It’s 6:30 pm and growing dark as Ben and I settle in for dinner on the outdoor patio at Ciao Papi, a popular Italian restaurant overlooking the Brisbane River. Though the food is delicious, what keeps my attention is the gorgeous view beyond the plate.
Brisbane’s skyline is lit up across the water, tower after tower of striking new architecture that has gone up along the river in just the past few years, glass and steel standing shoulder to shoulder with the city’s older sandstone bones.
I’ve traveled to Australia many times, but this is my first time in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. I knew the city of 2.6 million people was set along the winding banks of the Brisbane River in the country’s subtropical northeast, and I knew I would enjoy my time there. But I didn’t expect to be taken in by the city. Our last five days here in Brisbane have shown it to be a confident, cultured place that has quietly earned its moment in the sun.
Brisbane will also host the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, a milestone that’s about to put this city on the world’s radar in a way it never has been before. For now, though, visiting feels like being let in on an insider’s secret.
Here’s what Ben and I found over five days exploring the neighborhoods, islands, and rivers that make up this city’s world.
A City Built Around Its River
Brisbane lives and breathes along the Brisbane River, and the best way to understand the city is to follow it. South Bank, with its parklands, galleries, and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, anchors one stretch of riverbank. Howard Smith Wharves, tucked beneath the arches of the Story Bridge, anchors another.
In between, the CityCat ferries glide back and forth all day, and for just 50 cents a ride, tapped on with a credit card, they’re one of the best ways to see the city. We rode them more than once just for the view.
The neighborhoods in between reward slow exploring. Fortitude Valley has reinvented itself as Brisbane’s arts and nightlife district, all restored warehouses and new restaurant openings. New Farm, just across the river bend, feels more residential and leafy, with cafés spilling onto sidewalks and a Sunday morning market that draws half the neighborhood. We wandered both on foot and never ran out of places worth stopping.
Brisbane by Night: A Food Tour Through Fortitude Valley
One of our favorite evenings was the Brisbane by Night food tour with Justin Steele of Local Sauce Tours, who founded the walking tour company in 2018.
Justin led us through Fortitude Valley just as the light turned gold, ducking into new restaurants and bars, including several hidden-gem Asian spots like Snack Man, a Chinese restaurant serving bold Szechuan flavors, that showcase the city’s large Asian population. He pointed out wall art along the way and shared what it was like as a local in Brisbane. It was a fun and memorable way to experience the city.
First Nations Culture on Minjerribah
One of our best days in Southeast Queensland was a trip to Minjerribah, also known as North Stradbroke Island, the world’s second-largest sand island, just outside of Brisbane. Our guide, Elisha Kissick, is the director of Yura Tours, a 100% First Nations-owned and operated business. She picked us up at our hotel at 8 a.m., and after a ferry ride to the island, we spent the day with her there.
I quickly realized that we were not just on a tour. We were being welcomed into a living culture. Elisha led us to Tea Tree Lake, also called Brown Lake, often described as the world’s oldest known day spa. Its water runs the color of strong tea, stained naturally by the surrounding paperbark trees, and it carries deep cultural significance for Aboriginal women.
Elisha explained the many traditional uses of the paperbark tree, knowledge passed down through her Elders, as we walked through the forest surrounding the lake. Later, at the North Gorge Walk, we watched sea turtles glide beneath the cliffs and an osprey circle overhead.
We had a simple but delicious lunch at Fishlass, a small local spot on Minjerribah, run by the Perry family.
Our tour was the kind of authentic cultural encounter that travelers say they want more of and too rarely find. We left feeling honored to have been shown a piece of her story.
Koalas, Kangaroos, and a Slower Kind of Wildlife Encounter
Back on the mainland, we spent a full day at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, the world’s first and largest koala sanctuary, reached by a scenic river cruise straight from South Bank.
Lone Pine is home to more than 100 koalas and 75 native species, and it delivers exactly what it promises: a close, calm encounter with an animal most visitors only ever see from a distance. We spent the day roaming the grounds, hand-feeding free-roaming kangaroos, and wandering past wombats before the boat brought us back into the city in time for dinner.
View my Video Reel on Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary on Instagram.
An Island Day Trip Worth the Sand in Your Shoes
If Minjerribah gave us culture, Moreton Island gave us scenery. The day trip out to this sand island, its dunes tumbling straight into turquoise water, was one of the reasons we’d wanted to come this far in the first place.
We boarded early from Brisbane’s Skytower with See Moreton, snorkeled in the clear water, and tucked into a tropical buffet lunch onboard before spending the rest of the day on the water and the sand.
We came home sunburned and happy. It’s the kind of outing that reminds you Brisbane isn’t just a city with good restaurants and a nice river; it’s a launching point for some of Australia’s most striking coastline.
Where to Stay: Three Neighborhoods, Three Different Brisbanes
Because we moved through the city rather than parking ourselves in one spot, we got to sample three very different Brisbane neighborhoods and hotels, each with its own personality.
