Sydney to Canberra Drive: A Complete 3-Day Road Trip Itinerary
We recently took a much overdue Sydney to Canberra road trip. Our three days were spent wandering galleries, exploring parks and eating way too much! Did we love it? Absolutely, we are already planning a return visit next autumn.
This 3 day itinerary will guide you through our trip. It highlights the attractions we enjoyed, dining spots that hit the mark for us, and some accommodation options that we shortlisted. We’ve included practical tips to help you plan your own trip to the nation’s capital.
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What to see on a three-day visit to Canberra
Our Canberra trip was a mixed bag of activities. We saw a couple of exhibitions, tried out some new cafes, and balanced it all out with time exploring Canberra’s outdoors. The city offers something for everyone with a little planning; you can craft the perfect trip for your interests.
Most Aussies go on one high school trip to Parliament House and never return. It’s a shame, because Canberra is a great weekend getaway with so much to see and do.
When is the best time to visit Canberra?
Canberra is most popular in the spring when the annual Floriade Festival is in full bloom. Another great time to visit is during the Enlighten Festival, which runs from the end of February to mid-March.
The thing about Canberra is that with all the museums, bars and cafes, there is plenty to do when the weather gets too hot or too cold to enjoy being outdoors. It’s a good year-round destination.
How to get to Canberra?
Most people from Sydney drive to Canberra, but you can fly, take the bus, or train.
The Sydney to Canberra drive is an easy one, along a well maintained, if soulless motorway. We, however, seem to find it impossible to drive past the pretty Southern Highlands towns that lay just off the highway without at least one stop.
This weekend we settled on Bowral on the trip out and Berrima on the way home. These two towns have great antique shops, and Bowral has several excellent cafes.
If you are travelling in September, Tulip Time will be on, and it’s worth building into your visit.
Many of the sights in Canberra are free to visit making this great for a budget getaway
Our Three Day Canberra Itinerary
Our visit was over a weekend but this itinerary would work mid-week, although parking is more expensive with most areas metred.
If you want to extend this trip, you could combine it with a trip to Mollymook which is a popular getaway for Canberrans and gives you a loop route to return to Sydney. We would allow at least 3-4 days if you choose to do this.
You could also do the drive down via the Grand Pacific Drive.
Day One – Friday
After picking up our car, we were on the road bright and early well before the traffic hit the Hume Highway.
Breakfast in Bowral
We found ourselves in Bowral before most of the town had woken up. Note – the shops seem to open about 9.30am here. We strolled the main street doing a little window shopping and eventually found ourselves at Green Lane. Best known as the home of Antique Store Dirty Janes, it is also where you will find The Plantation, our chosen breakfast spot.
The Plantation stocks a large range of speciality food products and also has a courtyard with garden seating. After a light breakfast and wandering around the garden centre, we checked out the town’s biggest attraction…
The Bradman Museum
The International Cricket Hall of Fame aka The Bradman Museum is is worth the stop for sports lovers. The museum covers the history of the game and how it’s played around the world, with exhibits spanning different eras and countries.
Once you have finished, pop outside and take your photo with the legend. You can even have a quick hit on the greens – just ask the staff for your plastic bat and wickets.
By 10.30am we were back on the road and wondering whether we would find water in Lake George.
Lake George Lookout
Lake George on the Federal Highway has always fascinated road trippers. Is it really a lake? Has it ever been filled with water? These questions come up every time we drive past and we could never answer them, so this time we did some research.
Thought to be more than a million years old, Lake George is an endorheic lake, which means the water in the lake does not flow to rivers and oceans. The lake is flat and shallow, no more than 4.5m deep, it’s 25km long and 10km wide.
Water levels here have swung wildly for as long as records exist, drying out completely at times and filling close to capacity at others, purely from rainfall and evaporation rather than anything more mysterious.
