✈️ 13 km · Four Ways

Brisbane Airport to the City

Thirteen kilometres, four sensible options, and one detail that decides it for most people: the Airtrain is the only Queensland service that does not cost fifty cents.

✍️ By Frank Adam Burns 📅 Updated 2026📍 Brisbane, QLD

Brisbane Airport sits thirteen kilometres north-east of the CBD at Pinkenba. Nothing about the trip is difficult — the only real decision is which mode, and that turns on your group size, your luggage and what time you land.

Airtrain

Trains run from stations at both terminals into the city in about twenty minutes, stopping at Central, Fortitude Valley and Roma Street, then continuing south towards the Gold Coast.

It is the fastest option in peak traffic because it sits in none of it, and it is the simplest if you are staying near one of those three stations.

Two things to know. Airtrain is the single exception to Queensland's 50-cent flat fare — it is priced separately and costs considerably more. And it does not run overnight, so a late arrival needs another plan.

Children generally travel free with a paying adult, and a return is cheaper than two singles.

Taxi

Ranks sit outside both terminals with attendants at busy times. About fifteen minutes to the CBD in light traffic, longer in the morning and evening peaks.

Metered, with an airport access fee included in what you pay. Ask for an estimate before setting off. Best when you want no decisions and are going to a single inner-city address.

Rideshare

Pickup happens in designated zones rather than at the taxi ranks, and the walk to them is signposted but not short at the domestic terminal.

Often cheaper than a taxi — until it is not. Surge pricing hits exactly when several flights land together or the weather turns, which is the moment you have least ability to shop around. Larger vehicles are limited at the airport.

Fixed-Fare Transfer

A booked vehicle and driver, priced before you travel. Our sister company Airport Shuttle Services publishes fares from around $49 to the CBD.

The two features that matter: the fare is fixed rather than metered, so traffic does not change it, and flights are monitored, so a delay is tracked rather than costing you the booking.

Best for groups, families with luggage, late or early arrivals, and anyone staying outside the inner city.

Which One, Honestly

Solo or a couple, light bags, staying near Central, Roma Street or the Valley, arriving in daylight: Airtrain, comfortably.

Family of four with suitcases: four Airtrain fares plus a connection at the other end starts to approach one fixed transfer that goes to the door. Compare per group, not per person.

Arriving after Airtrain stops, or before it starts: a booked transfer, because taxi and rideshare are both at their worst then.

Staying outside the inner city: a transfer, or a taxi if it is close.

Once You Are in the City

Everything after the airport costs fifty cents. Every bus, train, ferry and Metro journey in South-East Queensland is a flat fifty-cent fare regardless of distance, so the expensive leg is only the first one.

If you are staying near the river, the CityCat is worth using from the start — it is the nicest way to move around Brisbane and the cheapest sightseeing in the city.

Going the Other Way

For departures, allow two hours domestic and three international, and add time if you are returning a hire car or moving between terminals.

Airtrain's first services are early but not pre-dawn. For a 6am flight, a pre-booked transfer removes the one variable you cannot control at 3.30 in the morning.

Common Questions

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