Top 8 Brisbane Tourist Attractions For 2026

Last updated: 29 July 2026

By Sarah Townsend, Marketing Manager at Story Bridge Adventure Climb

Brisbane rewards visitors who know where to look: a climbable heritage-listed bridge, a state gallery of modern art with free entry, the world’s oldest koala sanctuary, and a river that doubles as the city’s best sightseeing route at 50 cents a ride (TransLink).

The top 8 Brisbane tourist attractions for 2026 are the Story Bridge and its Adventure Climb (from $150, ages 6+), South Bank Parklands with Streets Beach (free), the Brisbane Botanic Gardens at Mount Coot-tha (free), GOMA and the Queensland Art Gallery (free entry), Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary (the world’s oldest and largest, family pass $193), Fortitude Valley and James Street, a CityCat river ride (50 cents), and Howard Smith Wharves. Half of them are free, and all sit within 30 minutes of the CBD.

Here is each one with current prices, durations and the practical details.

Key Takeaways

• The Story Bridge Adventure Climb is Brisbane’s signature attraction: 1.5 hours, 80 metres above the river, rated 4.9 from 1,900+ Google reviews
• GOMA, the Queensland Art Gallery, South Bank and Mount Coot-tha’s gardens are all completely free
• Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is the world’s oldest and largest koala sanctuary, 20 minutes from the CBD, with a $193 family pass
• The CityCat ferry is both public transport and a river cruise for 50 cents a trip
• Only the bridge climb needs advance booking (7-14 days); everything else can be done on the day

What Do Brisbane’s Top Attractions Cost?

Two lines catch people out. Lone Pine’s family pass covers two adults and up to three children for $193, with singles at $63 adult and $45 per child aged 3 to 13. Eat Street charges $6 per person at the gate, under 13s free (Eat Street).

1. Story Bridge and the Story Bridge Adventure Climb

No Brisbane visit is complete without its most iconic span. By day the heritage-listed Story Bridge gleams over the river; by night it glows in rotating colours. The Story Bridge Adventure Climb takes you up the steelwork itself: a guided 1.5-hour climb along almost a kilometre of superstructure to a summit 80 metres above the river, with 360-degree views from the Glasshouse Mountains to Moreton Bay. Rated 4.9 from more than 1,900 Google reviews, it needs no climbing experience, accepts ages 6 and up (minimum 110cm), and runs day, twilight, night and dawn sessions from $150. It is also home to the world’s first wheelchair-accessible bridge climb. Book 7-14 days ahead.

For context on the structure underfoot, Council puts the Story Bridge at around 100,000 vehicles crossing the river every day, and the Kangaroo Point City Walk that runs over it is about five kilometres long (Brisbane City Council). Captain Burke Park sits below the southern end, the best spot for the upward photograph. If you would rather not pay for the summit, you can walk across the Story Bridge for free on either footpath.

2. South Bank Parklands

Just across the river from the CBD, South Bank is Brisbane’s lifestyle playground: 17 hectares of free riverfront parkland holding Streets Beach (Australia’s only inner-city man-made beach, lifeguard-patrolled year-round), the flower-draped Arbour walkway, weekend markets and a strip of riverside restaurants. At dusk the Nepalese Peace Pagoda and the Wheel of Brisbane add the atmosphere that fills every Brisbane postcard. Entry is free and it is one ferry stop or a 10-minute walk from the city. Streets Beach is closed for essential maintenance from 15 June until late August 2026; the Boat Pool and Aquativity remain open.

South Bank opens every day of the year from 5am to midnight and entry is completely free (Visit South Bank). CityCats stop at South Bank River Terminal on the Clem Jones Promenade, two train stations sit on Grey Street, and buses run through the Cultural Centre busway. Drivers should note the Little Stanley Street car park has a 2.1 metre height limit.

3. Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mount Coot-tha

At the base of Mount Coot-tha, 15 minutes from the CBD, the Brisbane Botanic Gardens showcase native plants, tropical glasshouses and a Japanese garden with koi ponds, all free. Walking tracks fan out into the surrounding bushland, and the Summit Lookout above delivers the definitive panoramic view of the city, best at sunset. The lookout cafe and restaurant means you can turn the visit into lunch or dinner with the skyline below you.

Spanning 56 hectares, these are Queensland’s premier subtropical botanic gardens, and Council states plainly that entry is free, though some activities inside carry a cost (Brisbane City Council). They open 8am to 6pm September to March and 8am to 5pm April to August, at 152 Mount Coot-tha Road. Free guided walks leave the Visitor Information Centre at 11am and 1pm daily except public holidays. The lookout above is heritage-listed, open 24 hours, and has free parking, a cafe and a gift shop (Brisbane City Council).

4. GOMA and the Queensland Art Gallery

Brisbane’s Cultural Precinct at South Bank holds the Gallery of Modern Art and the Queensland Art Gallery, and entry to both is free. GOMA stages world-class exhibitions across contemporary, Indigenous and international art, while the Queensland Art Gallery next door houses a deep collection of Australian, Asian and Pacific works. Both are free to enter (QAGOMA), making this one of the best-value cultural outings in the country. Families should seek out GOMA’s free Children’s Art Centre, and the free Queensland Museum Kurilpa with its SparkLab science centre is in the same precinct.

