Getting There

By Plane

About 20 international airlines serve Brisbane from Europe, Asia, and New Zealand, including Qantas, Air New Zealand, Pacific Blue, Singapore Airlines, Thai International, Malaysia Airlines, and Cathay Pacific. From North America, you can fly direct from Los Angeles to Brisbane on Qantas, but from other places you will likely fly to Sydney and connect on Qantas, or fly direct from Auckland, New Zealand.

Qantas (tel. 13 13 13 in Australia; www.qantas.com.au) and its subsidiary QantasLink (book through Qantas) operate daily flights from state capitals, Cairns, Townsville, and several other towns. No-frills Jetstar (tel. 13 15 38 in Australia; www.jetstar.com.au) has daily service from Proserpine, Hamilton Island, Melbourne's Avalon airport, and Hobart and Launceston in Tasmania. Virgin Blue (tel. 13 67 89 in Australia; www.virginblue.com.au) offers direct services from all capital cities as well as Cairns, Townsville, Hamilton Island and Proserpine in the Whitsundays, Mackay and Rockhampton in Queensland, and Newcastle in New South Wales.

Brisbane International Airport is 16km (10 miles) from the city, and the domestic terminal is 2km (1 1/4 miles) farther away. The arrivals floor, on Level 2, has an information desk to meet all flights, help with flight inquiries, dispense tourist information, and make hotel bookings, and a check-in counter for passengers transferring to domestic flights. The international terminal is undergoing a major expansion and upgrade, expected to be completed by the end of 2008.

Travelex currency-exchange bureaus are on the departures and arrivals floors. Avis (tel. 07/3860 4200), Budget (tel. 07/3860 4466), Europcar (tel. 07/3874 8150), Hertz (tel. 07/3860 4522), and Thrifty (tel. 1300/367 227) have desks on Level 2; in the airport there is also a free call-board connecting you to smaller local car-rental companies that sometimes offer better rates. On levels 2, 3, and 4 you will find ATMs, free showers, and baby-changing rooms.

The domestic terminal has a Travelex currency-exchange bureau, ATMs, showers, and the big four car-rental desks. (Call the telephone numbers above.)

For security reasons, luggage lockers are not available at either terminal.

Coachtrans (tel. 07/3238 4700; www.coachtrans.com.au) runs a shuttle between the airport and Roma Street Transit Centre every 30 minutes from 5am to 11pm. The one-way cost is A$9 (US$7.20/UK£3.60) or A$11 (US$8.80/UK£4.40) for hotel drop-off. The round-trip fare is A$15 (US$12/UK£6) or A$18 (US$14/UK£7). Family tickets are A$24 (US$19/UK£9.60) or A$29 (US$23/UK£12) one-way. The trip takes about 40 minutes, and reservations are not needed. No public buses serve the airport. A taxi to the city costs around A$25 (US$20/UK£10) from the international terminal and A$30 (US$24/UK£12) from the domestic terminal, plus A$2 (US$1.60/UK80p) for departing taxis.

Airtrain (tel. 07/3216 3308; www.airtrain.com.au), a rail link between the city and Brisbane's domestic and international airport terminals, runs every 15 minutes from around 6am to 7:30pm daily. Fares from the airport to city stations are A$12 (US$9.60/UK£4.80) per adult, A$6 (US$4.80/UK£2.40) per child. The trip takes about 20 minutes. Airtrain also links the airport with the Gold Coast.

The Airtrain fare between the international and domestic terminals is A$4 (US$3.20/UK£1.60). A taxi between terminals costs about A$10 (US$8/UK£4).

By Train

Queensland Rail (tel. 13 22 32 in Queensland; www.qr.com.au) operates several long-distance trains to Brisbane from Cairns. The high-speed Tilt Train takes about 25 hours and costs A$303 (US$242/UK£121) for business class. The slower Sunlander takes 32 hours and costs A$207 (US$166/UK£83) for a sitting berth, A$265 (US$212/UK£106) for an economy-class sleeper, A$409 (US$327/UK£164) for a first-class sleeper, or A$743 (US$594/UK£297) for the all-inclusive Queenslander class. Countrylink (tel. 13 22 32 in Australia; www.countrylink.info) runs two daily train services to Brisbane from Sydney. The 7:15am departure arrives in the town of Casino, south of the border, at 6:34pm, where passengers transfer to a bus for the rest of the trip to Brisbane, arriving at 10:20pm. The trip costs A$124 (US$99/UK£50) for an adult seat. The overnight train, which leaves Sydney at 4:20pm and arrives in Brisbane at 6:30am the next day, costs A$175 (US$140/UK£70) for a seat or an extra A$88 (US$70/UK£35) for a sleeper. Ask about off-peak discounts, depending on the time of year.

All intercity and interstate trains pull into the city center's Brisbane Transit Centre at Roma Street, often called the Roma Street Transit Centre. From here, most city and Spring Hill hotels are a few blocks' walk or a quick cab ride away. The station has food outlets, showers, tourist information, and lockers.

Queensland Rail CityTrain (tel. 13 12 30 in Queensland) provides daily train service from the Sunshine Coast and plentiful service from the Gold Coast.

By Bus

All intercity and interstate coaches pull into the Brisbane Transit Centre. Greyhound Australia (tel. 13 14 99 in Australia, or 07/4690 9950; www.greyhound.com.au) serves the city several times daily. A one-way Cairns-Brisbane ticket costs A$234 (US$187/UK£94); the trip takes 30 hours. The Sydney-Brisbane trip takes 17 hours and costs A$116 (US$93/UK£46) one-way. Coachtrans provides daily service from the Gold Coast. Call Transinfo (tel. 13 12 30) for details.

By Car

The Bruce Highway from Cairns enters the city from the north. The Pacific Highway enters Brisbane from the south.