Rainy day things to do in Brisbane
8 spots, costed and mapped.
Brisbane rain tends to arrive in a hurry and leave the same way, but a wet weekend still needs a plan. Everything below is under a roof.
We've picked the ones a mate would actually suggest, with what each costs and how to get there. Every spot here is reachable without a car.
GOMA is the free one. The rest run from a $5.40 swim at Spring Hill Baths up to a show at QPAC.
Quick picks
Galleries and shows
FreeGallery of Modern Art (GOMA)
Australia's largest modern art gallery, free to wander on the riverfront
$$QPAC + Fish Lane Dinner
World-class theatre, ballet, or live music steps from Brisbane's best laneway dining strip
$Brisbane Comedy Cellar
A 60-seat New York-style comedy room under a West End pub
Games indoors
A pool, a brewery and the food courts
$Spring Hill Baths
Swim in the oldest surviving swimming baths in the southern hemisphere, built in 1886
$XXXX Brewery Tour
Tour Queensland's most iconic brewery and taste beer straight from the source
$Sunnybank Asian Food Crawl
Brisbane's unofficial Chinatown, the best Asian food outside of Asia
Worth knowing
GOMA general entry is free and Friday late nights run to 8pm with live music. Only the special exhibitions are ticketed, at about $25 to $35.
Spring Hill Baths is enclosed and heated to 32 degrees, so the weather makes no difference to it. Check the lane hours first, because school and squad bookings take some during the day.
The XXXX tour needs fully enclosed flat shoes and is strictly 18 and over. No bags or cameras on the floor either, though the lockers are free.
Questions people ask
What can you do in Brisbane when it rains? +
GOMA is free and indoors, 1UP puts 200 arcade machines on free play for one entry fee, and Spring Hill Baths is a heated pool under a roof. All three are a 50c fare from the CBD.
What is there to do in Brisbane on a rainy day for free? +
General entry to GOMA costs nothing and a couple of hours there is the cheapest wet afternoon in the city. Special exhibitions are the only ticketed part.
Where can you swim indoors in Brisbane? +
Spring Hill Baths, a 23 metre heritage pool enclosed under a roof and heated to 32 degrees. Adult entry is $5.40 and it is a ten minute walk from the CBD.
What can you do with kids in Brisbane when it rains? +
GOMA's Children's Art Centre is genuinely good rather than a token corner, and 1UP is free play once you are through the door. Prison Island suits older kids, with a minimum age of 7.
Last updated October 2026