Day trips

The 13 Best Day Trips from Gold Coast

Drive times, distances, what to see, and a sample day plan for every place worth the trip.

Start planning

Planning day trips from Gold Coast?

Packy AI builds your full Gold Coast itinerary - routes, timing, and the day trips below - in one tap. Free to start.

Trip length

Joined by 50,000+ travelers planning with Packy.

There are 13 good day trips from Gold Coast, Australia, led by Brisbane, Logan City, Caloundra. The closest is Upper Coomera, about 30 min by car, and 2 of them fit into half a day. Below: drive times, distances, what to see, and a sample day plan.

Day trips from Gold Coast at a glance

DestinationDistanceDrive timeBest as
Brisbane71 km NW1 hr 20 minFull-day trip
Logan City51 km NW1 hrHalf-day trip
Caloundra137 km N2 hr 10 minFull-day trip
Caboolture112 km NW1 hr 45 minFull-day trip
Upper Coomera20 km NW30 minHalf-day trip
North Lakes95 km NW1 hr 30 minFull-day trip
Morayfield110 km NW1 hr 45 minFull-day trip
Narangba100 km NW1 hr 35 minFull-day trip
Kallangur94 km NW1 hr 30 minFull-day trip
Deception Bay98 km NW1 hr 30 minFull-day trip
Capalaba56 km NW1 hr 5 minFull-day trip
Sunnybank Hills57 km NW1 hr 5 minFull-day trip
Calamvale56 km NW1 hr 5 minFull-day trip

Drive times are estimates from the distance. Check live traffic before you leave.

The best day trips from Gold Coast

  1. 1

    Brisbane, Australia

    Full-day trip
    About 1 hr 20 min by car71 km north-west of Gold Coast2 hr 40 min round trip

    Known for The Wheel of Brisbane.

    Also nearby: Forest Lake, Redbank Plains.

  2. 2

    Logan City, Australia

    Half-day trip
    About 1 hr by car51 km north-west of Gold Coast2 hr round trip
  3. 3

    Caloundra, Australia

    Full-day trip
    About 2 hr 10 min by car137 km north of Gold Coast4 hr 20 min round trip
  4. 4

    Caboolture, Australia

    Full-day trip
    About 1 hr 45 min by car112 km north-west of Gold Coast3 hr 30 min round trip
  5. 5

    Upper Coomera, Australia

    Half-day trip
    About 30 min by car20 km north-west of Gold Coast1 hr round trip
  6. 6

    North Lakes, Australia

    Full-day trip
    About 1 hr 30 min by car95 km north-west of Gold Coast3 hr round trip
  7. 7

    Morayfield, Australia

    Full-day trip
    About 1 hr 45 min by car110 km north-west of Gold Coast3 hr 30 min round trip
  8. 8

    Narangba, Australia

    Full-day trip
    About 1 hr 35 min by car100 km north-west of Gold Coast3 hr 10 min round trip
  9. 9

    Kallangur, Australia

    Full-day trip
    About 1 hr 30 min by car94 km north-west of Gold Coast3 hr round trip
  10. 10

    Deception Bay, Australia

    Full-day trip
    About 1 hr 30 min by car98 km north-west of Gold Coast3 hr round trip
  11. 11

    Capalaba, Australia

    Full-day trip
    About 1 hr 5 min by car56 km north-west of Gold Coast2 hr 10 min round trip
  12. 12

    Sunnybank Hills, Australia

    Full-day trip
    About 1 hr 5 min by car57 km north-west of Gold Coast2 hr 10 min round trip
  13. 13

    Calamvale, Australia

    Full-day trip
    About 1 hr 5 min by car56 km north-west of Gold Coast2 hr 10 min round trip

A sample day trip: Gold Coast to Brisbane

A realistic pace for Brisbane, 71 km from Gold Coast. Packy AI builds this for any place on the list, with a route, opening hours and timings you can edit.

  1. 08:30Leave Gold Coast
  2. 09:50Arrive in Brisbane (1 hr 20 min drive)
  3. 10:05The Wheel of Brisbane
  4. 12:05Lunch
  5. 13:20Explore the old town, markets and cafes of Brisbane
  6. 15:50Head back to Gold Coast
  7. 17:10Home in Gold Coast

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

What are the best day trips from Gold Coast?
The best day trips from Gold Coast are Brisbane, Logan City, Caloundra, Caboolture, Upper Coomera. The closest is Upper Coomera, about 30 min away by car.
What is the closest day trip from Gold Coast?
Upper Coomera is the closest, 20 km north-west of Gold Coast, roughly 30 min by car. Best as a half-day trip.
Where can I go within an hour of Gold Coast?
2 places are within about an hour's drive of Gold Coast: Upper Coomera (30 min), Logan City (1 hr).
What is the biggest city near Gold Coast for a day out?
Brisbane is the largest city in day-trip range, 71 km north-west of Gold Coast and about 1 hr 20 min by car. With that much to see, start early or stay the night.
How far is too far for a day trip from Gold Coast?
Up to about two hours each way keeps the day relaxed. The farthest place on this list is Caloundra at 137 km, around 2 hr 10 min by car.

