It’s no secret that Canberra punches above its modest weight. The food (and wine) is some of the best in the country, spoiled by the finest of both Victoria and New South Wales produce. Then you have the relaxed pace, barely-there traffic, world-class art and bucolic lifestyle.
That’s one of the few things Melbourne and Sydney can agree on. Having Canberra is an almost halfway point benefits both of Australia’s biggest cities. Whenever life gets too loud, taking the conveniently short flight to Canberra is just the thing. It’s a restorative destination. Sometimes wellness is just about keeping things simple and having a weekend away with good food and even better wine in a small, manageable city.
Maybe it’s the wine. Perhaps it’s the food. Many think it’s the crisp mountain-grade air that is just as much of a morning jolt as Canberra’s best coffee (and there’s a lot of that). In reality, it’s multiple things. Canberra is such an understated charmer that anyone claiming it as the best (small) capital city in the Southern Hemisphere could very well be onto something.
The only other city so closely tied to power, that I could think of, that even comes close to matching Canberra’s modestly sized swagger is Victoria, British Columbia. It’s similar in many ways. Like Canberra, Victoria is petite and walkable, surrounded by multiple microclimates, which means great produce (and even better wine). And it’s unquestionably pretty. Victoria has some great museums too, but nowhere as elegant and soulful as the National Gallery of Australia, as touching as the Australian War Memorial or as quirky as Old Parliament House.
Not many countries have a seat of political power that’s so perfectly cradled by nature. Imagine if France’s politicians were all stationed in Bordeaux instead of Paris. Or if the White House was in Napa Valley instead of Washington D.C. Consider those scenarios and you begin to see why Canberra is so unique.
That’s Canberra. The Australian capital is better defined by its produce than its power.
Below I’ve included just a few of the quintessential things I think you should do in Canberra if you want to walk away with the same admiration I have for this small city. And you only have a weekend to spare.
The AU Review’s Weekend Guide to Canberra
How do I get to Canberra?
Okay, so you’ve got Saturday and Sunday to swallow Canberra whole. Despite the city’s size, you just can’t digest so many things to eat, drink and do in only one day so make sure you’re giving yourself the full weekend. Even better, fly down on Friday night so you can get a start on Saturday.
Virgin Australia flies to Canberra frequently from points on the east coast. This is how often:
- Daily service between Gold Coast and Canberra
- 4 flights per day between Brisbane and Canberra
- 5 flights per day between Melbourne and Canberra
- 10 flights per day between Sydney and Canberra.
Canberra is very accessible so you’ve got plenty of wriggle room to sort how you want to play. For the sake of my sanity, I’m going to assume you fly down on a Friday evening and fly back on a Sunday night.
Where should I stay in Canberra?
Much like Perth, Canberra’s hotel scene is unfairly advanced compared to the rest of Australia. Business cities need good hotels. It just makes sense. Powerful people demand nice places to stay and so you’ll find plenty of great hotels in Canberra.
Then it comes down to location. Where do you want to stay? For almost all types of travellers, the only correct answer is Braddon. It’s the trendiest strip in the city, with a seemingly endless selection of great restaurants and bars. I wrote a guide to the best Braddon restaurants over at Australian Traveller so check that out if you want to know where to eat nearby.
So, we’re settled. You’re staying in Braddon. Specifically, you should check in to the Midnight Hotel. It’s sexy, dark, moody and has a very long indoor pool (unfortunately not heated). That way you’re only a few minutes walk from the centre of Braddon, in addition to the supersized Canberra Centre.
TIP: The hotel is a member of Marriot’s Autograph Collection so make sure you’re a member of Marriott Bonvoy before you head along. It’s one of the better hotel loyalty programs available so it’s worth building up your points.
What should I do in Canberra?
Go For A Walk
This may seem like the most uninspired suggestion to start a city guide. But it makes sense when you start putting one foot in front of the other. Canberra is such a small, walkable city that spending hours stumbling around in nature is part of the appeal.
You’ve only got two days so don’t try and tackle the immense beauty of Namadgi National Park. With over 100,000 hectares of walking trails, pristine nature and historic sights, the park takes up 46% of the entire state. You haven’t got time for that. But it’s worth saving for any subsequent tips.
The most accessible walk in Canberra is the loop around Lake Burley Griffin. The impressive artificial lake is always busy with all sorts of on-water activity and is worked into a perfect loop that’ll only take you around four hours to complete. There are smaller sections if you’re tight for time.
You can read this guide on Canberra’s best walks that I wrote for Australian Traveller if you want more ideas.
Check out the National Gallery of Australia
Sydney might have the Art Gallery of NSW. Melbourne gets by with the beautiful National Gallery of Victoria. Canberra’s got the most impressive of the three, however, with the immaculate National Gallery of Australia.
Forget the oversized Jackson Pollock painting and James Turrell’s fascinating “within without” skyspace. You’ll surely be drawn to them anyway, but the NGA has such a rich and varied collection that it deserves a good few hours of your time.
The NGA has a reputation for honesty and authenticity. The galleries here are big, shapely and have many different spaces for storytelling so special exhibitions are always designed to build context and bring stories to life. Because of the capacity, Australia’s most important art gallery gets plenty of big-ticket touring exhibitions from overseas so you’re bound to find something that excites you on your visit.
