Street, West End, Howard Smith Wharves, Fortitude Valley, and South Bank add modern Australian plates, Greek food, Thai noodles, Vietnamese pho, and Japanese izakaya meals.

Top sights

Ranked for suitability using weather, setting, ratings, and review volume.

Map of Brisbane with pinned top attractions (1 through 10)

1
South Bank Parklands
4.8★ · 2,036
The former Expo 88 site reopened as riverfront parkland in the 1990s, with Streets Beach, lawns, restaurants, gardens, playgrounds, and cultural-precinct access. It sits across the Victoria Bridge from the CBD.
Wikipedia
2
Story Bridge
4.7★ · 2,421
The steel cantilever bridge opened in 1940 and links Fortitude Valley with Kangaroo Point across the Brisbane River. Bridge climbs give views toward the CBD, river bends, Mount Coot-tha, and Moreton Bay.
Wikipedia
Reserve bridge climbs ahead and expect heat-aware scheduling in summer.
3
Queensland Art Gallery and GOMA
4.6★ · 695
Queensland Art Gallery opened at South Bank in 1982, and the Gallery of Modern Art followed in 2006 beside the river. The pair covers Australian, Indigenous, Asian-Pacific, contemporary, film, and major touring exhibitions.

Show 7 more sights

4Queensland Museum and Sciencentre
5Brisbane City Hall and Museum of Brisbane
6Roma Street Parkland
7Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens and Lookout
8Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
9New Farm Park and Brisbane Powerhouse
10Wheel of Brisbane

Neighborhoods

1
CBD and Riverfront
The CBD is compact and office-led, with Queen Street Mall, City Hall, Eagle Street Pier, Botanic Gardens, riverwalks, and ferry terminals.
2
South Bank and South Brisbane
South Bank and South Brisbane are cultural and family-friendly, with GOMA, Queensland Museum, QPAC, Streets Beach, Fish Lane, and river promenades.
3
Fortitude Valley
Fortitude Valley is nightlife-and-music focused, with Brunswick Street, Chinatown Mall, James Street, clubs, live rooms, Asian restaurants, and late dining.
4
New Farm and Teneriffe
New Farm and Teneriffe feel river-residential and food-heavy, with New Farm Park, Brisbane Powerhouse, woolstore apartments, cafes, ferry stops, and river paths.
5
West End
West End is creative and casual, with Boundary Street, Davies Park Market, Greek food, bars, bookstores, student housing, and links to South Bank.
6
Kangaroo Point and Woolloongabba
Kangaroo Point and Woolloongabba add cliffs, river views, bridge climbs, The Gabba, breweries, climbing routes, and ferries back to the CBD.

Day trips

80km / 45-75min by train from Central to Helensvale, then tram or bus to beach districts
Gold Coast
Surf beaches, Burleigh Heads, Surfers Paradise, theme parks, and coastal restaurants make the fastest ocean day south of Brisbane.
105km / about 90min by car or train-bus links from Brisbane
Sunshine Coast
Mooloolaba, Noosa, beaches, national-park headlands, markets, and hinterland towns give a slower northbound coast day.
40km / about 75min by ferry from Holt Street Wharf to Tangalooma
Moreton Island
Sand dunes, clear water, snorkeling wrecks, kayaking, beaches, and dolphin-viewing programs make a full island day.

Getting around

Translink trains, buses, CityCat ferries, and river crossings use go card and Smart Ticketing on many routes, with Central, Roma Street, South Bank, and Fortitude Valley as key nodes. Use CityCats for river movement, trains for Gold Coast and airport links, and buses or rideshare for Mount Coot-tha and Lone Pine.