Brisbane is one of Australia's most rewarding cities to explore on a budget. Its subtropical climate means outdoor life is a year-round affair, and many of its best cultural institutions offer free admission. Between the riverfront parklands, inner-city walking paths, and a free ferry service that doubles as a sightseeing cruise, you can fill several days in Brisbane without spending much at all.
This guide covers the best genuinely free activities across the city, organised by category so you can plan a day — or a whole week — around them. Where an activity has optional paid add-ons (such as ticketed exhibitions at a free gallery), we've noted that too.
Parks & Outdoors
Free Outdoor Activities in Brisbane
South Bank Parklands & Streets Beach Free
South Bank Parklands is Brisbane's most popular public space — a 17-hectare stretch of gardens, promenades, and plazas running along the south bank of the Brisbane River. You can spend a full morning here without spending a cent: stroll the Clem Jones Promenade for skyline views, wander the rainforest walk, pass through the Grand Arbour's bougainvillea-draped corridor, and stop to photograph the famous "Brisbane" sign.
Streets Beach is the headline attraction — a free, man-made swimming lagoon fringed with white sand and palm trees, with lifeguards on duty. It's popular with families and visitors alike, and the sight of people swimming against a city skyline backdrop is uniquely Brisbane. On Sundays, free live music sessions take place at River Quay Green, where locals gather with picnic rugs and takeaway food from the surrounding restaurants.
📍 South Brisbane
👨👩👧 Family-friendly
🚆 South Bank station
City Botanic Gardens Free
Brisbane's oldest park sits right on the river at the southern end of the CBD, and it's a beautiful place to start or end a day of exploring. Established in 1855, the gardens are filled with towering Moreton Bay fig trees, bamboo groves, tropical palms, and manicured lawns that roll down to the water's edge. There's a natural quietness here despite being surrounded by the city — it's a favourite spot for morning walks, reading, or a riverside picnic.
While you're in the area, cross the road to visit Old Government House, a heritage sandstone building from the 1860s that was once home to Queensland's early governors. It now houses a small free museum and gallery.
📍 Gardens Point, CBD
🕐 Open 24 hours
🚶 Walk from Queen St
New Farm Park Free
New Farm Park is one of Brisbane's most loved green spaces, set on the river in the leafy inner suburb of New Farm. The park has expansive lawns shaded by jacaranda trees (which turn spectacular shades of purple in October and November), a rose garden, and a playground — making it a great family-friendly spot for a lazy afternoon.
On Saturday mornings, the Jan Powers Farmers Markets set up here with local produce, baked goods, and street food. The market itself is free to browse, and it's one of the best in Brisbane for atmosphere. At the river end of the park, the Brisbane Powerhouse — a converted industrial power station — hosts free exhibitions, outdoor events, and a waterfront bar.
📍 New Farm
🛒 Sat farmers market
⛴ Sydney St ferry terminal
Roma Street Parkland Free
Tucked behind Roma Street Station, this subtropical garden is one of the world's largest inner-city parks. It's less visited by tourists than South Bank, which makes it a peaceful retreat from the bustle of the CBD. The parkland features themed garden rooms, a lake, waterfalls, and a fern gully that feels surprisingly wild for a garden minutes from the city centre. Free guided walks are available on certain days — check the Brisbane City Council website for the current schedule.
📍 Spring Hill / CBD
👨👩👧 Family-friendly
🚆 Roma Street station
Galleries & Museums
Free Cultural Attractions
Queensland Art Gallery & GOMA Free entry
The Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) and the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) sit side by side in the South Bank cultural precinct, and together they form one of Australia's most impressive gallery complexes. General admission to both is free, with permanent collections spanning Australian, Indigenous, Asian, and Pacific art — from colonial-era landscapes through to cutting-edge contemporary installations.
GOMA also has a free children's art gallery with rotating hands-on activities, making it a strong option for families. The gallery's Cinematheque screens free and ticketed films throughout the year. Major touring exhibitions are sometimes ticketed separately, but there is always more than enough free content to fill a few hours.
📍 South Brisbane
🕐 Daily 10am–5pm
💡 Some exhibitions ticketed
Queensland Museum Free entry
Located next door to GOMA, the Queensland Museum offers free admission to its permanent exhibitions. The standout is Wild State, an immersive gallery showcasing the animals and ecosystems of Queensland, from reef to rainforest. There's also an interactive Dinosaur Garden outside that kids will enjoy, and the museum regularly rotates its free displays throughout the year. The paid SparkLab science centre is worthwhile for families with younger children, but the rest of the museum offers plenty without it.