The same precinct holds two more free institutions worth folding into one visit. Entry to Queensland Museum Kurilpa is free, it opens daily 9:30am to 5pm, and it holds more than a million items and specimens (Queensland Museum Kurilpa). Its SparkLab science centre is separately ticketed at $16.50 adult and $13.50 for children 5 to 15. At the State Library, exhibitions are free (State Library of Queensland).

5. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

The world’s oldest and largest koala sanctuary sits 20 minutes from the CBD. At Lone Pine you can hand-feed kangaroos, get up close with koalas through the Koala Moments experience, and see wombats, platypus and birds of prey shows. A family pass covering 2 adults and up to 3 children is $193, or $63 per adult and $45 per child aged 3 to 13. Allow half a day; drive (free parking) or catch the 430 bus from the city.

Lone Pine opens every day 9:00am to 5:00pm with last entry at 4:00pm, and stays open on public holidays with no surcharge (Lone Pine). It sits at 708 Jesmond Road, Fig Tree Pocket, about 12 kilometres from the CBD, with free on-site parking and buses on routes 430 from Ann Street and 445 from Wickham Terrace. An Australian Companion Card gets complimentary entry for an essential support person, though the cardholder still buys a general ticket.

6. Fortitude Valley and James Street

Brisbane’s style and nightlife quarter. By day, James Street offers high-end fashion, homewares and gourmet cafes in a leafy open-air precinct; by night, Brunswick Street’s bars, live-music venues and laneway eateries take over. The Valley is a short walk from Howard Smith Wharves, which makes it a natural continuation of a bridge climb evening. Free to explore, and best experienced hungry.

Two things anchor the precinct. Council designated Fortitude Valley as Australia’s first Special Entertainment Precinct on 1 July 2006, which is why live music runs later here than anywhere else in the city. James Street itself carries over 110 speciality stores and bills itself as Brisbane’s foremost retail and lifestyle precinct (James Street).

7. CityCat River Rides

Sometimes the best way to see Brisbane is from the water, and the city’s public ferries make it almost free. A CityCat trip costs 50 cents, gliding beneath the Story Bridge and past South Bank, the CBD and New Farm Park, and every other bus, train and ferry trip in Brisbane costs the same flat 50 cents. For a longer, lazier version, paddle-wheel dinner cruises run at sunset. Kids under 5 ride free and kids 5-14 ride free on weekends, which makes the ferry Brisbane’s cheapest family attraction.

The network is bigger than most visitors realise: Council runs 28 CityCats and 5 KittyCats across 22 terminals, and you tap on and off with any Visa or Mastercard contactless card or smart device (Brisbane City Council). The F1 runs the full length of the river from UQ St Lucia to Northshore Hamilton, stopping at South Bank, Riverside, Howard Smith Wharves and New Farm Park, which makes it the most useful single route for sightseeing.

8. Howard Smith Wharves

Beneath the northern end of the Story Bridge, Howard Smith Wharves has turned heritage riverfront sheds into Brisbane’s best-known dining precinct: Felons Brewing Co for house-brewed beer and wood-fired pizza, Greca, Stanley, Ciao Papi, Yoko and Mr Percival’s along the boardwalk, all under the lit bridge. Entry is free, the lawns and playground suit families, and it is the departure point for the Story Bridge Adventure Climb, so the city’s best attraction and its best dinner are 50 metres apart.

Plan Your Visit

• Location: Story Bridge Adventure Climb, 5 Boundary St, Brisbane City QLD 4000 (Howard Smith Wharves)
• Getting around: all Brisbane buses, trains and ferries are 50 cents per trip; tap on with any Visa or Mastercard
• Book your climb: Day Climb from $150 per person

Felons brews on site and opens 11am to late daily, with the core range running from Crisp Light at $4.50 to the IPA at $7.00. Brewery tours run Saturday and Sunday at 12pm and 2pm for $35 per person, over-18s only.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the number one tourist attraction in Brisbane?

The Story Bridge Adventure Climb is Brisbane’s signature attraction: one of only a handful of bridge climbs in the world, rated 4.9 from more than 1,900 Google reviews. The guided 1.5-hour climb reaches 80 metres above the Brisbane River with 360-degree views from the Glasshouse Mountains to Moreton Bay, and starts from $150 per adult.

Which Brisbane attractions are free?

Four of Brisbane’s top eight attractions are completely free: South Bank Parklands including Streets Beach, the Brisbane Botanic Gardens at Mount Coot-tha, GOMA and the Queensland Art Gallery, and the Howard Smith Wharves precinct. The CityCat ferry is nearly free at 50 cents a trip, the same flat fare TransLink charges across every service.

How many days do you need to see Brisbane’s attractions?

Three days covers all eight comfortably: one for the CBD, South Bank and the Story Bridge Adventure Climb, one for Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and the Cultural Precinct, and one for Mount Coot-tha and the river. See our full 3-day Brisbane itinerary for timings and costs.

Is the Story Bridge climb suitable for tourists with no climbing experience?

Yes. No climbing experience is needed: every climber wears a harness clipped to a static safety cable for the entire route, all equipment is provided, and guides are trained to support nervous climbers. Children aged 6 and over (minimum height 110cm) can climb with an adult, and the Accessible Climb makes it the world’s first wheelchair-accessible bridge climb.