How to make the most of just two days in Brisbane

Perfect for a quick weekend getaway or staycation, the Queensland capital packs a big punch if you’re small on time.

Often overlooked when it comes to Queensland getaway spots, Brisbane may not be as big as Sydney or Melbourne. But, shouldn’t be skipped over entirely in favour of the more southern cities.

With a compact cultural precinct, plenty of riverside restaurants and one of the country’s most storied bridges, the Queensland capital makes an excellent weekend escape.

Our two-day itinerary is perfect for a weekend escape. We arrived in Brisbane in the afternoon on day one and left in the evening afternoon the following day. If you need to though,you can surely tick off everything in this itinerary with a full day in the city.

Things to do over two days in Brisbane

Day 1: Wandering the riverside and spending time under the Story Bridge

Stroll along South Bank

With waterfront footpaths along much of either side, the Brisbane River’s banks are made for strolling. We were staying on the west side of the Brisbane CBD, and started by crossing the Victoria Bridge to the Queensland Performing Arts Centre.

Walking south, you’ll pass by a rainforest, Nepalese temple and even a beach. And that’s all within just a few hundred metres from the end of the bridge.

Shortly after passing the Wheel of Brisbane ferris wheel, there’s the impressive, wooden Nepalese Peace Pagoda. It was brought to Brisbane for World Expo 88. Made of solid wood and with its bottom level free for entry to the public, it’s worth a quick pitstop.

Continuing on, a choose-your-own-adventure style boardwalk winds its way through a riverside rainforest. The Rainforest Walk passes through a man-made refuge from the Queensland sun with various paths to choose from, all shaded by tropical plants. Between the sounds of leaves rustling and the trickle of water underfoot, in here, you can almost forget you’re in the middle of a city.

Recommended? Yes

Exploring Brisbane City Botanic Gardens

Wrapping right around the banks of the Brisbane River, the waterfront footpaths let you continue strolling around the city where you’ll eventually be rewarded with fabulous views of the Story Bridge. But not before cutting through the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens.

Perhaps we just didn’t choose the right paths to walk down, but the gardens here are more of a large park with green spaces and shady trees than the typical botanic gardens we’ve seen in other cities in Australia.

If you stick to Bunya Walk, along the eastern perimeter of the park, you’ll have the gardens on one side of you, and the Brisbane River on your right, making it a much more scenic stroll.

Recommended? No. While it’s a nice garden to walk through if you’re in the area, we wouldn’t go out of our way to visit. Perhaps we’re spoiled living close to Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens. But, to be honest, Brisbane’s gardens didn’t do much for us.

Pop into any one of the number of restaurants along the water for a drink or meal for a riverside dining option. We popped in to Riverland Brisbane for a late-afternoon bite and to quench our thirst while overlooking the water. It was perfect for a casual afternoon drink with a pop-up pub vibe.

It’s not too much further from here until you find yourself underneath the Story Bridge in front of the wharves.

Eat dinner or grab a drink under the Story Bridge

More like something out of New York City than Brisbane, the Howard Smith Wharves are home to a handful of trendy restaurants, each tempting with delights from around the world.

Here, you’ll also find the the expansive Felons Brewery. With tables outside overlooking the water, it’s the perfect place to grab a drink and watch the sky change colours at sunset behind the Story Bridge.

With a handful of dinner locations to choose from, we settled on Greca. The Greek restaurant was highly endorsed by the woman who checked us in at the W Brisbane, who said “I’m Greek so you know it’s good if I like it.”

The food here was great, full of flavour, and came in abundance, just like the views out to the river and Brisbane skyline.

(We’re pretty sure anywhere you dine here would be a winning choice, as on other trips we’ve also eaten at nearby Stanley and enjoyed our meal!)

Recommended? Yes

Day 2: Museum hopping in the South Bank cultural precinct

After a short stroll across the bridge via breakfast at the Brisbane City Markets (Wednesdays and Thursdays only), we found ourselves back in South Bank, which is home to the city’s major museums and library.

The conveniently compact cultural precinct is home to the city’s main museum and gallery and is very walkable. In fact, it’s with the river and parkland on one side of it, you can get between all of the attractions here without even crossing a road.

Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA)

Finding the local art gallery is always high on our list of things to do when visiting a major city as it can give some really interesting visual insights to its history. So, QAGOMA was first on the agenda this morning.

