Itinerary
Friday night to Sunday afternoon. Eight stops, properly sequenced for visiting drinkers.
Friday 17:00 — Arrival drink · South Brisbane · $$$ · Cocktail Bars
Brisbane's most awarded cocktail bar. Drop bags. Find a hotel-adjacent bar within a five-minute walk. Order something simple to anchor yourself to the city.
Friday 22:00 — Local district drinking · Fortitude Valley · $$$ · Rooftop Bars
Open-air rooftop with city views and a serious cocktail menu. Walk into the city's drinking quarter (the heart of the night, not the tourist version). Two drinks, two rooms. Pace yourself — Saturday is the long day.
Saturday 17:30 — Rooftop cocktail · Fortitude Valley · $$ · Live Music
Live-music cocktail bar with bluegrass and country bands every night. Sunset. Find a rooftop. Order whatever the house specials around sundown. Take photos but don't lose 90 minutes to your phone.
Saturday 22:30 — The destination · CBD · $$ · Craft Beer
Craft brewery taproom in CBD pouring twelve house taps and the city's most adventurous local beers. The bar that made you book the trip. The pre-research one. Reservation-only ideally. Stay until last call.
Sunday 17:00 — Last quiet drink · Fortitude Valley · $$$ · Cocktail Bars
Speakeasy hidden behind a phone booth. Find the hotel bar at your departure airport equivalent — somewhere quiet, low-volume, well-staffed. End the trip on a martini and a clean conversation.
The plan starts polished on Friday night and peaks Saturday late. We've left Sunday afternoon for recovery, a brunch cocktail, and a quiet last drink before you fly out. Every stop is editor-picked and walkable from at least one of the others.
Total spend across the weekend: roughly £200-£350 per person on drinks alone (not counting food). Reservations are essential at any room flagged 'destination'. Book those first; the rest you can walk to.
Each stop links to the full bar page if you want to dig deeper. Treat timings as guidance — adjust to your pace.