The lake peaked in late 2022 after a run of wet years, but it’s been receding again through 2025 and into 2026 after a stretch of drier months, and researchers monitoring it say it could be close to dry again within the next year or two. Because it can look completely different from one visit to the next, it’s worth checking recent photos or local reports before you go
The view above is from the Weereewa Lookout about 30km from Canberra.
Our first stop, once we arrived in the capital, was on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin. If this is your first Sydney to Canberra road trip, we encourage you to slot this into your itinerary.
National Capital Exhibition
The National Capital Exhibition is a good place to begin your visit to Canberra, particularly if you are not familiar with the city.
Along with being home to the visitor centre and its team, the centre tells the story of how Canberra came to be the capital.
A brief film gives an overview of the city’s history and a scale model of its design can help you get your bearings. This may cause less swearing when you are driving around looking for your next stop.
Lake Burley Griffin
This artificial lake was an integral part of Walter Burley Griffin’s design for Canberra. It’s one of the city’s focal points and a popular place to walk, cycle and row.
A highlight, the Captain Cook Memorial Jet, sends water 152 metres into the sky and operates daily from 11am to 2pm. In high winds, they turn the jet off. Sadly, the wind was pretty strong all weekend, so we missed it this time.
The waterfront is a good spot to explore by bike, boat, or if your budget and the weather are in sync, by hot-air balloon.
Australian War Memorial
The collection here covers all conflicts Australia has engaged in since the Boer War. We loved the old-school diorama depicting the battlefields of World War One. There is also a large collection of aircraft and lots of personal memorabilia.
This memorial is a place where a history lover can easily lose half a day, but even those with a fleeting interest will find themselves engaged here.
Mount Ainslie Lookout
At least one of your days in Canberra should end with a visit to Mount Ainslie. This lookout offers a wide view over the city. It’s our favourite spot in the city.
From here, the Australian War Memorial, Old Parliament House and Parliament House line up perfectly. We think it’s the best place for experiencing a Canberra sunset after attending the Last Post Ceremony at the War Memorial.
If you fancy a bit of exercise, you can hike up the Kokoda Track to the lookout. This is one of the most popular walks in Canberra. The 4.5km trail starts in Remembrance Park behind the War Memorial.
Drinks at – Smiths Alternative
Our Canberra trip coincided with Parliament’s last sitting day, which is also the biggest day on the Canberra office Christmas party calendar. Finding a bar or restaurant was beyond challenging. Helen, from Destination Differentville, was also in town and found this great little bar for us to meet at.
Charles got stuck into a local brew from Bent Spoke, and it quickly became a favourite. The drinks at Smiths Alternative were well-priced, and we got a generous cheese platter with olives. We didn’t have time to fit in a visit to their brewery bar but it is highly recommended for beer lovers.
Dinner in Civic
We planned to head to Verity Lane Market in Civid but it seemed half of the city had the same idea, but we were too hungry to wait. There are several good Asian options in the market so we will definately go back.
We ended up at SoLita Pizzeria just a short walk away. They had a certificate from the official Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani, apparently the only place in Canberra to have one, so it was an easy decision.
Day 2 – Saturday
Breakfast in NewActon
Just a couple of minutes’ walk from our apartment in NewActon were several bars and restaurants. We enjoyed a quick breakfast of Bircher, nectarine and coconut chia at Mocan and Green Grout before our big museum day.
We enjoyed the architecture and surrounding gardens, it was a peaceful start to the day. A footpath leads over the roadway directly to the walking path along the lake. From here, you are just a few minutes by car to the centre of town and the sights.
Bridge to Bridge walk
A late start today meant our 5km Bridge to Bridge walk was cut back; we only had time to do a quarter of it. Next time we will get up earlier as we enjoyed what we covered.
A fast walk by the river seems a popular way to start the morning. watching the dragon boats gliding up the lake and the locals out enjoying their city
National Gallery of Australia (NGA)
The first stop on the culture trail today was the NGA. We began with a stroll around the sculpture garden while waiting for the 10am opening.
