Ten Tips for Travelling to Brisbane on a Budget

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With the cost of living soaring, hotel prices heading north, and capacity on airlines wafer thin, travel has become a fraught activity for the budget conscious traveller (which, let’s face it, is pretty much all of us at the mo).

And nowhere is that more the case than when planning a visit to any of Australia’s major cities, including the Queensland capital. According to Finder’s cost of living comparison, Brisbane is now the second most expensive place to live in Oz (toppling Melbourne, and topped only by Sydney). The comparison takes into account factors like the cost of food, transport etc, which will have a significant impact on your holiday spend.

All of that said, Brisbane is fast becoming one of the country’s most dynamic travel destinations — and that’s only likely to accelerate as the city prepares to host the 2032 Olympic Games. Great weather, world class cultural attractions, a regenerating riverfront, cool cafes, and ease of access to the Gold and Sunshine Coasts (including their theme parks) all add up to one hoot of a holiday.

So, the million-dollar question is, can it all be done without a total budget discombobulation? You bet your bottom dollar! Here are ten practical tips for saving money on travel to Brisbane.

Watch our video of ten ways to save money on travel to Brisbane:

How to TRAVEL to BRISBANE on a BUDGET, Queensland, 2023 | Travel Tips to Save You Money!

In the second of a new series of videos on how to visit Australia’s top destinations on a budget, we bring you ten tips for saving money on travel to Brisbane.

1. Choose the cheapest time to travel

We all know that travelling outside peak seasons will save you some money, and that should be your first consideration when planning a trip to the River City. Choose your dates wisely. The capital’s peak season is deemed to be mid-year (when the weather is relatively mild compared to the southern states, and largely humidity free). According to Trivago, February (somewhat strangely), then June, July, August, and September are the most expensive months to visit in terms of hotel prices. December and January are the cheapest months to book a hotel, but, according to Skyscanner, two of the most expensive to book a flight. You’ll need to walk a tightrope between the two costs.

2. Save on sleep

Accommodation is going to be your biggest challenge when attempting to balance the holiday books in Brisbane. Post pandemic, hotels in the heart of the city are averaging upwards of $180 to $220 a night. And that’s for something relatively standard. Double it if you like to sleep in the lap of luxury. You can save a bit by decamping out to suburban motels, holiday parks, and even camping sites. But to be honest, it’s not going to get you that far when you factor in the extra travel time and transport costs involved.

The cheapest way to do an inner-city stay is to join the Couchsurfing community, which sees members providing each other with free casual accommodation. However, being part of this global network requires more than simply calling dibs on someone else’s sofa. You need to give and take, and garner good reviews along the way. That said, those who are prepared to put in the effort can bring their accommodation cost in Brisbane (and elsewhere for that matter) down to zero.

Up from there is the city’s hostel scene — and before you say: ‘I’m far too old to share bunk beds with a Norwegian backpacker’, hear us out. In addition to their dorm offerings (which average around $40 to $50 a night), many hostels offer private rooms — sometimes with ensuite bathrooms. It’s been a complete revelation to us and is well worth investigating. Head for the Hostelworld website, which lists all the hostels in Brisbane with private accommodation options and their room rates. You’re very likely to find a central city bed for around the $100 mark a night.

3. Opt for cost-effective car hire

Brisbane’s public transport is excellent, but the truth is you’ll need a car if you plan to explore the South East more widely. The trick to saving money here is to choose a hire company based away from Brisbane Airport. They’re almost always cheaper than the majors at the airport itself. Try Jucy, which caters to the backpacker market (but hey, a car’s a car) and offers a free airport courtesy shuttle to and from their depot at Eagle Farm. Their rates are sensational (often around $45 a day) and they don’t generally show up on hire car comparison websites. Just why remains a mystery.

We hate to break this to you (now that you’ve saved money on hiring wheels), but Queensland petrol prices are amongst the highest in the land. Counter that uncomfortable fact by having the Fuel Map app on your phone, and refer to it religiously when you need to fill up. Prices can differ from suburb to suburb by 20 or 30 cents a litre. Take advantage of the fuel discounts offered by auto clubs, and master the art of locking in low petrol prices from interstate using the 7-Eleven app. If you are returning your car at the airport, avoid refuelling up at its one and only servo. Fill up offsite and do a small top-up at the airport if needed.

Paying already high prices for hotel accommodation is one thing; forking out an additional $20 or $30 a night to park your car there is just plain rude. But there are hotels in close proximity to the city centre that offer free parking. We did a quick search online and found The Best Western Plus Hotel Diana (Woolloongabba), The Point Brisbane Hotel (Kangaroo Point), Soho Brisbane Hotel (Spring Hill), and the Riverside Hotel (South Bank). There are bound to be others.

4. Get a Go Card and travel off peak

Note: The Queensland Government has temporarily reduced all public transport fares in Brisbane (excluding Airtrain) to a flat rate of 50c per trip! Bargain! Read the details here.

