BRISBANE

Contents: The City, Do & See, Eating, Cafes, Bars & Nightlife, Shopping, Sleeping,Essential Information, Maps

Brisbane is a lively, cosmopolitan city with excellent restaurants, beautiful riversideparks, a busy cultural calendar and a great nightlife. Its fantastic weather year-round has allowed outdoor activities to thrive and develop a vibrant café culture.The city is surrounded by some of the state’s major tourist attractions, and there isan abundant choice of daytrips whether it be to the coast for the golden beaches, or

inland for some of Queensland’s serene bushland, there is something for everybody

the city 

The capital of the “Sunshine State,” Brisbane, could verywell be the world’s most laidback city: its residents arefriendly and optimistic in a way rarely seen in big city life.But with such a fantastic lifestyle, who can blame them forsmiling?Brisbane has a world of experience to oer, from thehustle and bustle of the Central Business District (CBD),you can escape to the creative ambiance of thecontemporary arts centre - The Brisbane Powerhouse inNew Farm. Perhaps you’d prefer dinner with sights of thecity at South Bank? Afterwards, if you’d like a sti drink,head towards the trendy bars of Fortitude Valley and West

End.If you don’t dance the night away, you might be up earlyenough to watch the sun rise as you kayak on theBrisbane River. Or perhaps you’d prefer relaxing atAustralia’s only inner city beach at South Bank. If you stillhave the energy, you can try rock climbing and take in theviews of the Story Bridge and the city skyline from theKangaroo Point Clis.When you’re ready to relax, head down to Woolloongabbato enjoy some of the spectator sports that Queensland isfamed for!League fan.-"The Gabba is one of eight major sporting and entertainment facilities owned and operated by StadiumsQueensland

Tangalooma Island Resort

Tangalooma Island Resort has a wide array of excursionson oer, and quite a few of them are for free. This is one ofonly a few places in the world where it’s possible tohand-feed dolphins in the wild. They come swimming up along side the jetty at dusk for their nightly feed.

Underwater World and Dolphin Lagoon

Queensland’s largest oceanarium/aquarium with 25.000sea animals and a multi award winning tourist attraction.Take the opportunity to walk with thousands of marine animals without getting your feet wet.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

This sanctuary gives you the opportunity to touch andhold koalas in the world’s largest koala enclosure. The siteis easily accessible by bus from the CBD, or via MiramarCruises who do daily trips from South Bank’s Cultural Centre pontoon at 10am League fan.-"The Gabba is one of eight major sporting and

entertainment facilities owned and operated by Stadiums Queensland".

Brisbane is scattered with great pubs, you’ll realise this themoment you learn that most of the “hotels” which you seeare actually drinking establishments. Beers are served inpots, schooners, pints and jugs and the beer taps in manybars will be specially chilled, causing the condensation tofreeze on the outside. Most hotels are open 10:30am-3am,and the traditional “Sunday Session” runs from 11am tomidnight.

Norman Hotel

The Norman is a good place to meet a cross-section ofBrisbane society, it’s tradition for those attending matchesat The Gabba to get a pre-match steak here. There aretwo bars here, the new Norman’s Bar and the traditional Sports Bar.

The Queen Street Mall is Queensland’s premiere shoppingdestination with over 700 shops doing business sevendays a week and independent designers as well as aplethora of cafés abound.Queens Plaza is where a host of home-grown talents suchas Herringbone of Sydney and Alannah Hill take pride of

place. Take a short stroll and you’ll also find the likes ofMax Mara, Vuitton, and Tiany & Co, proving that Brisbaneisn’t too small for the big names.The assortment of logos and brands available in this

stretch between Edward Street and George Street is mind-boggling, but of note are the legendary departmentstores David Jones and The Myer Centre. You may alsowant to take a peek in the boutique of local designer Bora,whose creation graced the body of Miss Universe in 2004.If you leave the Queen Street Mall and head down EdwardStreet towards the river, you’ll find more Australiandesigners and if you continue up Elizabeth Street, you’llfind many of the up-and-coming.Beyond the CBD, it’s worth taking a look at Ann Street andJames Street in Fortitude Valley where you’ll find a mixtureof boho chic and ultra-trendy style. Come back at theweekend and you’ll find the Valley Markets: fashion on

Brunswick Street where you can buy one-o items and owers and fresh produce on James Street.

