One of the most popular suburbs to stay in when visiting Australia’s city of Gold Coast is Broadbeach. It’s an easy choice to stay here, but then you ask the big question – how to get from the Gold Coast Airport to Broadbeach?
It’s a little bit out of the main Surfer’s Paradise strip but with good transport connections, and the location of the casino, convention centre and the Pacific Fair shopping centre. It is, of course, also right on the beautiful Gold Coast beach.
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Public Bus from Gold Coast Airport to Broadbeach
The public bus is the way I get from the airport to where I am staying at Broadbeach.
Bus number 777 can be caught right outside the terminal and has been set up for airport travel with room to store luggage. It travels along the Gold Coast Highway to the Broadbeach South interchange (near the Hooker Boulevard intersection).
With limited stops along the way, it almost acts like an express bus. The buses leave every fifteen minutes between 7 am and 7 pm, with less frequent services after this. (No services between 11 pm and 4 am). See the full timetable here.
There are two (with a third on the way) different ways to pay for the ticket on the 777 bus.
You can purchase a paper ticket in advance from a ticket machine, but I have not been able to confirm if there is a machine at the airport after the changes due to Covid. If you do find a ticket machine, a single adult ticket is $6.30 (as of June 2023)
Note: The Queensland government have dropped all their public transport fares to just $0.50. Yes, you read that right! I’m not sure how long they will be that low, but this was the case in October 2024.
The second way to pay is with a Go Card, the Queensland public transport card. If you pick up a Go Card and preload it with some credit, you can use this to ride trains, buses and trams all over the state.
If you have a Go Card, the 777 trip from the airport to Broadbeach will be either $4.34 (concession $2.17) during peak times, or $3.47 (concession $1.74) during off-peak hours.
(Off-peak hours are from 9:30 to 3:30 on weekdays, from 7 pm to 6 am weekdays, all weekend and on public holidays)
The easiest place to get a Go Card when you arrive at the Gold Coast Airport is from the HUB Convenience store, located right near the baggage belts for domestic arrivals.
There are tourist versions, but I recommend getting a regular Go Card if you plan to use public transport to get around during the rest of your visit too. See more information about Go Card here.
Before you leave the Gold Coast you can get a refund for any remaining credit on your Go Card. Unfortunately, you cannot do this at the airport.
You will need to do it at the Broadbeach South station, which unfortunately means you have to pay for the bus trip back to the airport in cash. A bit silly, and I hope this is reviewed in the future to allow refunds at the airport.
For information, there is an alternative bus, but you will have to leave the airport and walk for about ten minutes out to a bus stop on the highway. This is bus number 700 and stops at all the stops on the way to Broadbeach.
It leaves more often, but with the time taken to walk to catch it, and the longer time to get to Broadbeach, the only time I can see that it would be useful would be if you need to get off a stop or two earlier and the 777 doesn’t stop at that bus stop. Costs are the same.
If you need to travel further than the Broadbeach South Station, you can swap there to the Gold Coast tram which continues on north towards Surfers Paradise and beyond. The Go Card is used for tram fares too, and if you transfer from the bus straight to the tram it will be considered as one trip.
The third method of payment is contactless with a debit/credit card. It’s already available for trains, trams and ferries and is currently (Oct 2024) being rolled out for buses – so it might be available by the time you travel.
Con-X-ion bus from Gold Coast Airport to Broadbeach
This is another shuttle bus company that runs small mini-bus transfers between Gold Coast Airport and many locations all over the Gold Coast, including Broadbeach.
You will be met in the airport and the transfers are in a small minivan with prices starting at $32. This would be a great option if you have a lot of luggage, and they do go to private homes, for example, if you are staying at an Airbnb.
Click here to book your tickets in advance
Taxi from Gold Coast Airport to Broadbeach
As you walk out of the arrivals area you will find plenty of taxis available at Gold Coast Airport. Generally, you will find them to your right as you exit the doors. Taxis do not need to be booked in advance and there will almost always be one available for you to leave immediately.
Look for the staff members in the yellow vests to help you out if you require assistance. The taxis to Broadbeach will cost around $60 for a standard vehicle (1-4 people) and $70 for 5+ people.
Uber is the most popular rideshare available on the Gold Coast. As you leave the airport, the pickup point is located to your left.
On checking some dummy fares from the airport to Broadbeach, Uber had cars available within a few minutes, and quoted prices between $40 and $50.
Private Transfer from Gold Coast Airport to Broadbeach
If you would like to have someone meet you inside the airport and take you straight to your accomodation in your own private car, then a private transfer is the way to go.
Book your private transfer here in advance
Hire Car from Gold Coast Airport to Broadbeach
If you are hiring a car for your visit to the Gold Coast then you will be able to pick it up from the airport on arrival. You will find all of the major car rental companies in Australia have an office in the airport, but it is best to book in advance to ensure a car is available for you.
Use RentalCars.com to compare prices from all the rental companies in one search here
Now that you have sucessfully made your way to your Broadbeach accommodation, have a fantastic holiday on the Gold Coast!
Haven’t booked that amazing accommodation yet? Check out Booking.com for all the latest deals
Visiting the Gold Coast with kids? Check out this awesome list of things to do.
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A Port Arthur Day Trip from Hobart, Tasmania
TRAVEL PLANNING ESSENTIALS
Find flights – I always use Skyscanner as my starting point when searching for flights. One search will give many options including airlines I may not have thought of. This means I can find the best possible flights to suit my needs
Book accommodation – my go to is always Booking.com for the best places to stay. It’s not just hotels anymore, but hostels, apartments, B&Bs and more. I love that the bookings are usually cancellable, and that I can book now and pay later.
Hire a rental car – RentalCars.com is my go to here. It allows me to do just one search and it finds cars from many of the different supplies, so no checking multiple websites to compare.
Get travel insurance – you would have heard by now that saying “if you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel”. If we’ve learnt anything from the last couple of years it should be how essential travel insurance is. I use CoverMore for my insurance.
Pick up an eSIM – I tried an eSIM on my last trip and it was fantastic. I set it up before I went so it was ready as soon as I landed, and I still had access to my home number for emergencies. Get your own eSIM at Airalo.
Book activities, tours & attractions – I use a few different websites for this. Viator and Get Your Guide tend to be the first places I look. In Asia, Klook often has more options, and in Australia it’s Experience Oz.
Manage your money – the best way to manage your different currencies is with an account from Wise. You can hold money in many different currencies, and use them with the ATM card or from your phone.
Please share this with your friends and pin for later
Great to know for when we next head up to the Gold Coast – Thanks Josie 🙂
Thanks Natalie
I love having detailed, easy to follow information to follow when travelling. Pinned this for future reference when I get to Australia!
Thanks Alison. I hope you get to visit Australia soon.
Great to know! I really appreciate practical posts like these. Really hoping to visit Australia someday soon!
Thanks Cate