🏄How to get from Brisbane to Surfers Paradise
Can you get there without a car?
🟢 Yes, all the way
Yes, the whole way on a flat 50c fare. Gold Coast line to Helensvale (~1 hr), then G:link tram into Surfers and on to Broadbeach South (~30 min).
The short answer
- 1🚆Gold Coast line to Helensvale (~1 hr)
- 2🚊G:link tram into Surfers and on to Broadbeach South (~30 min)
The journey, end to end
2 legs, 1 change. Dashed lines are the parts that aren't public transport.
The Gold Coast strip most people mean when they say the Gold Coast, and it is reachable end to end on a flat 50c fare.
What is Surfers Paradise?
Surfers Paradise is the high-rise heart of the Gold Coast, about an hour and a half south of Brisbane. The beach runs for kilometres, the Esplanade behind it is wall-to-wall towers, and Cavill Avenue is the pedestrian strip running back from the sand.
Broadbeach, two tram stops south, is the quieter and generally better half of the same trip: Pacific Fair, the Star casino, and a restaurant strip that locals rate above Cavill Avenue. Most people going to Surfers end up doing both, which the tram makes easy.
Why go, and what to see
Surfers Paradise beach
Patrolled, enormous, and the reason everyone comes
SkyPoint Observation Deck
Level 77 of Q1, and the climb outside it for the brave
Cavill Avenue
The pedestrian strip, plus the beachfront markets several nights a week
Broadbeach and Pacific Fair
Two tram stops south, better eating and the big shopping centre
The G:link tram
Runs the length of the coast, and turns one destination into a dozen
Every way to get there, compared
Including the ones that aren't public transport, because pretending the car doesn't exist helps nobody.
🚆 Public transport, 1 change
Our pick- 🚆Gold Coast line to Helensvale (~1 hr)
- 🚊G:link tram into Surfers and on to Broadbeach South (~30 min)
Time
About 1½ hr from Central
Cost
50c each way
Best for
Cheapest by a distance, and no parking to find
🚗 Drive
- 🚗77 km from the city centre, about 60 min in normal traffic
Time
about 60 min
Cost
Fuel and parking
Best for
Carrying gear, odd hours, or several people splitting the cost
Usually quicker than the train, and that is worth being honest about. What it costs you is parking, tolls and driving home tired.
When to go
Autumn and spring. Summer is hot, crowded and priced for it, and Schoolies takes over for a few weeks in November.
Worth knowing
Allow the full hour and a half each way and check the last train back from Helensvale before a late night out. The tram runs late, but the train home to Brisbane is the leg that ends first.
Last service home →
Check your cut-off before you go, not after.
Anything disrupted? →
Live delays and closures across the network.
Live departures →
Times from the station you change at.
See it on the map →
The route drawn across South East Queensland.
More trips like this
GoThere route planner
Plan your trip to Surfers Paradise
Put in where you're starting from and we'll work out the connections, with live times on the day.
Plan my trip to Surfers Paradise →
GoThereKeep GoThere one tap away
Add it to your home screen and your last train home and live departures are one tap away.
Getting to Surfers Paradise: quick answers
How do you get from Brisbane to Surfers Paradise by public transport?+
Gold Coast line to Helensvale, about an hour from Central, then the G:link tram straight into Surfers Paradise and on to Broadbeach South. The whole trip is a flat 50 cents each way and takes around an hour and a half. Driving is roughly an hour, so the train costs you time and saves you Gold Coast parking.
Is there a train to Surfers Paradise?+
Not directly. The Gold Coast line runs inland through Helensvale, Nerang and Robina, and the G:link tram covers the coastal strip. Helensvale is the interchange: train in, tram across. It is one ticket and one flat fare, so the change is easier than it sounds.
How do you get from Brisbane to Surfers Paradise without a car?+
Gold Coast line to Helensvale (~1 hr), then G:link tram into Surfers and on to Broadbeach South (~30 min). Allow about 1½ hr from Central station. Every leg on the TransLink network is a flat 50 cent fare.
How long does it take to get to Surfers Paradise from Brisbane?+
About 1½ hr from Central, door to platform to door, depending on how the connection lands. The planner on this page works it out from where you actually are rather than from the city centre.
How much does it cost to get to Surfers Paradise?+
A flat 50 cents each way on the TransLink network, however far you travel.
What time is the last service back from Surfers Paradise?+
It changes by day and by line, and it is the thing that catches people out on a long day trip. Check the last service home tool before you head out so you know your cut-off rather than guessing at the end of the day.