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Getting there and around

Travelling to Canberra

View a map of Canberra

Canberra Airport

Canberra Airport’s goal is a simple but ambitious one – to be the best small airport in the world. With a stunning, modern terminal, thriving business precincts and daily international flights, Canberra’s world-class airport is well on the way to achieving this goal.

Canberra Airport website

You can get to the city from the airport by bus, taxi and car. 

Bus

Transport Canberra runs bus route Rapid 3 with regular services between the Canberra Airport terminal through to the City interchange, Belconnen interchange, Cohen Street interchange to Spence Terminus, seven days a week including public holidays. The Rapid 3 route operates every 15 minutes throughout the day (weekdays) and every 30 minutes on weekends. The trip from Canberra Airport terminal to the City is less than 20 minutes.

Learn more

Taxi

The taxi rank is located centrally on the ground floor of the terminal building, near the baggage carousels in the Arrivals Hall. The taxi rank is fully undercover and the waiting area is indoors for your convenience.

Learn more

Rideshare

Rideshare companies Uber and Didi operate in Canberra. To meet your rideshare driver, head to the Express Pick-Up Car Park, located on the ground floor of the GREEN Indoor Car Park, a short 20 metre covered walk from the Arrivals Hall. Our Express Pick-Up has a dedicated passenger waiting lounge adjacent to the car park where you can wait for your ride in air-conditioned comfort. 

View map to see the location of the Express Pick-up.

Car hire

Seven rental car companies are available on-site, conveniently located in the ground floor offices just outside the arrivals hall.

View map

The following companies have a desk at the airport:

Getting around Canberra

The National Convention Centre Canberra (NCCC) is conveniently located within the city centre and is close to all city centre services, attractions and amenities that Canberra has to offer. It’s only 7km from Canberra Airport and easily accessible.  Whether you prefer public transport, driving, cycling, or walking, it’s easy to get around.  

View a map of Canberra

Public transport

Before you ride

MyWay+ is the ticketing system used to pay for Canberra’s public transport system’s two modes of transport: buses and light rail.

It offers a range of simple payment options. You can tap or scan your preferred option at the validators, such as Mastercard or Visa card, smartphone, smartwatch, MyWay+ in-app ticket, or a MyWay+ physical travel card.

The easiest way to pay for your adult fare is by simply tapping on and off with your physical bank card or a bank card in your digital wallet on your smart phone or smart watch. You don’t have to create an account if you’re only visiting Canberra for a short time.

However, creating a MyWay+ account offers benefits like personalised settings, increased ways to pay, managing concessions, transaction history and journey notifications.

For those who do not want to use the digital features of MyWay+, a physical MyWay+ travel card is available for purchase at retail outlets (including concession travel cards). 

To help customers, the MyWay+ app and account are available online. Visit transport.act.gov.au/mywayplus for details on how to create a MyWay+ account.

Buses

Transport Canberra operates the public bus and light rail network, a convenient and cheap way for visitors to get around the capital. 

Transport Canberra's fleet includes easy access (i.e. no step) buses for people with reduced mobility, and these are used on the high frequency routes known as Rapid services. Select Rapid services also have specially designed carry racks making it convenient to commute or cover longer distances when cycling by taking your bike on a bus. You can also take your bike on the light rail.

Use the real time journey planner to find out just how easy it is to get around Canberra. 

Light rail

Light rail services operate between Gungahlin and the city up to every 5 to 15 minutes from 6am to 11pm daily, with late-night services on Friday and Saturday evenings until 12:30am. 

View a map of Canberra

Other ways to get around

Walking

Canberra is a very walkable city, especially in central areas like Civic (City Centre), NewActon, Kingston Foreshore, and Braddon. The city was designed with wide open spaces and plenty of footpaths, many of which are well-maintained and accessible. Most of the terrain is flat to gently undulating, so walking is easy for most fitness levels. In newer precincts like the Parliamentary Triangle and around Lake Burley Griffin, paths are broad, scenic, and level, making them popular for both walking and cycling. Suburban areas may have more variation in incline, but nothing too steep. There are also green corridors and bike paths throughout the city that double as pedestrian routes, providing scenic and low-traffic alternatives for getting around on foot.

Rideshare

Rideshare companies Uber and Didi operate in Canberra. You'll need to download the apps from their websites and complete your payment details before using these services. 

Taxis

There are multiple taxi companies in Canberra, all accepting card, cash and CabCharge as methods of payment. To ensure you're hailing an accredited taxi, look for cabs with T at the start of their numberplates (e.g. T12345). Companies include: 

E-Scooter

Hiring an e-scooter is a great way to get around the city and surrounds. The Canberra and Region Visitors Centre and Neuron hire out e-scooters with helmets. Road rules and conditions apply so make sure you familiarise yourself with these before you ride.

Driving

With plenty of parking, no tollways and very little congestion, zipping around Canberra by car is one of the best ways to experience all the city has to offer. Traffic jams in Canberra are few and far between. In fact, it usually only takes around 30 minutes to get from one side of Canberra to the other, even in peak hour traffic.

Convenient, secure, underground car parking is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at the National Convention Centre Canberra. 480 parking spots are available, with internal lift access from the top level. The height restriction of the car park is 1.9 metres. You can find the entrance to the underground car park on Constitution Avenue, between the venue and the Airservices Australia building. For parking rates see here

Key dates

11 February - Call for proposals opens

14 March - Call for proposals closes

May - Registration open

mid-June - Program released

31 July - Super early bird registration closes

12 September - Early bird registration closes

14–17 October – AIEC 2025