48 Hours in Canberra For First Time Visitors

Canberra is often treated like a day trip, isn’t it? This article takes a full weekend instead. Take 48 hours with us to move between the national sites and the places locals actually spend their time, because this is a city that rewards those who invest time.

Canberra Beyond the School Excursions

Canberra tends to attract a particular kind of visitor. You know who we mean; school groups and people who arrive with a short list that starts and ends with museums. And that’s because in reality, Canberra was designed to house government, not to entertain visitors.

Its main attractions are national sites, like Parliament House, the Australian War Memorial, the National Gallery and the National Museum, spread across the city (and to be honest, they’re worth a visit!). There also isn’t a single strip where visitors naturally gather in the Australian capital, making things feel a bit spread out; another reasons trips here often remain short and sweet.

But Canberra itself is broader than its reputation suggests. The city is built around a lake, threaded with bushland, and surrounded by hills that are minutes from the centre. Cafés and restaurants sit in low-rise neighbourhoods and large patches of the city are given over to walking paths, reserves and good views.

It’s actually pretty compact, easy to navigate, and shockingly close to nature for a capital city!

Your 48-hour Itinerary to Canberra

This 48-hour itinerary takes in the obvious stops, then keeps going; through neighbourhood cafés, less-trafficked areas, and a stretch outside the city that makes you think twice about how Canberra feels.

Friday night

Check in at either ibis Styles Eagle Hawk or ibis Styles Canberra, both comfortable and affordable options, ideal for short stays. From there, head to Braddon, where most of the city’s restaurants are concentrated along Lonsdale Street.

Eightysix works well for an unforgettable first night; produce-led, seasonal, and just about relaxed enough so that you don’t need to worry about a glitzy outfit after your journey.

Then, if you feel like walking afterwards, Haig Park runs alongside the suburb right nearby. Planted in the 1920s as a windbreak for the new city, it’s now a long corridor of trees that locals use for quiet evening walks, despite sitting right next to one of Canberra’s busiest areas.

Saturday morning

Start Saturday with breakfast at Močan & Green Grout where colourful dishes are served in a pretty quirky and interesting area.

From there, head to the Australian War Memorial, which combines a museum, archive and active place of commemoration. Inside, exhibitions move chronologically through Australia’s military history, from early conflicts to recent operations. Discover large-scale objects, hear personal accounts and take a moment in the Hall of Memory.

Next, continue on to Parliament House. Visitors enter below ground level before moving through the building, past committee rooms, public galleries and major halls. The grassed roof above is open to walk on, offering clear views across the Parliamentary Triangle and Lake Burley Griffin, and gives a good sense of how the city was planned around government.

Saturday lunch

For lunch, stay close to the water at Lake Burley Griffin. Waters Edge Canberra sits right on the shoreline and is pretty much one of the most Canberra fine dining restaurants you could eat at during your time here. If you’d rather keep it simple, pick up takeaway and eat outside near Commonwealth Place, where there’s space to sit by the water and soak in the atmosphere.

Saturday afternoon

Spend the afternoon at one of two major museums. Not sure which one to pick? Here’s some help…

The National Gallery of Australia centres on Australian and Indigenous art, including one of the largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art collections in the country, alongside modern and contemporary international works. The building itself is part of the experience, with sculpture gardens and large rooms.

Meanwhile, the National Museum of Australia takes a narrative approach, focusing on social history, politics and everyday life. Exhibitions are built around themes rather than chronology, covering everything from Indigenous history and migration to pop culture and national myths.

After that, walk or cycle a section of Lake Burley Griffin, finishing with a short stop at Bowen Park Lookout for a quieter view across the city before heading into the evening.

Saturday evening

Head to Kingston Foreshore for dinner, one of Canberra’s more compact dining areas set right on the lake. Onzieme is a good shout with its small plates and great wine, while Molto Italian leans more towards classic, generous plates and a busier atmosphere.

If you want a drink afterwards, Highball Express is a small, well-regarded spot known for stripped-back cocktails and a short menu, close enough to drop in even if you only want one. It’s only a 15 minute trip on the bus from Kingston Foreshore.

Sunday morning

Sunday morning is always a great time for a walk, and with all the main cultural and political sites out the way, it’s time to enjoy the outdoors. The Mount Ainslie Summit walk is short and direct, with a clearly marked path and it leads to one of the best views back over the Parliamentary Triangle, Lake Burley Griffin and the city’s layout.

Otherwise, if you want something more expansive, Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve sits further out and offers a range of walking tracks through open grassland and bush. Kangaroos and wallabies are common, and the scale makes it feel properly separate from the city.

Sunday lunch

Braddon suits this point in the weekend, with casual, design-led eateries clustered along Lonsdale Street. Grease Monkey is a popular option for burgers and a relaxed atmosphere, or you can choose another spot nearby depending on appetite. The surrounding streets are easy to wander afterwards, with small shops, book stores and local labels mixed in among cafés, giving the area a more creative, lived-in feel.

A quieter alternative sits in Ainslie, where a compact strip of neighbourhood cafés clusters around the shops and keeps lunch calm.

Sunday afternoon

Leave Sunday afternoon deliberately loose. You can do it all, or pick one stop and call it a day.

Sitting below Black Mountain, Australian National Botanic Gardens are easy to drop into for a wander through Australian native landscapes, rainforest pockets and dry bushland. A stop at Redbrick Coffee fits naturally around that, somewhere to pause and recalibrate before deciding what comes next. Further out again, National Arboretum Canberra offers beautiful views across the city and surrounding hills.

All three can sit in the same afternoon, or just one, before heading off Sunday evening.

Where To Stay in Canberra

ibis Styles Eagle Hawk

Set a little north of the city, this is a practical choice if you’re arriving or leaving via the Federal Highway or heading out towards Lake George.

It’s quieter than staying right in town, with easy parking and good access back into the centre when you need it. Rooms are comfortable and functional, and it suits a stay where the hotel is a base rather than part of the plan.

ibis Styles Canberra

Located south of the city in Narrabundah, Ibis Styles Canberra is ideal for getting between central Canberra, the airport and the inner south. The hotel is close to neighbourhood cafés and parks, and the drive into the Parliamentary Triangle and Kingston Foreshore is short and direct.

A solid option if you want to stay connected to the city without being right in the middle of it.