Top tips

Image from Pixabay

The Brisbane River glides through the centre of Brisbane on its way to the beautiful beaches of Moreton Bay, offering a beachy atmosphere along its banks. Even when it’s not summer in Brisbane, it feels pretty summery, tropical even, and the river is an inviting feature, as well as one which nicely divides up Brisbane’s more central neighbourhoods. There are many reasons to stay somewhere along the meandering river, and there are plenty of neighbourhoods to choose from along its banks — some of them with surprisingly distinct looks, atmospheres and characters.

Brisbane’s glamorous shopping precincts, shiny casinos, and theme parks make parts of Brisbane feel more like an American city than a European one — hence the nickname: Bris-Vegas — yet the city centre is more compact, with colonial-era architecture, a sit-out cafe culture, and a rich cultural calendar. Wherever you go, you’ll find a laid-back welcome. The same can be said for wherever you stay, from the humblest backpacker hostel or apartment, to the grandest, most luxurious hotels. If you are seeking out truly top-of-the-range options you should start looking around the South Bank; the City Centre is convenient for everything and everyone; the West End is trendy; Fortitude Valley has the nightlife; and Kangaroo Point has the views!

Our Guide to Brisbane's Neighbourhoods

Care of the Queensland Governm

City Centre

By Chris Olszewski - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Brisbane’s City Centre is quite business-centric, so a bit emptier in the evenings and at the weekends, but still a great place for visitors to stay. It’s convenient for public transport, but also a good base if you want to explore on foot — South Bank and Fortitude Valley are a short stroll — and there’s a huge range of accommodation, from hostels to five-star hotels. The City Centre’s sights include the Brisbane City Hall, the Museum of Brisbane, the MacArthur Museum, QUT ART and the Treasury Casino. The Queen Street Mall is one of Brisbane’s largest shopping precincts, Queens Plaza is where you'll find the high-end establishments. If you’re looking for great places to eat in the City Centre it’s worth checking out the beautifully refurbished, heritage-listed Howard Smith Wharves, where you’ll also find lovely Brisbane River views, and some great craft breweries. This is also a good spot for boutique and design hotels.

South Bank

Image by Siggy Nowak from Pixabay

South Bank was redeveloped and planned for Brisbane’s World Expo in 1988, when it got its artificial beach — It’s called Street’s Beach, and is a vision of white sand and sub-tropical plants. South Bank was then re-redeveloped once the Expo had closed, and many of Brisbane’s largest museums and galleries went in: the headliners being the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art, the Queensland Museum and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. Food and drink options, to support the burgeoning cultural hub sprang up as well, plus a city big wheel, landscaped parklands and playgrounds, complete with free barbecues and a liquor license. South Bank is a central stop on the CityCat ferry, which is a fantastically scenic way to get around Brisbane.

Spring Hill

Mark Gillow

Spring Hill is one of Brisbane’s oldest neighbourhoods. It dates back to the 19th century, and the modest terraced houses and workers’ cottages built at that time are all heritage-listed. Many of them have also been carefully and beautifully restored. Spring Hill has some lovely old pubs too! The Windmill in Wickham Park, Spring Hill was one of the first stone buildings built in Queensland (in 1827), and the Spring Hill Baths were built in 1886, and are still open today. There's a good eating and drinking scene here; there are some great cafes, bars and restaurants, and it is just to the west of hip nightlife spot, Fortitude Valley. The City Centre is just to the south. Spring Hill is a neighbourhood with several really lovely boutique hotel picks, some very good aparthotel choices, plus great hotels and self-catering options too. But it still has a residential feel.

Fortitude Valley

J Low Photography

Fortitude Valley is one of Brisbane’s liveliest neighbourhoods, with bars and clubs on Brunswick Street Mall buzzing until it gets light again. It used to be known mostly for nightlife, but the clubs, pubs and music venues have expanded to include great restaurants (this is where you'll find Brisbane's Chinatown), craft breweries, wine bars and theatres too. Fortitude Valley hosts an impressive number of annual festivals — cultural, musical and food-related. James Street has been taken over by fashion, including some impressive local and international designer brands. It has some great restaurants too, arguably some of Brisbane’s best. Fortitude Valley is an old suburb, so it boasts an impressive collection of historic architecture. You can walk to Brisbane city centre from Fortitude Valley, but there are lots of public transport options. Accommodation-wise, there's plenty to choose from including hostels and aparthotels, as well as boutique options, and higher-end hotels.

New Farm

O En

New Farm is pretty spot on the Brisbane River, close enough to the centre of town to feel convenient, but also far enough away not to feel too busy. And picturesque and historic with it. New Farm is a good place for a spot of boutique shopping, and its cafes, bars and restaurants are the kind of places you want to relax and enjoy a long lunch or dinner. This is also a great neighbourhood for green space and walking and cycling trails. And there’s a fantastic adventure playground. This is a fairly residential area, so there are lots of aparthotels and serviced apartments, as well as a smattering of hotels and B&Bs, most of them lovely renovations of old houses.

Kangaroo Point

By Kgbo - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Just across the river from the City Centre, with fantastic views of the glittering towers of the business district, Kangaroo Point is the perfect neighbourhood for a city escape. It’s close to central Brisbane as the crow flies, but because of the river, along with its parkland and cliffs, it can feel a lot further away. You can even go climbing and kayaking here, as well as hiking and biking. And there are few places better for a picnic or barbecue than Caption Burke Park, which is right under Story Bridge, which you can now climb to the top of. Indoors activities include boutique shopping, eating and drinking, or an evening out at the Brisbane Jazz Club. As far as accommodation goes, this is a fairly residential neighbourhood, so there are some lovely aparthotels and boutique mansion conversions, as well as self-catering accommodation, and some very nice hotels.

West End

O En

West End is a cool neighbourhood, which may be a bit off centre for many, but will suit those looking for somewhere a bit different. It has a working-class background, but with an arty edge; there’s great street art, cool boutiques, restaurants, craft breweries and bars, and hip happenings come the evening. There are music venues and a theatre as well as clubs, pubs and bars. West End is known for being a great place to go out at night. Of course, it’s gentrifying, but it’s still got grit. On Saturday morning, everyone comes out for the Davies Park Market, which is a showcase for local food trucks, crafts and fashion. West End is off centre, but it’s still within walking distance of South Bank and Fish Lane.