What To Do in Canberra, Australia, for 48 Hours [Must-See Attractions]

Though Sydney and Melbourne get the lion’s share of attention from visitors to Australia, you shouldn’t sleep on Canberra, even if it’s only for 48 hours.

The capital city of Australia is roughly midway between those 2 largest cities in Australia. Having been to Canberra several times on trips to Australia, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s similar to Washington, D.C., in that there are several government-focused sites to see and museums. It’s a fairly walkable city, and there are a few great attractions that’ll keep you occupied on your visit.

How To Get There

Canberra Airport (CBR) is about a 10- to 15-minute drive from the city center. Qantas has multiple flights here a day to/from Sydney (SYD) and Melbourne (MEL), with additional flights to/from Brisbane (BNE), Perth (PER), and other cities. If you’re coming from Sydney, it’s only about a 30-minute flight!

If you’re flying on Qantas, I recommend redeeming British Airways Avios for the short flights, as British Airways has a distance-based award chart, and rates are reasonable for most flights.

Where To Stay

The best hotel in Canberra is the Hyatt Hotel Canberra – A Park Hyatt Hotel, which is near the Parliament building and about a 15-minute ride from the airport. The property is one of the city’s most historic hotels and is the place to stay if you’re a politician visiting town. I recently stayed here after booking through American Express’ The Hotel Collection. If I didn’t book through American Express, booking directly and paying with The World of Hyatt Credit Card would be my next option for this stay.

While Canberra is a very spread-out city, it’s actually pretty walkable. The Hyatt is near most of the must-see sites. If you like walking and bring a good pair of shoes, you’ll have no problem getting around.

National Museum of Australia

The National Museum of Australia is about a half-hour walk from the Hyatt Hotel Canberra (around one of the city’s several lakes). The museum’s main galleries are free to enter, though there are a few paid galleries with rotating exhibits.

This museum covers the history of Australia, Australia’s geography, indigenous culture, and Australia in the modern day. The museum has numerous galleries and is a great place to visit for first-time visitors to the country. I would highly recommend starting at this museum before visiting any others in Canberra.

One of the things I really like about this museum is how it explains the vast Australian landscape, which is truly different than any other country in the world. You’ve got major cities and the coast on one side, and absolutely nothing with a limited population in the middle. The museum also does a great job of talking about modern-day Australia, such as efforts to fight wildfires and how there has been major political reform in recent years to respect the original landowners.

Parliament House

Perhaps the best-known building in Canberra is the Parliament House, home to most legislative affairs for the country, the prime minister’s office, and other cabinet rooms. Parliament offers several guided tours daily for free, but I recommend booking these tours in advance as they tend to sell out during the busy summer months or when school groups are in town. More involved tours can cost anywhere from AU$14 ($10) to AU$440 (about $275, which comes with a special dining experience) per person.

Approaching the building, you get to marvel at its incredible architecture. It looks nothing like any other capitol building you’ve probably seen, and you really need to see the metal towers that hold the giant Australian flag on top shining in the sun. There is a security checkpoint when entering, so if you have a tour, arrive a little bit earlier to get this done.

Unlike the U.S. Capitol, you can freely walk in and out of the capitol building without an appointment. During my visit, many tourists were inside, simply gawking at the House and Senate chambers, several historical infographics, and other displays, all without any reservation. Of course, if you want a guided tour, that’s the best way to see the building, and these depart almost every hour from the main entrance.

The Best of Parliament House tour is a paid option and lasts about 45 minutes. It visits the main meeting hall, the House, the Senate, a balcony overlooking the city, and several other small points of interest. While it’s not an in-depth tour, it gives you the essential highlights of the building, how the Australian government operates, and the key features of the complex. As an American visiting Australia (and a political science major in college), I was especially fascinated by the governmental system here and asked my tour guide several questions. This tour was AU$28 ($20), which I purchased with my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to earn 2x miles on the purchase.

It’s worth noting that if Parliament is sitting, your tour may not be able to visit those chambers, so plan out your visit to ensure you can see most rooms, if possible.

Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House

Just down from the modern Parliament building is the Museum of Australian Democracy, which has to be one of the best museums I’ve ever visited. This building housed parliament before it transitioned up the hill to the more modern, current-day building. When Australia had a smaller population, these older buildings sufficed, but a larger building was needed as the population grew (and the need for more representation grew).

Inside the Museum of Australian Democracy, you can take a free tour led by a volunteer docent that departs several times throughout the day. While you won’t see every exhibit on this tour, it gives you a fantastic overview of the museum and the history of Canberra. Unlike the current Parliament building, you can go into the offices and suites inside the older Parliament House. You can see the speaker of the House’s suite, the prime minister’s office, and much more, truly giving you a much more in-depth look at government.

In the center of the building are the House and Senate chambers, where you can sit inside, unlike the present-day building. Here, your tour guide can explain more of the intricacies of government and how the Australian system works and differs from other countries worldwide. You can also find several exhibit halls on voting and the limitations of government, as well as several in-depth looks at various prime ministers throughout the years.

On the basement floor, there are exhibits on more modern-day Australia, such as different governments and the history of media in government, which are definitely worth a few minutes of looking around.

High Court of Australia

The High Court of Australia is the country’s supreme court, and this building is down the road (and walkable) from the Museum of Australian Democracy. The High Court doesn’t have official tours or a museum, but you can head into the lobby. If a guide is available, they’ll take you through the courtrooms and explain a little bit about Australia’s judicial history.

On my last visit to the High Court, I was lucky enough to get a guide who studied in the U.S. and had a rich understanding of the differences and similarities between the countries. This made it much easier for me to understand how Australia’s system worked.

You don’t have to book a tour or arrange anything before coming. Just pop in, and if there’s someone available to give you a tour, you can do so.

Australian War Memorial

If you’re up for a hefty walk from the area surrounding Parliament, head on over to the Australian War Memorial. You can walk here (though it’s a few miles on paved paths) or take a ride-sharing service or taxi. The Australian War Memorial recognizes and honors those from Australia’s military who made the ultimate sacrifice.

It is free to enter, and inside, you’ll find an extremely extensive museum covering every year since Australia’s inception, all the way through the wars of today. Australia has played a significant role in some of the world’s biggest conflicts, and it’s fascinating to see just how much of an impact the country has had in shaping the globe.

Visiting this museum requires several hours, so it’s best to plan it for a day when you have plenty of time and don’t want to be rushed. Once you’re done visiting, you can explore several military vehicles on the outside, giving you an idea of Australia’s military might.

On top of the museum is Australia’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and you can see an entire panel of names of those who have been lost in various wars. Each day, a ceremony honors these fallen soldiers, and you can witness it as a member of the public. The museum can inform you of the timing of that day’s ceremony.

Final Thoughts

Canberra is a hidden gem of an Australian city and one of my favorites. I live in Washington, D.C., so visiting Australia’s capital city and seeing all the museums is pretty neat. You can easily spend 3 or 4 days in Canberra if you visit all the museums and walk around, and it’s only a short hop from both Sydney and Melbourne, making it incredibly easy to get to.

Even after visiting Canberra several times, I’ll continue to return in future years when I visit Australia, thanks to the rotating and changing exhibits at the many museums in town.