Back at the South Bank Lifestyle Markets, you’ll findeverything from local crafts to unique artworks at the

weekend. Every second and fourth Sunday at thePowerhouse in New Farm, check out the Farmers Markets

where you can pick up Queensland’s fnest pineapples andmangos, freshly caught seafood or just-picked vegetables.The farmers bring their goods to the markets literally onthe back of their trucks. Open from dawn till aroundlunchtime but, for the best experience, be early to get thebest produce and avoid the heat 

LISBON

Lisbon basks in the sun refecting o the Tejo River and quickly seduces mostvisitors. The mixture of history and modernity, of small town and metropolis, of theantiquated and the shining new is irresistible. Add excellent shopping, late but safenight life and restaurants with Europe’s best fish, and you have the city in a nutshell

Lisbon’s heart is beside the river, even if the city hasgrown in all directions. Sit down at a pavement café on

Rossio Square and you will see the Baiza, the at citycentre, that dates from the 18th-century, between yourselfand the river bank. Look up in one direction and you willsee the São Jorge on the top of a hill. Look in the otherdirection and you will see the ruin of the Carmo Church onanother hill. Walk, or take a tram to one of them and youwill discover the quarters of old Lisbon, most of them with

a magnicent view of the rest of the city and the river Wander north from Rossio, you will soon end up onastately 19th-century avenue, in the part of the city which isstill called "Avenidas Novas." Even further north, thebuildings become really new, with the city’s two largefootball grounds, Luz and Alvalade, and lastly the airportwhich is twenty trac-jam-free minutes in a car fromRossi. Most of the best sights, restaurants and nightlife aresituated along the river. There is good shopping along theAvenidas Novas, but otherwise the rule is to keep close tothe river to get the best out of your visit.

Venice

There is no other city like Venice. It has 180 canals, 450 bridges and magnificentpalaces. It is a city rich in museums and historical buildings of great artistic and cultural importance. Add to that the transient feeling and the quiet everyday life. The

beauty of it all is truly apparen

thecity

Refugees founded Venice. When Germanic tribes ravaged northern Italy in the 5th-century, many people escaped tothis dicult-to-access area on the Adriatic Sea. Over the centuries the refugee community grew in to the most powerful trading port in the Mediterranean. At its peak, Venice had 3.000 trade ships and 300 navy vessels.After the fall of Napoleon, Venice was ruled by theAustrians, but after the 1848 uprising, the city once againgained itsindependence. Shortly after, in 1866, Venicebecame part of Italy. 1932 saw the opening of the motorand rail bridge between Venice and the mainland, that wasto be the start of Venice as a tourist destination.It is hard to navigate around the city, but don’t let that put you of , as this is part of Venice’s charm. Leave the other tourists at St Mark’s square and the Rialto Bridge and explore the labyrinth of little neighbourhoods instead. Themost interesting areas and islands are Cannaregio,San  Polo /Santa Croce,    Dorsoduro, San Marco and Caste

 DO & SEE

The whole city is a unique sight in itself, there is nothinglike it anywhere else in the world. The best way to exploreVenice is by foot.

 Cicchetti of Venice Tour

Discover where the locals unwind on this tour of Venice’sbackstreets and hidden Bacari wine bars. Sample famouscicchetti, small local dishes like fried olives, cheesy polenta, and spicy meatballsTours run Tues - Sun. More walking tours are available from Urban Adventures  

Piazza San Marco

Piazza San Marco, aka Mark’s Square, is the biggestsquare in Venice, and the most faous one too. If you truly

want to understand the might of the former Venetianempire this is the place to visit. The square is full of

interesting and impressive sights, one of the being thecampanile - bell tower - from where you can get a splendid

view of Venice

BARS & NIGHTLIFE

Venice has many good bars, primarily in the Dorsoduro district, but there’s no "party scene." The city’s youth travel to Venice’s modern sister city, Mestre, on the main land. In

the summer, they go to the seaside town of Jesolo

Harry’s Bar
This is the original, the bar that all other "Harry’s" around he world are modelled after. The Bellini, the champagnand peach drink was invented here. Harry’s Bar focuses ont creating an inviting atmosphere that welcomes everybody with open arms. 

SHOPPING

If you are after high fashion shops they are located at Via XXII Marzo and neighbouring streets. Via XXII Marzstretches from San Mark Square towards Academia and here you will find brands like Prada, Valentino, Etro, Chanand Gucci. There are also several banks and currenc exchange oces in this area. Browse Venice’s boutiqueand take in the atmosphere of the ci

Venice Picture Gallery

Our Venice picture gallery is a general overview of Venice. You'll see photos of Venice canals, gondolas, San Marco, the arsenale gate, and other Venice attractions

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