📍 South Bank
👨👩👧 Great for kids
💡 SparkLab & special exhibits ticketed
Museum of Brisbane Free
Housed on the third floor of the heritage Brisbane City Hall, the Museum of Brisbane (MoB) explores the city's history, culture, and identity through free rotating exhibitions. The shows here are well-curated and often interactive — recent exhibitions have explored Brisbane's architecture, its music scene, and the stories of its diverse communities. While you're there, take the free 15-minute guided Clock Tower tour: a small lift carries you to the top of the City Hall clock tower for a panoramic view of the CBD, South Bank, and the surrounding hills.
📍 King George Square, CBD
⏱ Clock Tower tours run regularly
🚆 Central station
State Library of Queensland Free
The State Library sits in the South Bank cultural precinct alongside the galleries and museum, and it's far more than a collection of books. The building itself is architecturally striking, and its exhibitions, reading rooms, and free Wi-Fi make it a useful stop for travellers. The Corner, on the ground floor, is a dedicated children's space with creative play, digital games, and reading activities — completely free and a lifesaver for families on hot or rainy days. The library also runs regular free talks, workshops, and school holiday programs.
📍 South Bank
👨👩👧 The Corner for kids
📶 Free Wi-Fi
Institute of Modern Art Free
Tucked away on Brunswick Street in Fortitude Valley, the Institute of Modern Art (IMA) is a small but rewarding contemporary art space with rotating exhibitions that are always free. It's been championing emerging Australian and international artists since 1975, and the shows tend to be more experimental and provocative than what you'll find in the larger state galleries. Worth combining with a walk through the Valley's laneways and a stop at the nearby Chinatown precinct.
📍 Fortitude Valley
🕐 Tues–Sat 10am–5pm
Markets & Neighbourhood Walks
Free Markets & Street Experiences
Davies Park Market, West End Free entry
The Davies Park Market runs every Saturday morning along the riverfront in West End, and it's one of Brisbane's most authentic neighbourhood markets. The vibe is relaxed and local — you'll find organic produce, artisan bread, handmade goods, and multicultural street food stalls serving everything from dumplings to arepas. Live acoustic music plays in the background, dogs roam on leads, and families spread out on the grass. It's free to browse and soak up the atmosphere, even if you don't buy anything.
📍 West End
📅 Saturdays 6am–2pm
🚌 Bus from CBD
South Bank Markets Free entry
The Collective Markets at South Bank run on Friday evenings and through the weekend, with a mix of handmade crafts, fashion, art, and food. Friday night has a slightly more social, festive feel with live entertainment and an after-work crowd. The Saturday and Sunday market is more browsable, with a focus on local makers and designers. Located within the South Bank Parklands precinct, it's easy to combine with a swim at Streets Beach or a walk through the cultural institutions nearby.
📍 South Bank Parklands
📅 Fri evening, Sat & Sun
Laneways & Street Art Free
Brisbane has a growing laneway culture that's worth exploring on foot. Fish Lane in South Brisbane is the standout — a narrow street behind the convention centre that's been transformed into a strip of independent restaurants, bars, and galleries, with colourful murals covering almost every surface. In the CBD, Burnett Lane is one of Brisbane's oldest streets and home to Lune Croissanterie and several quirky cafés. Over in Fortitude Valley, Bakery Lane is a converted industrial space with boutique shops, eateries, and more street art. All three are free to wander and photograph.
📍 Fish Lane, Burnett Lane, Bakery Lane
📸 Great for photography
Queen Street Mall & Brisbane Arcade Free
Queen Street Mall is Brisbane's main pedestrian shopping strip, running through the heart of the CBD. Even if you're not in the market for retail, it's worth a walk through for the buskers and free live music — Brisbane runs one of Australia's largest free street music programs here and at surrounding plazas. Duck into the heritage-listed Brisbane Arcade, built in 1923, which has an elegant Edwardian interior lined with independent boutiques and speciality shops across two storeys.
📍 Brisbane CBD
🎵 Free live music program
🚶 Central to everything
Lookouts & Views
Free Panoramic Views
Mt Coot-tha Lookout Free
Mt Coot-tha is Brisbane's best panoramic viewpoint, rising 287 metres above sea level about seven kilometres west of the CBD. The lookout platform offers sweeping views across the entire city, the river, and on clear days you can see all the way to Moreton Bay and the islands beyond. It's open 24 hours and there's no entry fee — many locals consider it the definitive place to watch a Brisbane sunset, and the city lights after dark are equally impressive.
