Tasmania (Australia)
Hobart is the capital of Tasmania, a harbour city beneath kunanyi / Mount Wellington with a famous Saturday market, a free state museum and some of Australia's most distinctive day trips.
This guide covers Hobart and its surroundings: Mona, the Museum of Old and New Art on the Derwent, the summit road and tracks of kunanyi, Salamanca Market, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, a Cascade Brewery tour and a guided kayak paddle. It also covers four big trips as single products: Port Arthur Historic Site, Bruny Island, Freycinet National Park and Wineglass Bay, and Cradle Mountain. Five hotels, from an art-hotel splurge on the waterfront to a budget base with a pool, and two guides explain what to book ahead and where to stay.
Mona (Museum of Old and New Art)
A privately owned museum of ancient and contemporary art carved into a sandstone headland on the Derwent, reached by a half-hour ferry from the city waterfront. It is the sight that put Hobart on the international map, and timed entry is recommended.
kunanyi / Mount Wellington
The 1,270 metre peak above Hobart, with a sealed road to the summit lookout and walking tracks through Wellington Park. It is free to visit, and the road can close in snow, ice or fire danger, so check conditions first.
Port Arthur Historic Site
Tasmania's best-known convict site on the Tasman Peninsula, with more than 30 historic buildings, ruins and gardens beside a quiet harbour. This day trip from Hobart includes entry, a harbour cruise and lunch, and it is rated 4.7 from nearly 100 reviews.
Bruny Island Full-Day Tour
A guided day on Bruny Island with the ferry included, taking in The Neck, Adventure Bay, local oysters, chocolate and honey. It is rated 4.8 from nearly 1,500 reviews and has a 7:30 am start from Hobart.
Hand-picked: every experience here has strong traveler reviews and a verified booking link.
A privately owned museum of ancient and contemporary art carved into a sandstone headland on the Derwent, reached by a half-hour ferry from the city waterfront. It is the sight that put Hobart on the international map, and timed entry is recommended.
FreeThe 1,270 metre peak above Hobart, with a sealed road to the summit lookout and walking tracks through Wellington Park. It is free to visit, and the road can close in snow, ice or fire danger, so check conditions first.
Tasmania's best-known convict site on the Tasman Peninsula, with more than 30 historic buildings, ruins and gardens beside a quiet harbour. This day trip from Hobart includes entry, a harbour cruise and lunch, and it is rated 4.7 from nearly 100 reviews.
A guided day on Bruny Island with the ferry included, taking in The Neck, Adventure Bay, local oysters, chocolate and honey. It is rated 4.8 from nearly 1,500 reviews and has a 7:30 am start from Hobart.
Tasmania's most photographed beach, a white curve of sand below the pink granite Hazards, reached on a walk from Freycinet National Park. A guided day trip from Hobart handles the long drive on the east coast.
A long guided day from Hobart to Cradle Mountain in the Tasmanian Wilderness, with park entry included and stops at Dove Lake and Marion's Lookout. It is rated 4.9 from nearly 150 reviews.
FreeHobart's Saturday market on Salamanca Place, with 200 to 300 small businesses along the Derwent waterfront, a five-minute walk from the city centre. It is free to wander and runs from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm.
FreeHobart's free state museum and art gallery, a short walk from the waterfront, covering Tasmanian history, natural history, art and Aboriginal culture. It opens Tuesday to Sunday for most of the year.
A 90-minute tour of Cascade Brewery in South Hobart with a paddle of four beers. It is rated 4.8 from more than 140 reviews, and groups are limited to 16.
A guided sea-kayak paddle from Sandy Bay on the Derwent, with all gear included and no experience needed. It is rated 4.9 from nearly 500 reviews, and the city tour takes about two and a half hours.
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
Sullivans Cove, Hunter Street
A 56-room art hotel at 25 Hunter Street on the Hobart waterfront, a two-minute walk from Franklin Wharf. It is the splurge pick, with harbour-view rooms, a gym and three places to eat and drink on site.
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$$$Battery Point, Runnymede Street
A 52-room boutique hotel at 20 Runnymede Street in Battery Point, one minute from Salamanca Place. It has free parking, a restaurant, a bar with a lobby fireplace and harbour-view suites.
Check rates →Battery Point, Gladstone Street
A 65-unit apartment-style hotel at 10 Gladstone Street, two minutes from the Saturday market. Every suite has a kitchenette, and the hotel has an indoor pool, a hot tub, a gym and secured parking.
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$$$Hobart CBD, Elizabeth Street
A 221-room hotel at 28 Elizabeth Street in the central city, three minutes from Salamanca Place. It has harbour-view rooms, a modern Italian restaurant and a gym, with valet-only parking.
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$$Hobart CBD, Macquarie Street
A budget-friendly four-star hotel at 173 Macquarie Street with a heated indoor pool, a fitness centre and two saunas. Salamanca Market is a ten-minute walk and the airport shuttle stop is about a minute away.
Check rates →A practical primer for a first trip to Hobart and Tasmania: what to book ahead, how to get around, how many days to allow and where Mona, kunanyi, Port Arthur, Bruny Island, Freycinet and Cradle Mountain fit.
Where to stay in Hobart: the waterfront at Sullivans Cove, historic Battery Point and the central streets, with five hotels from an art-hotel splurge to a budget base with a pool.