Rydges South Bank Brisbane in South Bank
Our first stop was Rydges South Bank, a contemporary hotel overlooking the Brisbane River, moments from South Bank Parklands and the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Our Riverview Balcony Room looked straight out over the water, and the location made it easy to walk to QAGOMA, the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, and the restaurants and bars around Fish Lane. Breakfast at Bacchus, the hotel’s restaurant on the Podium Level, set us up well for early starts. It’s a practical, comfortable base for first-time visitors who want to be close to the cultural precinct and the pontoon for river cruises.
Rydges South Bank Brisbane
Address: 9 Glenelg St, South Brisbane QLD 4101
Spicers Balfour Hotel in New Farm
From South Bank, we moved to Spicers Balfour, a boutique hotel in New Farm with just a handful of stylish rooms, personalized service, and a rooftop bar that locals clearly love as much as visitors do.
It’s a short walk to Howard Smith Wharves, James Street’s boutiques and restaurants, and the riverside boardwalk, and it felt like the neighborhood pick of the trip, quieter and more residential, with some of the city’s best dining just around the corner.
On our Sunday morning there, we walked the boardwalk past run clubs and dog walkers before wandering over to the Jan Powers Farmers Markets in New Farm Park for coffee and fresh produce.
Spicers Balfour Hotel
Address: 37 Balfour St, New Farm QLD 4005
Ovolo The Valley in Fortitude Valley
Our last stop was Ovolo The Valley, a multi-award-winning hotel in the heart of Fortitude Valley and part of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. Ovolo leans hard into the neighborhood’s art, music, and pop-culture identity, with bold design throughout and its own rooftop bar, Above, open weekend afternoons.
Our Valley King Spa room was a comfortable landing pad after long days out, and the hotel’s location put us within a 10-minute walk of the golden-hour walking tour that became one of our favorite evenings in the city. It’s the pick for travelers who want to be in the middle of Brisbane’s nightlife and creative energy after dark.
Ovolo The Valley
Address: 1000 Ann St, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006
Together, the three hotels worked like a tour of the city’s personality: polished and central at South Bank, relaxed and leafy in New Farm, and buzzing after dark in Fortitude Valley.
Where to Eat in Brisbane
Brisbane’s dining scene turned out to be one of the best surprises of the trip, and we didn’t come close to trying everything on our list.
Marlowe sits on Fish Lane in a heritage-listed Art Deco apartment block near South Bank. It’s an Australian bistro with a thoughtful, nostalgic menu built on local produce, and a good pick for a relaxed dinner before an early start the next morning.
Ciao Papi sits riverside at Howard Smith Wharves, close to Spicers Balfour, with vibrant Italian flavors and a distinctly Australian edge. Shareable plates, standout pastas and pizzas, and an Aperol with the river view made it easy to linger.
Mulga Bills sits at the Landing Plaza beside the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens, right where the Kangaroo Point Bridge meets the CBD, in one of Brisbane’s newest riverside precincts. We stopped in for a leisurely lunch on our way between hotels.
If You Go
Getting there: Brisbane Airport (BNE) connects to nearly 30 international destinations across Asia, Oceania, the Americas, the Middle East, and Europe. Qantas already flies nonstop from Los Angeles, and Delta Air Lines is adding new nonstop service to Brisbane from LAX starting in late October 2026, making the city more accessible from the U.S. than ever.
Getting around: Brisbane’s Translink network of buses, trains, and CityCat ferries charges a flat 50-cent fare across all zones; tap on with any contactless credit or debit card. The Airtrain runs a direct 20-minute transfer between the airport and the city center. Plan your journey on the Translink Journey Planner. One fun bonus: some of the CityCats have been redecorated as Bluey and Bingo, the Blue Heeler sisters from the animated children’s series set in Brisbane that’s become a global phenomenon.
When to go: Brisbane’s humid subtropical climate means there’s no real off-season, but the shoulder months of March through May and September through October tend to be the sweet spot, with warm days, lower humidity, and less rain than summer. We visited in March, when daytime temperatures hovered in the high 20s Celsius (around 80 to 86 Fahrenheit) with warm, humid air and the occasional afternoon shower.
Summer, December through February, is hot, muggy, and prone to sudden downpours and the occasional thunderstorm, with daytime highs regularly above 30°C (86°F). Winter, June through August, is Brisbane’s driest and most reliably sunny stretch, with mild days in the high teens and low 20s Celsius (mid-60s to low 70s Fahrenheit) and cool nights, though it rarely gets cold enough for more than a light jacket. Whenever you go, pack sun protection. Brisbane is one of Australia’s sunnier destinations, and the UV index can be intense even on mild days.
Don’t miss: A day trip to Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) with a First Nations-owned tour operator, a river cruise to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, and an evening food tour of Fortitude Valley timed for golden hour, ideally ending with dinner outdoors while the skyline lights up.
More information: See Visit Brisbane for helpful information to plan your visit.
Once the Olympics arrive, the whole world will know Brisbane’s name. I’m glad we got to experience this vibrant Australian destination now.
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