The exhibition programme changes regularly, so it’s worth checking what’s on before you go. Right now, the standout is Arthur Boyd: Tapestries, showing until 18 October 2026, the first time all 20 of his enormous Life of St Francis tapestries have been on display together.
Later in the year, a major Rosalie Gascoigne retrospective opens, tracing her shift from small assemblages to large works made from found materials. If you’re visiting over summer, Full Throttle opens in December, a ticketed exhibition built around car culture and the legacy of the Mad Max films.
The variety of masterpieces in the NGA collection may surprise you, including one of Monet’s impressionist works, Sunrise, Jackson Pollock’s controversial Blue Poles and Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup.
General admission bookings are not required, so you can usually walk straight in to see the main collection. If you’re planning to see a major international ticketed exhibition, it’s worth booking ahead, as these do sell out.
National Portrait Gallery
Just a couple of minutes’ walk from the National Gallery, the Portrait Gallery is worth building into your day. The exhibition programme rotates often, with new shows on Australian faces from all walks of life throughout the year, so it’s worth checking what’s currently on before your visit.
The main collection features the faces of prominent Australians from all walks of life. We really enjoyed our visit and suggest you allow about an hour to see both exhibitions. Take a few minutes to explore the shop before you leave; we found some unique stuff here.
Lunch at the Kingston Foreshore
We chose Local Press for a break from our cultural pursuits. At just 2km from the museums, it’s a good option to get some fresh air and squeeze in a look at this newly developed part of the city.
Dozens of bars and dining spots line the waterfront here, and you can also rent a boat and explore the lake. The Canberra Glassworks is just across the road if you fancy exploring.
Museum of Australian Democracy
Our last stop of the day is the Museum of Australian Democracy, which showcases Australia’s social and political history. It’s housed in Old Parliament House, the building that was supposed to be a temporary space but served as the seat of government for over 60 years from 1927 to 1988.
The museum includes several permanent and temporary exhibits. Truth, Power and a Free Press is a permanent installation that challenges us to think about how we engage with the news.
Using a mix of video, original letters and documents belonging to journalists, and interactive quizzes, we found the exhibition achieved its goal of making you think about the way you consume media.
You can join a building history tour and explore some of the original parliamentary spaces that have been preserved just as they looked when the building closed.
Even hardcore museum lovers will probably need a rest before dinner. You could be lazy like us and head back to your accommodation for a nap or make your way to take in the sunset from a different perspective.
We usually recommend Telstra Tower however it is currently closed to the public for a major refurbishment, and it’s not expected to reopen until the end of 2027, so it’s off the list for now. If you missed the sunset from Mount Ainslie on Day 1, this is a good chance to catch it. Otherwise, head to Red Hill Lookout for a different angle over the city, and stop into the Red Hill Lookout Cafe for a drink while you’re up there.
Dinner in Dickson
Dickson has been the centre of Canberra’s diverse food scene for many years. We have been eating Chinese food in Dickson on almost every visit since the mid-1980s. With over 40 dining options on offer, it’s a good place to head if you are not sure what you feel like. Most of the venues are budget friendly too.
Our old favourite Dickson Dumpling House is still going strong and serving their roast duck san choi bau. Serving sizes are enormous, so keep this in mind when ordering.
Day 3 – Sunday
After all of those museums yesterday, today is about enjoying the outdoors before we begin the drive home. But first… coffee.
Breakfast at The Cupping Room
The Cupping Room serves Canberra’s well-known Ona Coffee. Owner Sasa Sestic won the World Barista Championship in 2015, and staff have won Australian Barista Champion four more times since.
The coffee menu here is longer than the food menu, and both the espresso and white coffee were excellent.
We settled on an avo toast with poached eggs that came with cranberries and miso paste. We weren’t convinced the miso paste added much, but the rest of the dish worked well.
