Car Rental at Canberra Airport

Airport travel guide

Although smaller and not as popular among tourists as Sydney or Melbourne, the inland Australian capital can be a fun place to explore. Home to plenty of culture and art, it is also near a number of fascinating natural areas. These are four of the best attractions in and around it:

• National Gallery of Australia. One of the most notable of its kind in the whole country, the NGA is a popular place to visit for tourists and locals alike. The fascinating art museum has been open since 1966 and nowadays has over 160,000 artworks on display. The collection includes works by both practically all of the most notable Australian artists, as well as overseas masters such as Picasso, Monet, and Pollock.
• Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. Despite its mouthful of a name – and equally complex abbreviation, AIATSIS – it is one of the most interesting places to visit in Canberra. Established in the 1960s, it puts the Australian indigenous history, art, and the impact of the European arrival in a coherent, accessible narrative. The institute is on the Acton Peninsula, just south of the city center.
• Namadgi National Park. Taking up nearly half of the ACT’s total area, Namadgi is not just one of the largest nature preserves in the area, it’s also among the most interesting and accessible. Located about an hour’s drive south of the capital, the park is largely made up of an alpine landscape that includes highland meadows and several wetlands, as well as a variety of flora and fauna. Other attractions include several historical huts. The park is free to enter, although dogs are forbidden.
• Australian National Botanical Gardens. Australia is home to a wealth of different ecosystems, and most visitors have to skip on experiencing at least some of them due to the sheer size of the country. Surprisingly, the best way to squeeze in as many as possible can be achieved without leaving the Capital Territory and traveling to the western suburb of Acton – here, the majestic National Botanical Gardens are doing an excellent job to showcase the Australian wilderness in all its diverse glory. The gardens are less than a ten minute drive north of the aforementioned Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, so both places can be conveniently visited one after another.

Top international routes

• Sydney
• Melbourne
• Brisbane
• Adelaide
• Newcastle
• Gold Coast
• Perth
• Hobart
• Nadi
• Denpasar (Bali)

Main airlines

Fly Pelican, Qantas, and Virgin Australia

Terminals

The airport’s single terminal is made up of the Southern Western Concourses which are connected by an atrium.

Location

Located 9 km (5.4 mi) southwest of the city center, the airport can be reached by car. in about ten minutes. Morshead Drive and Parkes Way are the main roads connecting the airport to the city.

Most popular types of rental car

• Medium cars - from $50 per day
• SUVs - from $46 per day
• Large cars - from $43 per day
• Small cars - from $40 per day
• Vans - from $54 per day
• Station wagons - from $71 per day
• Premium cars - from $62 per day

Services and facilities

Canberra Airport is cozy and easy to navigate. It has a few shops, restaurants, and cafeterias, as well as a paid lounge and a hotel next door.

Nearest gas station

A Caltex station is within the airport complex and can be reached in a couple of minutes. This gas station is open from 05:00 a.m. to midnight on weekdays and from 05:30 a.m. to 20:00 p.m. on weekends. There are many other gas stations near the airport and on the way to the city.

Popular one-way rentals

• Sydney (287 km / 178 miles)
• Wollongong (245 km / 152 miles)
• Wagga Wagga (250 km / 155 miles)
• Merimbula (242 km / 150 miles)
• Newcastle (439 km / 273 miles)
• Melbourne (667 km / 414 miles)