Arrivals
With 5.5 hours or more and your entry permission sorted, a Brisbane layover is worth leaving the airport for.
Brisbane Airport (BNE) is about 20 minutes from the city centre by train. It has two terminals 4 km apart: international flights use the International Terminal, and the Airtrain station is right outside it, reached from Level 3.
- Tickets. On a single booking your bags usually travel straight through to your next flight. On separate tickets you’ll collect them and check in again, which means passing the border even if you never leave the building.
- Bags. Self-service lockers in both terminals take everything from a backpack up and are open around the clock, so leave a case there. Airport trolleys aren’t allowed on the trains, and the City Hall clock tower turns away backpacks and large bags.
- Phone. Wi-Fi is free throughout both terminals (the “BNE Free Wi-Fi” network, after a short sign-up), and an eSIM set up before you fly works on the train and in town.
Luggage, terminals and the free shuttle bus: getting into the city.
eSIM
Data from the moment you land
Set up an Australia eSIM at home, and maps and the Airtrain times work as soon as you step off the plane, with no SIM shop to find.
Get an eSIM from Airalo (opens in a new tab)Get a Saily eSIM (opens in a new tab)
Border
Everyone except Australian and New Zealand citizens needs permission to enter Australia, granted before the flight.
Not needed when you stay airside.
- American, Canadian, British and EU passports. Apply for an ETA in the Australian ETA app for A$20; in most cases the answer comes at once. British and EU citizens can use the free eVisitor instead, applied for online. Do it when you book: your airline checks it before you board.
- Indian and other passports. You need a visa: the Visitor visa from A$250, or the free Transit visa, which covers up to 72 hours. Neither has a published decision time, so apply weeks ahead.
- Staying airside. If your passport is on Home Affairs’ transit-without-visa list, your next flight leaves the same day within 8 hours, and nothing makes you pass immigration, you need no permission at all. Brisbane doesn’t let transit passengers stay airside overnight. Indian passports aren’t on the list.
- Food. Declare any food, plants or animal products on the Incoming Passenger Card, even an apple from the plane. You won’t be penalised for anything you declare, even if it’s taken away; undeclared goods can bring a fine of up to A$7,280.
- Time. Brisbane publishes no queue times, so allow about an hour from landing to sitting on the train, more if your bag is picked for a biosecurity check.
Who needs which visa: visa and transit rules.
Into Brisbane
The Airtrain runs from the International Terminal to Central station in 20 minutes, for A$23.30.
Not needed when you stay airside.
| Ride | Into town | Fare |
|---|---|---|
| Airtrain to Central | 20 minutes | A$23.30 |
| Airtrain to South Brisbane, for South Bank | About 30 minutes | A$23.30 |
| Taxi or rideshare | About 20 minutes outside peak hours | A$67 to A$82, plus a A$4.86 airport fee |
- First trains. The first Airtrain leaves the International Terminal at 5:08am on weekdays and 6:08am at weekends. Trains run every 30 minutes, and every 15 at weekday peak times.
- Last train back. It leaves Central at 9:31pm every day (Roma Street 9:27pm, South Brisbane 9:22pm). The 10:04pm you’ll see at the airport is the last train out of the airport, not the last one back.
- Paying. Tap a contactless Visa or Mastercard, or a phone or watch, at the gates, and tap off with the same one at the other end. Travelling with children? Buy an Airtrain ticket instead: children 14 and under then ride free with an adult.
Every way in, compared: getting into the city.
What to do
From Central station the shops of Queen Street Mall and City Hall are a short walk away, and South Bank is two stops further on.
Not needed when you stay airside.
The fastest plan for a short layover
- Clear the border, then take the travelator or lift to Level 3 and follow the signs to the Airtrain station.
- Ride to Central (20 minutes).
- Walk about 8 minutes down to Queen Street Mall, Brisbane’s pedestrian shopping street, and on to King George Square and City Hall.
- Walk back to Central, leaving town about 2 hours 35 minutes before your flight.
On a long layover, a private tour with a driver-guide takes the timing off your hands: Viator lists a 6-hour private Brisbane tour (opens in a new tab), and GetYourGuide sells a Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary day pass (opens in a new tab) for the koala plan.
Watch the calendar
- Sundays. Queen Street Mall’s shops open 10am to 4pm, against 9am to 5pm on most other days.
- Good Friday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. QAGOMA, the Queensland Museum and the State Library at South Bank are closed, so take the city-centre walk instead.
- Anzac Day, 25 April. Everything opens late: QAGOMA at noon, the Queensland Museum and Lone Pine at 1:30pm, and many shops stay shut.
- Christmas Day. Airtrain runs a special timetable, which it publishes about a month ahead. Check it before you leave the airport.
- 28 and 29 November 2026. Track work stops trains at South Brisbane; the Airtrain still runs to Central.
- Summer heat. The clock tower is not air-conditioned, and tours are cancelled when it’s above 36°C.
The itineraries give the timings for the city centre, South Bank, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, an early-morning plan after a night at the airport and a full day in Brisbane.
Transit tour
Private layover tours from Brisbane
A driver-guide collects you after the border and brings you back for your flight. Add about 2.5 hours to the tour's length to find the layover it needs.
See tours on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab)See tours on Viator (opens in a new tab)
Head back
Be back at Brisbane airport 90 minutes before departure, with your onward boarding pass.
Not needed when you stay airside.
- Time. Allow about an hour to get through the border, 50 minutes to reach Central with the wait for a train, and 65 minutes back. So leave Central about 2 hours 35 minutes before your flight. That makes 5.5 hours the realistic minimum, with about an hour in town.
- Why 90 minutes is enough. With your boarding pass in hand and your bags checked through, you only have security and the departure passport check ahead of you. Brisbane Airport suggests 3 hours for international flights, which allows for checking in; if you still have a bag to drop, go back earlier.
- Late at night. After the 9:31pm train from Central, take a taxi or rideshare, about 20 minutes outside peak hours. From the airport into the city it costs A$67 to A$82 plus the A$4.86 airport fee, so expect a fare of that order for the ride back.
- Clocks. Queensland doesn’t use daylight saving, so Brisbane’s clocks never change. Until 4 April 2027 Sydney and Melbourne are an hour ahead, so check the local time of a connecting domestic flight.
Time in town at each layover length: timing your return.
Departures
Best for your layoverStaying in the airport instead: free sun lounges, two lounges you can pay for, and three hotels outside the terminals.
Past security in the International Terminal, Level 3 has free sun lounges near Gates 82 to 87, and Levels 2 and 4 have couches before it. The showers are free in both terminals; bring your own towel. International security closes from 1:30am to 4:45am, and transit passengers can’t stay airside overnight.
Plaza Premium charges A$60 for two hours or A$70 for five, and Escape from A$55 booked online or A$80 at the door (seen November 2026), both on Level 3. The ibis, Pullman and Novotel are all outside the terminals, so you need entry permission to use them. Each sells a day stay from 9am to 5pm.
Rooms, lounges and showers: at the airport.
Hotel
A room near Brisbane's terminals
The ibis, Pullman and Novotel stand outside the terminals, past passport control, so book one only once your ETA, eVisitor or visa is granted.