Travelling to Brisbane without a car will undoubtedly save you money, and getting around the city using public transport (trains, buses, and City Cat ferries) is super easy and relatively flexible. Step one is to obtain a Go Card — part of Brisbane’s paperless ticketing system. You can still buy paper tickets for individual trips at train stations and major interchanges, but each trip will cost you roughly $2 more than if you use a Go Card.

You can pre-purchase a card online before your trip or pick one up at the Airtrain stations at Brisbane Airport. The initial outlay includes a refundable deposit ($10 for adults at the time of writing) and some credit. At the end of your trip, you can cash in any remaining credit and get your deposit back (just head to one of the Airtrain counters at the airport).

With your Go Card in hand you just touch on at the nearest card reader at the start of your trip, and touch off at the end. The fare is calculated automatically and deducted from the credit balance on your card.

A further saving of 20% is applied to Go Card fares if you travel off peak — between 8.30am and 3.30pm on weekdays, and any time on weekends. You don’t need to do anything to get the discount; it will just happen.

5. Pre-purchase your Airtrain tickets

The most convenient public transport option for getting into the city from the airport is Airtrain, which has stops at both the domestic and international terminals. It’s relatively affordable, but if you’re really stretched financially there is a cheaper bus service. However, you’ll need to catch a shuttle from the airport terminals to the bus interchange to use it (which is not much fun if you have luggage in tow).

Currently, you can save 15% on the cost of a return Airtrain ticket by pre-purchasing it online. Advance purchase tickets can be used two days either side of the actual dates you book (giving you a bit of flexibility), but they are non-refundable.

6. Ride the city’s free loop buses and City Hopper ferries

Supplement your transport needs by making use of the city’s two free bus loops — the City Loop and Spring Hill Loop. The City Loop operates from Monday to Friday, while the other runs seven days a week. Buses are colour coded and hard to miss. Do a complete circuit on both to see most of the inner city.

Free Loop bus services – Google My Maps

There are four free loop services in Brisbane 1. City loop (clockwise) 2. City loop (anti-clockwise) 3. Spring Hill loop 4. South Brisbane loop (anti-clockwise) – expected to start from 23 January 2023

7. Eat for less

OK, there’s no use mincing words on this one. Brisbane is an expensive city when it comes to eating out. Period. But if you do your research, you can minimise the fiscal fallout somewhat. Food van fodder abounds from Friday to Sunday night at fabulous Eat Street Northshore — a conglomeration of street food vendors housed in repurposed shipping containers on a disused dock in Hamilton. The prices are pretty reasonable, some traders are licensed, and there’s free entertainment. You can get there and back on a City Cat.

While it doesn’t have a large central fresh food market, Brissy does have three regular CBD Farmers Markets. One operates on Wednesdays at Reddacliff Place (on the CBD side of the river opposite South Bank), and two are held on Thursdays at Cathedral Square (on the edge of the financial/legal district) and in the new Queen’s Wharf precinct near Parliament House. The latter two focus on street eats, while the former brings a variety of growers and artisanal gourmet producers to town. They’re all worth a visit if you’re self-catering or looking for a cheapish lunch.

Another way to save on your food bill is to seek out weekly meal specials at pubs, restaurants, and cafes. Groupon has a whole section devoted to dining deals, and you can also turn up great offers just by searching online.

With coffees in Brisbane priced at around $6 a throw, take action and pack a keep cup. You’ll get around 10% off your caffeine fix at many cafes.

8. See priceless art for nix

Visitors can dive into the collections of the city’s top cultural institutions without spending a dime. Entry to the permanent collections at the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) is free of charge, as it is to the epic Queensland Museum (which families will love). The State Library of Queensland’s Extraordinary Stories series displays heritage artefacts on different themes and is also free to access.

Back in the CBD, swing by the wonderfully presented Museum of Brisbane at City Hall. It shares the history of the capital in an engaging way and is free to enter. While you’re there, jump on a free tour of the soaring Clock Tower or City Hall itself.

9. Pound the pavement on a free walking tour

There’s no substitute for a local’s perspective when exploring a new destination, and that’s exactly what you’ll get on a free guided walking tour with a Brisbane Greeter. This experience operates daily and involves joining a volunteer guide on a three-hour mosey around their favourite parts of the city centre. There’s no set itinerary, so you could in theory do this a couple of times and get something different out of it on each occasion. Bookings are essential.

10. Use member discounts

It’s not easy to find bona fide deals on entry to South East Queensland’s attractions (just a lot of dodgy promo code websites that are probably phishing scams). RACQ offers its members discounted entry to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and Australia Zoo, and a small discount on entry to Dreamworld. NRMA offers members a few dollars off the Story Bridge Climb.

Browse our full range of Brisbane tours and experiences here. We offer a Best Price Guarantee.

Do you have any tips for ways to see Brisbane on a budget? We would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below.

Cover image: Tourism Australia

 

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