With its layout planned by a single architect, green and open Canberra isn’t like most capital cities. Firstly it’s an artificial creation, resulting from a fight between Sydney and Melbourne over who would be capital, built around an artificial lake, with many of its roads and suburbs pre-planned to allow for large pockets of green space. This looks nice, but it makes Canberra almost impossible to get around if you don’t have your own transport. A bike is OK, but a car is better. So more than in other capitals, it’s important that our list of the best places to stay in Canberra are relatively central to the action. While Canberra isn’t the most charming of cities, it does have some excellent facilities and plenty of money to run them.

What Not To Miss

• Firstly there are the two parliament buildings (the new one which is built into a hill) and the Australian Botanic Gardens,
• There’s also plenty of galleries and museums including the National Art Gallery, National Library, National War Memorial, the Science Museum (Questacon), National Film and Sound Archive, the National Portrait Gallery, the Canberra Museum, the Royal Mint, and all the embassies.
• Enjoy the range of natural pleasures: be it the walks up Black Mountain to the lookouts, up Red Hill to the cafe or up Mount Ainslie.
• The man-made lake with its many gardens and island - complete with Carillon and the Captain Cook Memorial water jet.
• In spring there’s Floriade, the flower Festival and there’s an annual Folk Music Festival. Plus, there are several theatres with plenty of funding, so there’s often a quality of production which seems grand considering the city’s population.
• The same can be said for some of Canberra’s restaurants. Outside of town there are some wonderful national parks to explore.

Our pick of the best places to stay in Canberra range from charming boutique stays in a heritage building to sleek contemporary accommodation in a hip district.

The Best Places to Stay in Canberra

For heritage buildings

• Canberra’s Hyatt Hotel occupies one of the city’s oldest buildings, a long, low structure just below Parliament Hill. This is a large hotel, with 252 rooms and suites and an extensive garden. The rooms have marble bathrooms and there’s plenty of Art Deco era marble in the public areas too. They also do a lovely afternoon tea.
• Peppers Gallery Hotel is a boutique hotel in Canberra’s ‘city’. Rooms are modern, with all the mod. cons. and there’s original art work on the wall. The restaurant has a great reputation and there’s also a bar, library and a lovely courtyard.

FOR A PRIVATE HOUSE OR APARTMENT

• If you'd prefer a self-catering option, we suggest that you visit our online partner Booking.com.

TRAVEL INFORMATION

• Fly to Canberra Airport, just a short drive from the city centre by car or bus. Alternatively, travel to the Canberra by train from other hubs - including Sydney.
• If you would like to hire a car, we recommend visiting our online partner Rentalcars.
• Visit between August and November, for pleasant temperatures, perfect for exploring the city.

STILL NOT SURE?

• Browse through our list of all the best places to stay in Sydney.
• Widen the net and see our pick of the best places to stay in New South Wales.
• Or contact one of our friendly Gurus for advice.

Weather

Monthly Weather in Canberra