The must-do highlights of Brisbane in three days
There's a lot to see and do in Brisbane from island hopping to cultural inner-city evenings; here's how you can try the best of what Brisbane offers in three days.
DAY ONE
Morning
Start your day at Southbank Parklands – 17 hectares of riverfront land just opposite Brisbane's CBD. Take a ride on The Wheel Of Brisbane – a 60-metre-high Ferris wheel with gondolas for up to eight passengers that will give you a bird's eye view over the city. Take a stroll beside the river along the Clem Jones Promenade which runs the length of the park to get a sweat going. Then cool off at Australia's only inner-city, man-made beaches, Street's Beach, a blue-water lagoon surrounded by white sandy beaches and patrolled by lifeguards. Kids might also like to try out the water park right next door, Aquativity. Or consider a pool crawl - there's another, Boat Pool, next door.
Afternoon
Dry off and walk a few metres to Little Stanley Street for lunch. It's one of Brisbane's most popular eat-streets – and also one of its most multi-cultural - with over 30 cafes, bars and restaurants to choose between from around the world. If that's not enough, right next door you'll find Grey Street, another foodie haven. Dine al fresco beneath an umbrella shading you from non-stop Queensland sunshine. After lunch, stroll a block away to the Queensland Cultural Centre, the only place in Australia you'll find a collection of cultural institutions like this on the one site. Take in a touring exhibition at the combined Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery Of Modern Art, the leading institution for contemporary Australian, Asian and Pacific art with nearly 20 000 works. Kids aren't left out: visit the Children's Art Centre within the gallery. And don't forget the Queensland Museum and Sciencentre, the best place in Queensland for experiencing natural history, cultural heritage and science.
Evening
Toast your first day at Brisbane's best food and lifestyle precinct. It's an easy walk across the Brisbane River and through The City Botanic Gardens – a 20 hectare heritage-listed park that's home to trees and plants from Brisbane's earliest colonial days, built right down to the river. Keep walking on a combined walking and cycling path to the Howard Smith Wharves, built on the river and nestled between soaring sandstone cliffs and the longest cantilever bridge in Australia, the Story Bridge. What was for decades an abandoned site was reopened (at a cost of $110 million) in 2018, and it now features some of the best bars and restaurants in Brisbane, built over the water with spectacular views of the city skyline. There's everything here from bar/ restaurants that look like European beach clubs – Mr Percival's – to breweries – Felons Brewing Company – to international restaurants (try a Tokyo-style Izakaya meal at Yoko Dining).
DAY TWO
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