Keep exploring

Find your next trip

Plan a trip

AI trip plannerMulti-city trip plannerWanderlog alternativeTripIt alternative

Popular trip lengths

10 Days in Dubai - United Arab Emirates10 Days in Porto10 Days in Istanbul, İstanbul10 Days in Rio de Janeiro10 Days in London10 Days in Montreal, QC7 Days in Rotterdam10 Days in Lisbon6 Days in Rotterdam10 Days in Amsterdam6 Days in Rio de Janeiro7 Days in Rio de Janeiro6 Days in Dubai - United Arab Emirates7 Days in Dubai - United Arab Emirates4 Days in Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates10 Days in Santorini5 Days in Rio de Janeiro10 Days in Cancún, Quintana Roo4 Days in Munich10 Days in Osaka7 Days in Bali10 Days in Phuket6 Days in Johannesburg7 Days in Johannesburg4 Days in Mexico City14 Days in Lisbon10 Days in Manchester10 Days in Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates5 Days in Munich6 Days in Munich

Weekend getaways

Weekend in Mexico CityWeekend in LisbonWeekend in Munich

City breaks

Mexico City city breakSydney NSW city breakLisbon city breakSantorini city breakLas Vegas, NV city breakIstanbul, İstanbul city breakAbu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates city breakRio de Janeiro city breakMelbourne VIC city breakPerth WA city breakRotterdam city breakMunich city break

Road trips

Road trips from Cancún, Quintana RooRoad trips from Rio de JaneiroRoad trips from PortoRoad trips from BangkokRoad trips from ParisRoad trips from AmsterdamRoad trips from RotterdamRoad trips from LisbonRoad trips from OsakaRoad trips from LondonRoad trips from SantoriniRoad trips from São PauloRoad trips from PhuketRoad trips from MykonosRoad trips from JohannesburgRoad trips from Mexico CityRoad trips from Dubai - United Arab EmiratesRoad trips from Melbourne VIC

Plan day trips

Day trips by city

Popular attractions

Christ the RedeemerSugarloaf MountainAlfamaOceanário de LisboaPraça do ComércioMuseu do AmanhãBurj KhalifaDubai MallCastelo de São JorgeMarket HallBotanical Garden of Rio de JaneiroMuseum Boijmans Van BeuningenKunsthal RotterdamThe Dubai FountainDubai FrameErasmusbrugParque LagePalacio de Bellas ArtesBosque de ChapultepecHet ParkCopacabana BeachLemeIbirapuera ParkAl Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood

Things to do by city

Things to do in Rio de JaneiroThings to do in Dubai - United Arab EmiratesThings to do in LisbonThings to do in Istanbul, İstanbulThings to do in RotterdamThings to do in Cancún, Quintana RooThings to do in JohannesburgThings to do in PhuketThings to do in Abu Dhabi - United Arab EmiratesThings to do in Mexico CityThings to do in SantoriniThings to do in PortoThings to do in BangkokThings to do in MunichThings to do in LondonThings to do in Cape TownThings to do in BerlinThings to do in AmsterdamThings to do in São PauloThings to do in Toronto, ONThings to do in ParisThings to do in BaliThings to do in OsakaThings to do in Sydney NSW

Browse by country

AustraliaItalyUSAJapanFranceBrazilThailandGermanyGreeceSpainPortugalUKCanadaNetherlandsMexicoVietnamSouth AfricaIndonesiaDubai - United Arab EmiratesTürkiyeAbu Dhabi - United Arab EmiratesNew ZealandPhilippinesChina

Browse by travel style

top attractionsnature and outdoorshidden gemsshoppingfor kidsentertainment and nightlifemust-see naturaltourist favoriteday tripsmuseumsmust-see local spotsfood and wine toursonly include harry potter movie attractionslord of the rings locations🏛️ Top Attractions⭐️ Tourist Favorite🍷 Food and Wine Toursroof top bars