If you didn’t read my Weekend in Melbourne, Adina Hotel Review or follow me on Instagram, you might not know that in the beginning of January, I took an amazing road trip down the coast of Australia and the South Island of New Zealand. The entire trip was amazing and I can’t wait to share the adventures on Our Wandering Mind. Make sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date with all my Travel Guides that will be coming out from my trip!
Canberra was our first stop on our Australia road trip portion of our trip. My partner and I live outside of Sydney, so driving to Canberra only took about three hours. It was nice because we didn’t have to stress and worry about rushing in the morning and leaving really early. We were able to pack and make sure we had everything and leave the house when we felt completely ready for our trip.
Whether you want to take a day trip down from Sydney or stay a few nights, Canberra had surprisingly a lot to offer. Canberra is Australia’s Capital. Although Canberra has a lot of similar aspects, don’t expect Canberra to be the Australian version of Washington D.C. That being said, there is still plenty to do and learn when visiting Canberra.
Where to Stay
Garden City Hotel at Best Western
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly option for staying in Canberra, the Garden City Hotel was a great, affordable, option. For the four of us, we booked two rooms right next to each other and they were comfortable enough. Each room had a queen bed, mini fridge, kettle, TV, table and a couple of chairs. We didn’t do anything in our room other than sleep for one night, so we didn’t need anything fancy, so if you’re looking for a clean and comfortable place just to spend the night, the Best Western is a great option.
What To Do
One of the great things about Canberra,is that everything is really close to each other. Not necessarily walking distance for a lot of popular tourist spots, but definitely only a few minutes drive. This means that even with a short amount of time, you’ll be able to check a lot off of your Canberra To-Do list in just a matter of hours!
Australian Mint
The Australian Mint is somewhere you can spend anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour or two. There’s a lot of cool features of The Mint, like overlooking the factory where the money is actually produced to seeing coins throughout the years. Admission to The Mint is free and there’s a lot of interactive aspects of the Mint, which is perfect for kids of all ages.
There’s a gift shop on the first level with souvenir you can buy and a coin machine where you can make your own souvenir coin, so make sure to bring some change with you when going to The Mint. There’s a little coffee shop where you can grab a quick bite to eat or a coffee. However, we didn’t realize until after we ordered our coffee that food and drinks are only allowed on the lower level, so I would recommend picking up a coffee after you’ve viewed the factory and everything upstairs.
Australian War Memorial
The Australian War Memorial is Australia’s national memorials to the members of the armed forces and remembering or supporting individuals who participated in wars involving the Commonwealth of Australia. The War Memorial in Canberra displays artifacts and tells the stories of the solders and what they went through during the wars.
The War Memorial has really interesting displays that are really well done and real artifacts from the wars. It’s also appropriate for all ages so you can feel comfortable bringing your children to the museum. It’s free to attend the memorial, however, they do ask for a donation in the front entry way.
Botanic Gardens
If you’re looking for a nice stroll through some lovely gardens, I recommend stopping at the Botanic Gardens. As most Botanic Gardens, admission is free, except for the charge for parking. There’s a lovely cafe and spa at the Botanic Gardens, so if you’re looking for a relaxing start to your day, checking out the spa or the cafe would be amazing.
We, however, just took a morning stroll around the gardens and took in all the beautiful and unique plants. There was a lot of renovations being done when we went to the gardens and a lot of areas were closed of due to the renovations, but I’m sure when all exhibits are open, it’s lovely. You also get a pretty awesome view of the Telstra Tower from the gardens and they host events throughout the year like Movie Nights so I would definitely check out their website to see if any events are going on during your visit.
Shopping
We were in Canberra Friday evening which is their late night shopping night. In Australia, shops close a lot earlier than what they do in the U.S. however, on Friday night they close around 8-9:00 PM which was really convenient for us. The Canberra Centre shopping center is located Bunda Street has tons of great stores. From movies, to groceries and restaurants, to clothes and fashion, everyone can find something that they like at the Canberra Centre.
Telstra Tower
If you were to do one thing in Canberra, I would definitely recommend the Telstra Tower. The Telstra Tower is owned by Telstra Communications and is located on Black Mountain. It costs $7.50 for an adult to get in. Once you get in and go in the elevator, you’ll enter a 360 room where you can get great views all over the whole city of Canberra. It’s definitely a cool way to see everything in Canberra. There’s also a coffee shop and gift shop so you can eat and enjoy a cup of coffee 195 m or 640 feet in the air!
Where to Eat
Vapiano
There’s a lot of places to eat, especially on Bunda Street. We chose a popular Italian restaurant, Vapiano, where they have Happy Hour Specials, wood fire pizzas, and delicious pasta dishes. They have tons of great options for any diet needs and restrictions like offering zoodles (zuchini noodles) instead of normal pasta. We split a delicious wood fire pizza and a pasta dish. Both were delicious and I highly recommend the food and the atmosphere at Vapiano.
How to Get Around
There’s a lot of places you can walk to, especially when it comes to shopping and eating out. However, to get around to the museums and tourist attractions, having a car is a must. I’m assuming that if you’re visiting Canberra, you had to drive from somewhere, but if you flew directly into Canberra, hiring a car for your trip would be best.
Canberra wasn’t on the top of my must-see places I wanted to visit in Australia, but I’m definitely glad we made the trip and visited Canberra. It’s the perfect place for an overnight trip or a long-weekend getaway and we definitely plan on heading back to explore more of what the city has to offer.
Have you ever been to Canberra? Let me know in the comments down below!
