📍How To Get To Brisbane, Australia. Planes, Trains, Cruise Lines & Automobiles. (2024.)

NEED HELP ON HOW TO GET TO BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA?

Straddling the banks of the river of the same name, Brisbane is Australia’s most famous River City. With hot days and typically balmy nights, the city capitalises on its ideal year-round climate, with its prolific outdoor attractions always being the frontrunner for the best things to do.

Activities such as swimming at the beautiful South Bank Parklands, dressing up and dining at the Eagle St Pier restaurants, walking along or abseiling off Kangaroo Point Cliffs and climbing the iconic Story Bridge are just some of its quintessential must-do experiences. And that’s just the CBD.

The Queensland capital is also the gateway to other incredible must-visit places such as the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Moreton Island and North Stradbroke Island, further solidifying its status as one of the country’s premier destinations.

With so much to offer, what are the ways to get here? In this post, I’ll go through how to get to Brisbane by plane, train, bus and cruise line.

Brisbane is the capital of Queensland, Australia, located in the region of the state known as the South East, about 10 km north of the New South Wales border and approximately 20km inland from the coast. When you look at a map of Australia as a whole it is about halfway down the coastline of the mainland.

There are several ways to get to Brisbane. The main one is by commercial aircraft, however, there are also options to reach the River City via regional or luxury trains, cruise lines, touring buses and, of course, vehicular hire. If you live within South East Queensland you can also travel the local train, tram and network using a Go Card or by scanning your credit/debit card, or use a rideshare service to get you there.

➡️ Flights.

The easiest and fastest way to travel to Brisbane domestically is by plane, and quiet often it is the cheapest way too, especially if there’s a sale happening with Jetstar, Australia’s top budget airline and subsidiary of Qantas, usually offering the best fares.

Domestic Airport.

Direct flights land at the Brisbane Domestic Airport from over 43 destinations nationwide, including from all capital cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Perth and Darwin) and many major regional cities and destinations, such as Cairns, Townsville, Hamilton Island, Coffs Harbour, Uluru, and Longreach to name a few with airlines such as Qantas, Virgin, Jetstar, Link Airways, Alliance Airlines,

International Airport.

As for travellers coming in from overseas, Brisbane International Airport gets direction flights from 29 prolific cities across the globe, including Auckland, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Dubai, Ho Chi Minh City & Seoul from carriers such as Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin Australia, Air Canada, United, American Airlines, Emirates, Korean Air and many more.

Getting From The Airport To The CBD.

Once you arrive at Brisbane Airport, the easiest way to get to the city is by travelling on the AirTrain which takes you directly into the CBD.

Note: This service is not part of South East Queensland’s Translink network, so you’ll have to pay for a separate ticket.

➡️ Cruise. (Domestic & International.)

Another incredible way to get to Brisbane domestically is by cruise ship. Many prolific cruise lines such as P&O, Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Disney Cruise Lines offer a wide variation of itineraries come to the River City, either as a departure or arrival port, or as one of the places it visits along the way.

You can either stay skirt around the coast, visiting prominent Australian destinations, such as the Whitsundays, Cairns, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Canberra, or as a part of a venture across the South Pacific, starting in the country and visiting places like New Zealand, New Caledonia, Fiji and Vanuatu, before arriving back at the same port of another city in Australia. There are also even longer ones that travel from much further afield departing or including places such as Singapore, Papua New Guinea and Japan.

➡️ Interstate & Luxury Trains.

Trains are another great way to reach Brisbane, especially for those who don’t like air travel or want to change things up.

The XPT regional train links the major cities of Sydney and Melbourne to the Queensland capital on overnight journeys, while the extensive network of XPLORER lines allows people from numerous major towns across NSW to get to the Queensland capital, allowing wider access at a relatively affordable price.

Alternatively, for those who want to make their journey to reach the River City one to remember, a high-end luxury train trip reliving the glory days of railway travel is one of the most unique ways to transit to Brisbane.

From the sunshine state, the Spirit Of Queensland sets off from the prolific coastal city of Cairns, the Spirit Of The Outback starts in the northwest at Longreach, then heads to Rockhampton, where the rest of the journey follows the coastline. There’s also the Westlander runs from Charleville, the closest major town to the Northern Territory and South Australia border on the same parallel as Brisbane, while out of state the Great Southern departs Adelaide, the City Of Churches.

All these lines have stops in the major cities and towns along the way, so you needn’t be tied to one departure point. They also run both directions, so if you want to leave Brisbane in style rather than arriving in such fashion, you can too.

Note: These trains do not come under the local public transport network.

➡️Touring Buses.

For those who like to destination hop as they make their way around the country without hiring a car, touring buses such as Greyhound are a great way to get to the capitals and regional cities and many of the major towns in between, particularly if you are traversing the coastal routes.

Public Transport.

Once you’re in the city, Brisbane has a fantastic public transport network featuring trains, ferries, and buses, which means you may want to reconsider if you need a car for the CBD. One of the best things about it is the free city hopper service (not to be confused with the Cross River Ferry which uses the same Kitty Cat vessel. Look for the red banner at the front and listen for the announcement to see which service it is.), which will allow you to easily reach most of the best attractions, such as South Bank, Eagle Street Pier, and Howard Smith Wharves.

However, if you want unlimited access to the greater network, including being able to get to the glittering Gold Coast and historic Ipswich, there are two options. The first one, which they are eventually phasing out, is the physical Go Card, which you can pick up from many retail stores, and pre-load money onto it. Or just use your credit/debit card, either the physical thing or your phone if it’s linked to it.

Just make sure every time you get on and off a service, remember to tap it against the card reader, otherwise you’ll get charged a flat rate fee. On buses and ferries, the reader is on the vehicle/vessel itself, whereas trains have them at the gate or beside the platform.

Note: The South East Queensland Network currently has an initiative where all travel on the South East Queensland network is $.50 and will go for 6 months starting the 5th of August 2024, making getting around the region super affordable.

Car Hire.

For day trips out of Brisbane away from the train network, having a car is definitely the way to go to make the most. From breathtaking national parks such as Springbrook, Lamington, the Glass House Mountains, and D’Aguilar National Park, to stunning lakes, like Wivenhoe and Somerset and beautiful islands like Moreton, Bribie and South Stradbroke, getting out of the inner city and enjoying these breathtaking landscapes is a must and a vehicle you can use to go wherever and whenever you like is the best way to do it.

Taxi/Uber/Didi.

If you just want to take a quick trip to visit one of the closer attractions without having to wait for the scheduled services or that are not within walking distance of the stops, ride-sharing services such as Taxi, Uber or Didi are great for getting you from A to B. Just make sure to download the corresponding app before you go and have a usable internet.

If you are planning to visit Brisbane, consider looking at these other posts.