Hike in National Arboretum Canberra
One highlight of our trip was a morning walk in the National Arboretum. If you get up early enough, you might catch a view like the one below.
Just a 10-minute drive from Civic, the Arboretum covers over 250 hectares. It contains 94 forests made up of over 40,000 rare, endangered and symbolic trees from across the world.
We suggest you set aside some time to explore one of the walking and cycling tracks; there are over 20km of these in the Arboretum.
If you prefer not to walk alone, there are several guided tours and walks you can join.
We chose the Himalayan Cedar Track, which left from the Pod Playground near the visitors centre and took in the Wide Brown Land sculpture. The artwork by Marcus Tatton, Futago and Chris Viney, was completed in 2010 and takes its title from a line in Dorothea Mackellar’s classic Australian poem My Country.
Once we had completed our walk, we drove up to Dairy Hill Lookout, where we snapped the photo at the top of the page, and discovered the Nest III sculpture by Richard Moffatt. Apparently, he constructed it from abandoned farm machinery.
On the way back down, we came across “A Backwards Attitude” by Louis Pratt. It is just past the turnoff to the Pod Playground.
Lake George Winery
It was time to head home, but not before a quick stop at the Lake George Winery on the way out of town. This is one of the earliest wineries established in Canberra. We did not have time to stay for tastings at the cellar door, (no booking either silly me!), or a bite in the cafe, but we will return next time. We might even book in on a Canberra wine tourTo break up the three-hour drive home, we stopped in Berrima to walk around this historic village.
Berrima Village walk
Berrima is 160km from Canberra, and the drive took us a little over 90 minutes. We parked our car near the museum and wandered the length of the small town, exploring the shops and restored buildings. History lovers might like to check out National Trust-listed Harper’s Mansion.
Lunch – Berkelouw Book Barn
Berkelouw Book Barn is just a few minutes out of town and a good spot for lunch with or without incidental book shopping.
From here it’s less than 125km back to Sydney.
Where to Stay in Canberra
Prices can fluctuate wildly in the national capital, depending on whether Parliament is sitting or major events are running. At these times, you should aim to book at least 6 weeks in advance to find something affordable in a good location.
On this trip, we stayed in NewActon, an area that sits between Civic and Lake Burley Griffin. Possibly the most urban part of the city, the area originally provided temporary accommodation for newly arrived employees of the new national capital and then functional workplaces for a variety of government departments.
These days NewActon is home to interesting architecture, quirky sculptures and some excellent food. Its proximity to both the lake and the city centre makes it a great base for a quick visit.
Ovolo Nishi Hotel
The Ovolo Nishi is a solid choice for a short stay in Canberra.
Be sure to check out Monster Bar for a pre-dinner drink.
You may also like to consider nearby properties including:
Sydney to Canberra road trip – All the answers
How long does it take to drive from Sydney to Canberra?
Sydney is 286km from Canberra by road. The drive from Sydney to Canberra takes approximately 3 hours but can take an extra 30-45 minutes in peak hours.
What’s a good lunch stop between Sydney and Canberra
There are a couple of big petrol stops with all the usual fast-food haunts. We suggest you get off the highway at Goulburn or Collector or take a brief detour to Bungendore, which has developed as a popular spot for Canberrans to head for a day out.
Is it safe to drive from Sydney to Canberra at night?
We saw plenty of dead kangaroos along the side of the road just outside Canberra, so if you drive after dusk, please be careful.
How to get to Canberra
What public transport options are available for visiting Canberra?
You can travel to Canberra by train from Sydney’s Central Station to Canberra Railway Station in Kingston. The trip takes about four hours and 30 minutes. We took this trip recently, and it’s definitely not a luxury journey, with 30-year-old carriages and very limited wi-fi en route.
You can also choose to book a Murrays Canberra to Sydney Coach service
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*FIrst published 2023, completely updated after a new trip in April 2026.