You can drive up in about 15 minutes from the CBD (free parking), or take bus 471 from Adelaide Street which runs throughout the day. At the base of the mountain, the Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha cover 56 hectares and are also free to explore, featuring a Japanese garden, tropical dome, rainforest section, and the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, which has free entry to its display zones.
📍 Mt Coot-tha
🚌 Bus 471 from CBD
🌅 Best at sunset
Kangaroo Point Cliffs Free
The Kangaroo Point Cliffs offer one of the most dramatic views in inner Brisbane — a sheer volcanic rock face rising from the river, with a clifftop park that looks directly across to the CBD skyline. It's a popular spot for sunset barbecues (free public BBQs are available), and the view at dusk as the city lights switch on is hard to beat. At the base of the cliffs, the Kangaroo Point Riverwalk is a flat, paved path that stretches along the waterfront and connects through to South Bank.
📍 Kangaroo Point
⛴ Ferry to Holman St or Thornton St
🔥 Free public BBQs
Wilson Outlook Reserve Free
A lesser-known viewpoint favoured by photographers and locals, Wilson Outlook Reserve in New Farm provides a stunning framed view of the Story Bridge with the CBD skyline rising behind it. It's a small, grassy lookout that's at its best in the late afternoon when the light hits the bridge and towers. If you're staying in or walking through New Farm or Fortitude Valley, it's well worth a short detour.
📍 New Farm
📸 Popular photography spot
River & Ferries
Free River Experiences
CityHopper Ferry Free
Brisbane's CityHopper is a free, inner-city ferry service that runs every 30 minutes between the North Quay terminal (near the CBD) and the Sydney Street terminal in New Farm, with stops at South Bank, the Maritime Museum, Thornton Street (Kangaroo Point), Eagle Street Pier, and Dockside. It's essentially a free river cruise through the most scenic part of the city, and it's an excellent way to get between neighbourhoods without paying for transport. Locals use it as a commuter service, but for visitors it doubles as a sightseeing trip with panoramic views of the skyline, the Story Bridge, and the Kangaroo Point Cliffs.
⛴ Every 30 mins
🕐 6am–midnight daily
💳 No ticket needed
Brisbane Riverwalk Free
The Brisbane Riverwalk is a dedicated pedestrian and cycling path that connects New Farm to the CBD via an overwater boardwalk section at Howard Smith Wharves. The full stretch takes you past some of Brisbane's most photogenic spots: the Brisbane Powerhouse, Howard Smith Wharves (nestled beneath the Story Bridge), and the City Botanic Gardens. It's flat, well maintained, and works as both a serious morning jog and a casual afternoon stroll. On weekends, the path buzzes with runners, cyclists, families, and dog walkers.
📍 New Farm to CBD
🚴 Walking & cycling
📏 Approx 3.4 km
Walking the Story Bridge Free
While the paid Story Bridge Adventure Climb is a popular tourist experience, simply walking across the bridge is free and offers impressive views in its own right. The pedestrian walkway runs along the eastern side of the heritage-listed cantilever bridge (built in 1940), with views stretching up and down the river, across to the Kangaroo Point Cliffs, and over the Howard Smith Wharves precinct below. It's a short crossing and connects Fortitude Valley to Kangaroo Point, making it a useful and scenic link between the two areas.
📍 Fortitude Valley ↔ Kangaroo Point
💡 Paid climb available separately
Tips for a Free Day in Brisbane
A great free itinerary: Start with a morning walk through the City Botanic Gardens, take the CityHopper ferry to South Bank, explore GOMA and the Queensland Museum, swim at Streets Beach, then catch the ferry to Kangaroo Point for a sunset BBQ overlooking the city.
Live music is everywhere. Brisbane runs one of Australia's largest free live music programs, with regular performances at Queen Street Mall, Post Office Square, South Bank, and other locations around the inner city. Check the Brisbane City Council events calendar for what's on during your visit.
Brisbane Greeters are volunteer local guides who offer free daily walking tours of the CBD and key precincts like Fortitude Valley. It's one of the best ways to get an insider's perspective on the city, and the tours are run through Brisbane City Council.
BYO is welcome at most parks and riverside spots. Pick up supplies from a local deli or farmers market, and you can have a great lunch for very little at New Farm Park, the Kangaroo Point Cliffs, or South Bank's River Quay Green.