While most cities keep their traditional art gallery and modern museums separate, QAGOMA very conveniently bundles it all into one building.

We love a bit of Australian art and a highlight for us (which, ironically was painted by a British artist) was Under the Jacaranda. Complete with fallen, purple petals on the ground in front of it.

(Our visit did coincide with jacaranda season, but we truly hope they’re there (whether real or fake) year-round as it added a little something special to the experience.)

Compared to the Art Gallery of New South Wales or National Gallery Victoria, it’s not a huge gallery but still has plenty to see. We’d recommend leaving yourselves at least an hour or two to see it all without rushing. If there’s an exhibition on that interests you, you’ll probably need more time for that.

Recommended? Yes.

Queensland Museum

If you’re not heading to a zoo or out into the bush on your trip, heading to the Queensland Museum can be a fun way to see what’s out there in the wild. There was a pretty big display of taxidermy, from kangaroos (of course) to colourful birds, as well as oceanic animals that would give you a taste of what it’s like in the tropical waters off the state’s northern coastline.

What we loved is that many of the exhibits change somewhat regularly, so if we were to visit again in a year from now, we’ll be able to see different displays.

Unfortunately, that did mean sections were closed for renovation.When we visited, a dinosaur display (which we would have loved to see) was in the works and a good chunk of the museum was a paid-for exhibition for Disney and, not really bring Disney fans, we didn’t see it worth paying to go into.

Recommended? Yes, but if you’re short on time or aren’t already in the area, we’d probably give it a miss. The museum itself is not that large (especially with parts of it closed off), but if you’re already heading to the galleries it could be worth spending an hour or so wandering around.

Dip in the riverside lagoon

After an air-conditioned morning in the museums, stepping outside into the often hot-and-humid Brisbane air can be a bit much if you’re not used to it. Luckily, there’s a very convenient way to cool down just a few hundred metres away.

Completely free to visit, Streets Beach is like a little oasis in the city. Located in South Bank across the river from the CBD, this lagoon-style pool comes complete with a sandy beach and lifeguards.

Nearby, there’s plenty of space to lay down a towel and relax, and if you’re hungry, there’s BBQs for use nearby or cafes to grab a bite at. Here, you’ll also find the Boat Pool and Aquativity, which is a kid-friendly water play area.

Recommended? Yes, especially if you don’t have a pool at your hotel.

Cruising along the Brisbane River… for free!

Brisbane’s ferry system is made up of a bunch of river cats dubbed the CityCats. But, what you’ll want to look out for here are the adorably named (and adorably small) KittyCats. It’s a free boat service that runs from North Quay in the CBD (next to the Treasury Casino) to Sydney Street in New Farm.

There’s seven stops along the way, including a stop at the Howard Street Wharves. It certainly makes a scenic way to see the city on your day to dinner.

The ferry runs every 30 minutes from about 5:30am until almost midnight. That means you can take in the city lit up at night from the water too. (Visit the Translink website for a full schedule.)

Recommended? Yes! It’s an excellent way to take in the city from the Brisbane River, and a great excuse to rest your feet after walking around and exploring all day.

Where to stay in Brisbane

To minimise the need for public transportation, we’d recommend staying along the shores of the Brisbane River. Stick to between Victoria Bridge to the Story Bridge.

Staying on either side will provide you with easy access to everything we mentioned in this post. In fact, other than the free KittyCat ferry, we didn’t use any public transportation or taxis/Ubers during out stay. The car stayed parked in the hotel’s garage the entire time.

For this visit, we stayed at the W Brisbane. Found on the CBD side of the Victoria Bridge, the 5-star hotel had views overlooking the river toward South Bank. It also had a great bar area and a funky pool area. The decor was fun, the standalone bathtub was a dream and the beds were comfortable.

While the W is a great place to stay, it’s also not the cheapest. Luckily, there are plenty of other options around.

Best time to visit Brisbane

With warm weather and mild evenings, spring and autumn are two of the best times to visit Brisbane. Try to plan your visit in April/May or October/November. This way, you’ll get near-perfect weather. Temperatures average at least 25 degrees and there’s less than half the summer rainfall.

Many of Brisbane’s attractions not being water-based and the city’s summers can get pretty hot and sticky. So, we’d recommend visiting other times of the year.

Where to go next in Queensland