The Canberra City YHA is a bit of a winner: friendly staff, lots of amenities for a hostel, excellent pedestrian access. The basement pool and sauna are good touches year round, while the large kitchen and on-site cafe ensure easy intermingling.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Canberra attractions

1. Canberra Museum & Art Gallery

0.09 MILES

This local museum is worth it for the Sidney Nolan paintings alone – 141 works, including canvases from his Ned Kelly series and Burke and Wills…

2. Glebe Park

0.21 MILES

This spacious green park is filled with leafy elm trees that turn a lovely golden yellow in autumn. There's a playground for kids and lots of paved paths…

3. Nerang Pool

0.53 MILES

This lovely pool is a serene spot in Commonwealth Park, with an abundance of bird life and some beautiful landscaped gardens.

4. Drill Hall Gallery

0.59 MILES

The Australian National University's main gallery displays specials exhibitions and items from the ANU's art collection. On permanent display is the…

5. National Capital Exhibition

0.61 MILES

This small but fascinating museum tells the story of how Canberra came to be Australia's capital. Displays include reproductions of the drawings entered…

6. National Film & Sound Archive

0.62 MILES

Set in a delightful art-deco building (look for the stained-glass platypus in the foyer dome), this archive preserves Australian moving-picture and sound…

7. Captain Cook Memorial Water Jet

0.72 MILES

Built in 1970 to mark the bicentenary of British explorer James Cook's landfall, this memorial near Regatta Point consists of a 6-tonne column of water…

8. Lake Burley Griffin

0.9 MILES

Every morning you'll see politicians running off the night before around this majestic lake and perhaps a few journos hot on their trail. This constructed…