Top things to do in Hobart

Things to do in Hobart fall into a few groups: day tours to Bruny Island, Port Arthur and Kunanyi/Mt Wellington, cruises on the Derwent and along the southern coastline, brewery and distillery tastings, and a short list of museum and bush attractions near the city. Choose by how much of the day you want to spend travelling, because some experiences leave from the Franklin Wharf waterfront while others start an hour or more out of town.

Day tours and day trips from Hobart

Most Hobart itineraries are built around day tours from Hobart. The Bruny Island Food and Lighthouse Tour crosses by ferry from Kettering, serves a beach picnic of fresh oysters, artisan cheese and bread, and climbs Cape Bruny Lighthouse, first lit in March 1838.

History runs the other way, down the Tasman Peninsula. The Port Arthur Day Tour with Carnarvon Bay Cruise includes admission to the historic site and a cruise around the Isle of the Dead. For a shorter outing, the Kunanyi Mt Wellington Explorer Bus is a 2.5-hour return trip with a 30-minute stop at the summit.

Cruises from Hobart and the southern coast

Hobart cruises leave from the Franklin Wharf waterfront and from Port Arthur, Adventure Bay and Coles Bay, so check the departure point before you book. The Tasman Island Cruises 3-hour cruise from Port Arthur is a popular choice, in an open-air boat carrying a maximum of 43 passengers past sea caves, waterfalls and archways. Closer to the city, the Iron Pot Scenic Cruise from Hobart circles Betsey Island in a group of up to 12. The full list is on the Hobart cruises page.

Food, wine and drink tours in Hobart

The Hobart food and drinks page collects the tastings. The Cascade Brewery Guided Tour & Beer Tasting is a 1-hour brewery visit, and the Coal River Wine Hopper fills a full-day tour in the Coal River wine region.

On the water, the Tasmanian Seafood Seduction cruise is a popular choice. Guests pull oysters from the water at Great Bay, watch the guide dive for abalone and sea urchin, then eat a seafood feast with rock lobster and local wines. It leaves from Franklin Wharf.

Attractions in Hobart: MONA and Tahune AirWalk

The Hobart attractions page covers the sights you pay to enter. The Hobart City Tour with MONA Ferry & Entry starts at Brooke Street Pier at 9.45am with a coach tour, then takes the ferry along the Derwent River to the Museum of Old and New Art. For bush, the Tahune Airwalk and Hastings Caves Guided Tour is a full-day guided trip.

Hobart activities: kayaking, horse riding and scenic flights

The Hobart activities page includes a half-day kayak on the Derwent and a 2-hour horse ride on 7 Mile Beach that welcomes beginners. For the view from above, the Wineglass Bay and Wildlife Tour with Scenic Flights is a popular choice: a 3-hour outing from Cambridge that flies over Freycinet National Park, then lands for a walking tour of Maria Island and a seafood and wine picnic. Flights depend on the weather.

Getting around Hobart without a car

The Hop On Hop Off Hobart City Sightseeing Tour sells a 24 or 48-hour pass for a 90-minute loop with commentary in 8 languages, and the MONA ferry and Mt Wellington bus both leave from Brooke Street Pier. Arriving by air, Hobart Airport to Hobart City is the SkyBus shuttle, and the Hobart transport page lists the return trip.

Wildlife and animal encounters around Hobart

Check the Hobart zoos and aquariums page for wildlife parks. Animals also turn up on tours, such as the Bonorong Sanctuary & Richmond Village Tour from Hobart, which pairs a wildlife sanctuary with the historic village of Richmond.

How the Hobart region fits together

Hobart itself is a day or two, and everything else is a day trip. Bruny Island is a 45-minute drive south to the Kettering ferry terminal plus a 20-minute crossing, and most Bruny tours from Hobart run 10-hour days. Wineglass Bay cruises leave from Coles Bay, about 185km or a 2.5-hour drive from Hobart, and Port Arthur full-day tours run 8 to 9-hour days.