It is true that the best way to sightsee in Canberra, Australia’s national capital, is by car, as you may not get public transport from one Canberra attraction to another.
There are, of course, guided bus tours that you can organize in Canberra or from other starting points in cities like Sydney and Melbourne.
For visitors used to the flexibility of sightseeing on a hop-on, hop-off bus or sightseeing tram, like the Sydney Explorer buses or Melbourne’s free City Circle Tram, yes, Canberra has one.
And visit most of Canberra’s top attractions.
The Canberra City Explorer Bus tours the sights of Canberra Monday through Friday. There is no service on Sundays and trips on Saturdays are only available on accepted reservations.
Current ticket prices (subject to future change) are $ 35 per adult, $ 30 for an Australian cardholder for seniors and $ 20 for a child under 16.
Four trips a day
Four sightseeing trips begin downtown at 59 Northbourne Ave outside the Student Flights travel center at 9.30am, 11am, 12am, and 1pm, with their next stop at the Canberra and Region Visitor Center. on Northbourne Ave. Passengers can hop on and off at the various designated stops, except those who have chosen to stay on the bus on their tourist circuit at a reduced adult ticket price of $ 30 per person.
The last bus leaves the National Museum of Australia (and the National Film and Sound Archives upon request) at 4pm, arriving at the City Center at 4.05pm and the Visitor Center at 4.10pm
The tourist route
From the city center and visitor center, the City Explorer Bus continues to the Australian War Memorial. Then drive past the Anzac Parade Monuments to the Canberra Museum of History at the National Capital Exposition at Regatta Point.
Your next stop is for the National Library of Australia and Questacon. An entrance fee is charged at Questacon.
The next combined stop is for the National Portrait Gallery, the National Gallery of Australia, and the High Court of Australia. Certain visiting exhibitions in the National Gallery may require an admission charge.
The bus then continues to the National Archives, followed by a stop at Parliament House.
From here you head to the Australian Democracy Museum, formerly the Old Parliament House and, upon request, the Royal Australian Mint.
It then passes by the Governor General’s residence, The Lodge, in Yarralumla, and the various foreign embassies in the area.
The next stop is the National Museum of Australia, but from 2pm to 3pm, a Burley Griffin Lake cruise is available for $ 15 per person, with a 3:05 pm pickup from the National Museum.
There is a stop, upon request, at the National Film and Sound Archive before the City Explorer Bus returns to the City Center and the Canberra and Region Visitor Center.
Note: routes, schedules and ticket prices are subject to change.
