Where to stay in Brisbane

The CBD stands on a point of the northern bank of the Brisbane River, bounded by the river on three sides, with Gardens Point at its tip. South Bank faces it across the water: the parklands built on the Expo 88 site, with a riverfront promenade, Streets Beach and the Wheel of Brisbane, linked to the city by the Victoria Bridge and the Goodwill Bridge.

Fortitude Valley, north-east of the CBD, has pedestrian malls on Brunswick Street and in Chinatown and is a hub of the city's nightlife, with nightclubs, bars and live music. New Farm, 2 km east of the CBD on a bend of the river, is a riverside suburb of Queenslander houses, shady streets and apartment towers along the water, with Merthyr Village and New Farm Park, its ferry wharf and the Powerhouse arts space.

Kangaroo Point, across the river from the CBD, has the Story Bridge, the Kangaroo Point Cliffs and a green bridge into the city. West End, on a peninsula to the south-west, is known for the cafes, restaurants and shops along Boundary Street and a Saturday farmers' market in Davies Park.

Brisbane City Council meters its streets in three zones, all cashless and by number plate, with no ticket to display: pay at the meter by card or in the CellOPark or PayStay app. On the council's 2025-26 zone map, Zone 1 covers the CBD, South Brisbane, Fortitude Valley, Bowen Hills and Woolloongabba, and Zone 2 the ring around it, including New Farm, Kangaroo Point and West End.

In Zone 1 a meter of up to 3 hours costs AUD 6.85 an hour from 7am to 7pm on weekdays and AUD 3.70 from 7pm to midnight on weeknights and from 7am to 7pm at weekends. Zone 2 costs AUD 4.95 and AUD 3.45. Parking is free after 7pm at weekends in every zone, the first 15 minutes are free in more than 7,500 street spaces once the plate is registered, and topping up a session beyond the limit on the sign is illegal.

The council's King George Square car park in the CBD caps a weekday at AUD 49 if the car leaves before 6pm and at AUD 64 overnight, with an early bird of AUD 28 and a weekend maximum of AUD 20. Hotel parking varies by property, so ask before booking.

GetCar's guide Driving in Brisbane covers the roads: the airport desks, the seven cashless toll roads that a rental company bills with its own fee, the free M1 to the Gold Coast and the Queensland road rules.

No Queensland or Brisbane City Council levy on short stays was found as of September 2026. Under ACCC guidance the advertised price must be the total price, with taxes and unavoidable fees such as cleaning included, and GST is 10%.

Brisbane City Council consulted on a short stay local law with a permit scheme and has decided not to go ahead with it. It says it will keep working with platforms on hosts whose guests repeatedly cause problems and enforce its existing local laws. No Queensland register, listing number or night cap for short stays was found as of September 2026.

The council does rate homes let to paid guests for under 42 nights in their own categories, and charges whole homes let to paying guests at a higher rate than long-term homes, in the hope of freeing more of them for long-term renting. That is a cost to the owner, not a line on the guest's bill.

Queensland's tenancy act draws its line at six weeks: it does not apply to a let for holiday purposes, and a right to occupy for 6 weeks or longer is taken not to be a holiday unless the contrary is proved.

Apply for the eVisitor or the ETA first: both must be granted before travel, and Home Affairs suggests not making travel arrangements until the ETA is granted. Some Qantas flights into Brisbane offer a digital arrival declaration in the Qantas app in place of the paper card.

Weekends change the parking sums. Street meters cost less on Saturday and Sunday and nothing after 7pm, and the King George Square car park caps a weekend at AUD 20 against AUD 49 on a weekday.

A first visit on foot: the CBD or South Bank.

Evenings out: Fortitude Valley.

A quieter stay by the river: New Farm.

Views of the Story Bridge and the city: Kangaroo Point.

Cafes and a month in a residential street: West End.