Is Canberra worth a visit? How to spend a trip to Australia’s capital?
Canberra, the capital of Australia. Yet the Australian city with a relatively bad rap, as far as being a travel destination is concerned anyway. But is Canberra worth a visit? A short one for sure!
Why is this? Canberra is rather isolated. It is the only city in the Australian Capital Territory, and not a big bustling one at that. It doesn’t offer the beautiful Australian coast the other major cities do. The temptation to visit just isn’t as strong.
Why did I decide to go? Canberra was never on my major travel itinerary. I skipped it out my first time travelling Australia, but on a return trip I figured why not! Although, it wasn’t an isolated trip as such. I tried to book a last minute flight from Sydney to Melbourne, which turned out to be expensive. This meant the bus became my best option, which I used to my advantage since I had a few days to spare. So, I stopped over en route – the perfect opportunity to visit Australia’s capital had arisen.
Flights ✈️: For the best, cheapest flight options to Canberra, check out Skyscanner, or for flights with cashback, WayAway.
eSIM: Check out Airlo, Yesim or Drimsim to avoid roaming fees in Australia. Set up your eSIM before your trip and stay connected from arrival.
Accommodation 🛌: Booking.com and Agoda have a wide range of accommodation options. If you’re on a budget, head over to Hostelworld.
Car hire: If you want the ease of a car for your trip, you can book one here on Rentalcars.
Travel Insurance: Travel Insurance through SafetyWing will leave you with peace of mind on your trip, whether travelling long-term or on a short trip.
Activities: For activities and tours in Australia, GetYourGuide and Viator have many options available.
Was Canberra worth visiting? Absolutely!
How long to go to Canberra for?
Canberra is good for a short visit.
- I spent two nights – one evening + a full day in Canberra, leaving early the next morning. And to be honest, I really enjoyed it! I am not sure how I would fill a more than a few days however, never-mind as long as a week or so.
How to get to Canberra?
By plane
Fly into Canberra from any state in Australia. I always check for the best flight deals on Skyscanner.
From the airport you can hop on a public bus and it’s just a short ride into the city.
Drive – Hire a car
Drive from Sydney:
- Canberra is around a 3 hour drive from Sydney. You can therefore easily head there even just for a night or two before returning back to Sydney, or a day trip if you leave Sydney early in the morning.
Of course you could drive from elsewhere in Australia too, but Sydney is the closest main spot, and you an easily hire a car there if you don’t already have a car.
- Canberra could also be a stop off on the way to Melbourne from Sydney, or vice versa. However, this would require veering off the more scenic coastal route a drive to Melbourne could provide. It’s around 7 hours so a much longer drive than Canberra Sydney.
Head over to Rentalcars to take a look at car hire options.
Bus
If you’re a backpacker, you’ll be familiar with the Greyhound bus – this way my chosen method of transport. I arrived by bus from Sydney, and departed the same way, but to Melbourne. You can search for the best bus options for you here.
- 3hrs 45 mins Sydney to Canberra.
- 8hrs Canberra to Melbourne.
Organised day tour from Sydney
- A good option if short on time, lacking your own transport or just want to sit back, relax and not have to ‘plan’ too much! You won’t have as much freedom when there, but you’ll hit up the main sites and be in a small group which can be super nice especially if travelling solo.
You can book a Canberra day tour through:
Accommodation in Canberra
Backpacker Accommodation:
If you’re on a budget, as I was, then The Village Hostels Canberra is the go to accommodation for you. This is the only hostel in the city, and is perfectly located, with budget dorm rooms and also private rooms available. The kitchen facilities make it easy and cheap to eat as you wish, and you can easily meet other travelers.
For those not living the budget backpacker life, or who simply want a little more luxury, there are plenty of accommodation options over the city for you. Booking.com and Agoda are my favored sites to use which cover all types of accommodation.
How to spend a day in Canberra – how I spent a full day in Australia’s capital:
Lake Burley Griffin:
Explore the lovely Lake Burley Griffin – I went for a morning run around a section of the lakeside path. Starting from Acton Park, heading over the bridge around the edge of Lennox Gardens, by Stirling Park to Yarralumla Bay and back the same way. Mix up the route as you wish, but run/walk/hire a bike – have a nice little morning explore, it is a gorgeous spot.
After returning to the hostel to get organised for the day and grab some breakfast, I headed out for my main part of the day. Alternatively, head out for the day from the on-set, you will end up at the lake again later in the day, but early morning is so lovely and peaceful – venture in a direction you won’t later on!
Australian War Memorial:
Take a trip to the Australian War Memorial, a must visit site in Camberra. Just around a 25 minute walk from the city centre.
It is free to enter, so do so, taking time to take it all in.
Don’t forget to admire the view that is not to be missed – looking down Anzac Parade with Old and New Parliament House in the distance.
Mount Ainslie:
Follow the popular Mount Ainslie Walking Trail to the summit of Mount Ainslie for the best views of the city: look down onto Anzac Parade, over Lake Burley Griffin and see Parliament House and more from above. Beyond this, seeing the green expanse of bushland encompassing the city makes it clear as to why Canberra is known as the ‘Bush Capital’.
The trail is accessible from just behind the War Memorial. This is a short uphill walk, 4km return, on a clearly marked path.
If walking uphill isn’t appealing, there is also the option to drive up to the view-point should you have a car to do so. It is definitely worth putting on your Canberra itinerary one way or another.
Anzac Parade:
Following the Mount Ainslie look-out visit, head back to the War Memorial and be sure to take the beautiful street that is Anzac Parade, leading to Lake Burley Griffin. Take in the smaller memorials on the way.
Floriade:
September to October brings the festival ‘Floraide’ to the city. This is Australia’s biggest celebration of spring, and is a popular attraction, bringing many visitors to Canberra during this time. It just so happened that I visited Canberra at the beginning of October so got to incorporate this into my day. It is recommended to visit at this time.
- Located in Commonwealth Park on the edge of Lake Burley Griffin (the same side of lake as the War Memorial), made it perfect as my post Mount Ainslie stop, following a lake-side walk to get there.
- It is free to enter and is host to beautiful, bright, vast, flower displays. Not only flowers however, entertainment, attraction rides, workshops and more are provided. Plus, don’t forget the delicious food available to purchase throughout the grounds for a lovely treat.
Canberra is host to various festivals throughout the year, so if not there at the time of Floriade, check if there are any other festivals on which might liven up a Canberra trip even more!
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That sums up my short visit to Canberra. More could have been squeezed into my day, but I was satisfied with what I had done and seen by this point! I really enjoyed my day and was so glad it worked out for me to visit.
Other top things to do would include visiting Parliament house and the National Museum of Australia.
So, the question was, is Canberra worth a visit? I believe it is, but maybe not for a long time! There are plenty ways to fill a day in Canberra, or at least two days, making it worth a visit, providing a lovely travel experience!