Truffle Hunting
Many begin to think about escaping Melbourne and Sydney during the winter months. That’s when Australia’s smaller cities like Hobart, Adelaide and Canberra come into their own.
When it gets cold, most head down to Hobart for Dark Mofo or Adelaide to jump around South Australia’s three major wine regions. Wine also plays a big part in Canberra’s cold weather appeal, but another reliable lure is the truffle industry.
Yes, truffes.
Canberra’s truffles are the best in Australia and The Truffle Farm is the city’s way of making the most of the growing season. The story behind this local institution is so interesting even Netflix wanted a piece of the action at one point (according to truffle hunter Jayson Mesman, who famously trained up one of the world’s most productive truffle dogs, Samson, who sadly passed away in 2017).
In 2025, Mesman has a pack of enthusiastic truffle dogs ready to guide groups around the farm as they help pluck fresh truffles from the ground. And we all know proud dogs with jobs are amongst the greatest things in the world.
If Mesman hasn’t written the book on truffle hunting, he should. His engaging way of not only telling the story behind The Truffle Farm but also deepening an appreciation for these funky-smelling delicacies elevates the experience. What’s more is that after the truffle hunting is done, everyone sits down for a coursed fine dining experience.
Chef Kanharith Kim (ex-Quay) works with the farm’s award-winning truffles to build dishes that work with unique textures and strong flavours. The menu changes constantly so it’s no use calling out any specific highlights, but what you can expect is to leave with a better understanding of which flavours work with truffles and which don’t.
What wineries should I go to in Canberra?
Mount Majura Vineyard
While most of the wineries around Canberra (and Australia for that matter) are best known for shiraz, Mount Majura Vineyard sticks out with its pitch-perfect Tempranillo. Fiery Spanish wine is experimented with constantly, making this bohemian cellar door an essential stop on any tour of Canberra’s best wine.
Founded in 1988, the popular vineyard is at its best when you’re sipping on the signatures so the best approach is to dial in a guided tasting (and a cheese board, of course).
Nick O’Leary Winery
It’s all about those peppery glasses of shiraz at the bucolic Nick O’Leary. You’ll need to stop over the New South Wales border and enter Wallaroo to land upon this beauty. The tiny estate is but a speck on a large plot of land, easily breaking away from any trace of city life despite only being a 20-minute drive out of town.
There’s a full menu in case you want to stay for lunch as well, with a sizable charcuterie selection and countryside Aussie classics like market fish, lamb shoulder and cuts from the Riverine.
Where should I eat in Canberra?
Onzieme, Kingston
What are some good restaurants in Canberra? A horrible question to ask, because you’ll get a dozen different answers. The truth is that just about any restaurant in Canberra is going to be good. I’ve had incredible Italian food at Agostinis and nod enthusiastically whenever someone raves about Bar Rochford, as just two examples.
But each year, one restaurant is highlighted above all others. In 2024, that was Onzieme. Fresh off being named the best restaurant in ACT by Gourmet Traveller, the buzzy Kingston restaurant certainly earns its accolades. Particularly with the kitchen’s highly textural, rich and interesting vegetarian dishes. A simple Jerusalem artichoke propped up with saffron is an easy highlight, as is the savoy cabbage with yolk sauce and furikake.
Given Canberra’s food is so good because of its many different growing seasons, this city is the best place in Australia for vegetarians and vegans. Onzieme is proof.
Edgar’s, Ainslie
There are some pubs in Canberra stick that to that rustic Australian aesthetic, but the classier ones skew British. That’s Edgar’s to a tee. A cosy, transportive pub atmosphere that feels more like a refined tavern. Head upstairs and you’re greeted by a beautiful, relaxed dining room getting most of its punchy flavours from a hard-working asado grill.
Influences jump over the globe. You’ll find excellent vegetable dumplings with XO sauce, plates of wood-fired prawns with goan curry, notably crunchy roast kipfler potatoes and substantials like a behemoth 1.2kg lamb shoulder dancing in a light jus with support from earthy vegetables plucked straight from a hearth.
The delicious food is made better with fun, personable service that makes the intimate dining room feel like one big community.
And I guess that’s another strong tick in Canberra’s favour. Its size perfectly lends itself to a strong sense of community.
Beltana Farm, Pialligo
I couldn’t stop picking at a plate of truffle and cuttlefish salami served with tiny pickles. The meat was flecked with these small, textural chunks of richness, sliced so thin that you had to pick up a piece with great delicacy.
The food at Beltana Farm is interesting. From the pull-apart potato damper with macadamia dukkah and truffle cauliflower and gruyere croquettes to a subversive Anzac biscuit cheesecake with Pialligo honey, raspberry and…whisky.
Canberra’s tranquil neighbourhood of Pialligo has plenty of premium offerings given the area’s high standard. Beltana Farm’s restaurant only opened at the top of 2024 and it’s already one of the most impressive places I’ve found in Canberra.
The homely, estate-style dining room has numerous spaces for big and small groups. But the best seats are by the large glass windows looking out onto the farm. The visually stunning scene is made all the more better by the hyperlocal approach. A lot of these dishes use truffles that were picked just metres from the table, and the vegetables come with similar provenance.
The writer flew to Canberra as a guest of Virgin Australia.
