Canberra to Sydney drive: Distance, driving time & road trip attractions
The drive from Canberra to Sydney is 286km long. That makes for a Canberra to Sydney driving time of around three hours. You may be better off just booking a domestic flight.
By Australian standards, national capital Canberra and biggest city Sydney are fairly close to one another. But they’re just far enough apart for a debate over whether to fly or drive to take hold.
A domestic flight from Canberra to Sydney takes around 55 minutes. This seems quick until you factor in waiting to board, getting through the airport and getting into the city.
Sydney’s enormous collection of experiences includes all-inclusive sunset dinner cruises, behind-the-scenes tours of the Opera House, jet boat thrill rides and historic walking tours.
Canberra offers wine and distillery tours, plus guided visits to the National Museum of Australia. To investigate Canberra tour and experience options, head here. To find the best Canberra hotel deals, book here.
13 brilliant experiences in Sydney you should book
- (💲Great value 💲) Tick off several bucket list items on a highlights-packed Blue Mountains day tour.
- Get perfect views of the world’s most beautiful city on a Sydney Harbour helicopter tour.
- Save money with a multi-attraction pass.
- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Enjoy the romance of a tall ship cruise on Sydney Harbour.
- Eat all you can at the Skyfeast at the top of Sydney Tower.
- See migrating humpbacks – on a whale-watching cruise.
- (Highly recommended ✅) Go behind the scenes of Australia’s most famous building on an Opera House tour.
- Dine as the city lights up on sunset dinner cruise around the harbour.
- Combine beers and stories on a historic pubs tour through the convict-era Rocks district.
- Stand on your board and catch waves during Bondi Beach surfing lessons.
- Go to wombat and kangaroo-spotting hotspots on a Southern Highlands tour.
- Enjoy Sydney’s wild side on a Manly snorkelling & nature walk.
- (🥇Top choice in Sydney) And, best of all, paddle to hidden beaches on a harbour kayaking adventure.
Canberra to Sydney drive: Distance and driving time
If you hire a rental car and drive, the distance from Canberra to Sydney is 286km. That’s a Canberra to Sydney driving time of three hours, give or take a few minutes either side for traffic.
The top Canberra accommodation picks
There is a large selection of Canberra accommodation options. But these are particularly good choices…
- The one with the highest guest rating: A By Adina Canberra.
- For something cool and stylish: East Hotel and Apartments.
- The one where the VIPs stay: Hyatt Hotel Canberra.
- For high quality apartments: Quest Canberra City Walk.
- For something much cheaper and family-focused: Alivio Tourist Park.
It’s not a particularly exciting drive from the capital of Australia, though. This is no Great Ocean Road or rainforest-piercing trip from Cairns to Cape Tribulation. The quickest Canberra to Sydney drive involves bombing along the Federal Highway, then joining the notorious boring Hume Highway at Goulburn until you hit the south-western suburbs of Sydney. The Canberra to Goulburn drive takes just over an hour.
Best places to stay in Goulburn
The top Goulburn accommodation choices are:
- For good quality, business traveller-friendly apartments: Quest Goulburn.
- For a cheap, decent motel for a no-fuss one night stay: Black Sheep Motel.
- For road-tripper convenience next to the Hume Highway: Mercure Goulburn.
- For free parking in the city centre: Heritage Motor Inn.
Canberra to Sydney drive: Southern Highlands
The drive from Canberra to Sydney is realistically too short to be a decent road trip. The main area worth stopping in on the way, however, is the Southern Highlands. Here, you’ll find pretty towns such as Berrima and Bowral – home of the Bradman Museum. There’s also the Morton National Park. The latter has some good walking trails, with those around Fitzroy Falls and Belmore Falls being the most impressive.
5 great Southern Highlands experiences to boost your visit
- Personalised private Southern Highlands wine and attractions tours – tailored to your tastes.
- Tutored wine-tasting and canapes experience.
- Beekeeping experience – learn how honey is made.
- Guided wine-tasting at the Mill – with tasting notes procided.
- Behind the scenes tour of a sustainable winery in Berrima.
The other alternatives are to get a Canberra to Sydney bus, or the train from Canberra to Sydney. These methods take a little longer, but will spare you the cost of a hire car for the Canberra to Sydney drive.
Attractions in Canberra
There are good reasons to have a hire car in Canberra, though. The first is if you’re doing a road trip from Melbourne to Sydney, and you’ve already done the Melbourne to Canberra drive via Albury.
7 great Canberra experiences to book before you arrive
- Full day city highlights tour – including Mount Ainslie, Parliament House and the Australian War Memorial.
- Tidbinbilla wildlife and birds tour – see kangaroos, koalas, platypus and emus in the wild.
- Hot air balloon flight – see Canberra’s unique design while floating above the city.
- Small group wine tour – discover the amazing wineries and food producers of the Canberra region.
- Australian Institute of Sport tour – see where Australia’s next generation of sporting greats train.
- Australian Museum – expert-guided tour of the museum highlights.
- Brewery tour – hop between Canberra’s best craft breweries.
The second is for exploring Canberra itself. Some central attractions such as the National Capital Exhibition, National Carillon and Australian War Memorial are a nuisance to visit by car, admittedly. But those in the wider Australian National Capital Territory are far easier to get to with your own vehicle. You’ll want your own wheels for spotting koalas in the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve or learning about space in the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex. A car will also be handy if planning to do a hot air balloon ride above Canberra with Balloon Aloft.
More Canberra road trips
Canberra road trips: To New South Wales
Albury to Canberra: Distance 338km, driving time 3h47m.
Bathurst to Canberra: Distance 253km, driving time 3h13m.
Canberra to Batemans Bay: Distance 148km, driving time 2h.
Canberra to Bega: Distance 228km, driving time 2h41m.
Canberra to Bowral: Distance 170km, driving time 2h.
Canberra to Braidwood: Distance 87km, driving time 1h7m.
Canberra to Cowra: Distance 189km, driving time 2h23m.
Canberra to Cooma: Distance 116km, driving time 1h17m.
Canberra to Dubbo: Distance 399km, driving time 4h45m.
Canberra to Jindabyne: Distance 179km, driving time 2h3m.
Canberra to Merimbula: Distance 246km, driving time 3h.
Canberra to Narooma: Distance 224km, driving time 3h.
Canberra to Orange: Distance 279km, driving time 3h17m.
Canberra to Wagga Wagga: Distance 245km, driving time 2h47m
Canberra to Wollongong: Distance 244km, driving time 2h40m.
Canberra to Young, NSW: Distance 157km, driving time 1h50m.
Goulburn to Canberra: Distance 91km, driving time 1h5m.
Gundagai to Canberra: Distance 160km, driving time 1h48m.
Sydney to Canberra: Distance 286km, driving time 3h5m.
Yass to Canberra: Distance 60km, driving time 52m.
Canberra road trips to other states
Adelaide to Canberra: Distance 1,159km, driving time 12h12m.
Melbourne to Canberra: Distance 663km, driving time 7h7m.