Booking choice: The Mt Wellington and Mona day trip, from $98 per person. Check dates Tour details
Most of Mona is underground, on three floors cut into the Berriedale peninsula, and there are no wall labels. You carry the O, the museum's free app, and read about whatever is near you. That changes the clock: some people walk past a room in a minute, others sit with the audio for twenty.
Add the ferry, 30 minutes each way from Brooke Street Pier, plus a lunch with a river view or a glass at the Moorilla cellar door, and the day fills fast. Below: Mona's own advice, what 3 and 4 hours actually buy you, the days it opens, and how the tours from Hobart split their time.
The quick answer
Allow 3 to 4 hours for the galleries alone, which is Mona's own estimate, and a full day if you want lunch, a wine tasting or a ticketed artwork such as Event Horizon. Mona is open Thursday to Monday, 10am to 5pm, and sells two-day tickets for a slower pace. The mountain and Mona day trip gives you about 3 hours at Mona with entry and the ferry included, from US$98.
How many hours do you need at Mona?
Mona's answer: you could probably speed through everything in three or four hours, but make a day of it if you are lunching on site, sipping wine or booking ticketed artworks. A two-day ticket is there if a day is still not enough.
That estimate covers the galleries: B1, B2 and B3, the Pharos wing, and the new library, Phrontisterion, which opened in 2026 and is included in entry. On Mona's art page right now are Anselm Kiefer's Elektra and Julian Charrière's Hard Core (on until 29 March 2027), both included. The collection keeps moving, and Mona says some works may not be on display when you visit.
What stretches the day:
- Ticketed artworks: James Turrell's Event Horizon takes 10 minutes and costs A$12. Bookings for ticketed artworks open 28 days ahead.
- The O: it plays audio and curators' notes for each work, so a slow reader can lose an hour on one floor. It also saves your visit, which means you can skim now and read later.
- Food and wine: a sit-down lunch is easily 1.5 hours, and the cellar door is another stop.
- Getting there: the ferry adds about an hour in total, and it is part of the fun.
Is 3 hours enough time at Mona?
Yes, for the galleries at a steady pace with a quick drink or snack. It is not enough for a sit-down lunch, a wine tasting and Event Horizon as well.
Three hours is what the two Gray Line tours give you, and it works if you go in with a plan. Our take:
- Start at the bottom. The main lift and the stairs both reach B3, and working back up keeps you from doubling back.
- Pick two or three rooms to linger in and walk the rest. The O shows what is near you, so you never need to hunt.
- Eat light. The Void Bar on B3 does cocktails and pizza from 10am to 5pm, and the outdoor Heavy Metal Kitchen runs from 12pm to 3pm, Thursday to Monday.
- Save the reading. The O keeps a record of your visit, so the deep notes can wait for the ferry home.
Tania, on the mountain and Mona day trip: "The Mona was much more than I expected. It was one of the highlights of the time in Hobart." (Feb 2026)
The mountain in the morning, then about 3 hours at Mona with entry, the ferry and the O sorted.
Check dates for the Mt Wellington and Mona day tripIs 4 hours at Mona enough?
Four hours is comfortable: every floor, a proper break and time for one ticketed artwork. Add another 2 hours or more if you want lunch at Faro or The Source.
Four hours lines up neatly with the ferry. On the timetable that runs until 2 December 2026, the 10.15am from Brooke Street Pier gets you to Mona around 10.45am, and the 3pm sailing back leaves you just over 4 hours on site. The 4pm and 5pm ferries stretch the day further.
From 3 December 2026 the timetable changes and sailings run every 30 minutes through the morning and late afternoon in the peak season, which lasts to 29 March 2027. The last ferry back then leaves Mona at 5.30pm. Ferry and museum entry are separate tickets: the ferry starts from A$32 with a return costing the same as one way, and adult entry is A$45. Our Mona ferry guide has the full timetable.
When should you make a full day of it at Mona?
When you want a long lunch, a wine tasting or the slower art. Mona's restaurants and bars open on the same Thursday to Monday pattern as the museum, with Faro lunches Friday to Monday only.
Mona is cashless and there is no BYO food or alcohol, so lunch means one of the venues on site. Times below are from Mona's opening-hours page:
| Venue | What it is | When |
|---|---|---|
| Faro Bar + Restaurant | "Artful dining" in the Pharos wing; booking recommended | Lunch Friday to Monday, 12pm to 4pm; dinner Friday and Saturday from 5pm |
| The Source Restaurant | "'Elevated' dining", upstairs in the Ether building | Thursday to Monday, 12pm to 4pm |
| Void Bar | Cocktails and pizza, on B3 inside the museum | Thursday to Monday, 10am to 5pm |
| Heavy Metal Kitchen | Outdoor cooking over fire | Thursday to Monday, 12pm to 3pm (times can vary) |
| Moorilla Wine Bar | Wine by the river, on the grounds | Thursday to Monday, from 9.30am |
| Moorilla Cellar Door | Tastings from A$20; Moorilla was founded in 1958 | Thursday to Monday, 11am to 5pm |
Wine people can book the Moorilla Deep Dive, which Mona runs Thursday to Monday at 2pm ("Meet the winery, then the wines"). Beer comes from Moo Brew, Mona's own brewery. If you would rather not plan any of it, Mona packages the long version itself: A Beginner's Guide to Mona costs A$260 with the ferry, entry, a five-wine tasting and a three-course lunch at The Source.
Mona's own long day: the Posh Pit ferry at 10.15am, a Void Bar cocktail, five courses with matched wine at Faro and Event Horizon.
Explore Mona like a rockstar Tour detailsWhat days is Mona open, and what is the best day to visit?
Mona is open Thursday to Monday, 10am to 5pm, and closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (hours listed until 30 June 2027). Pick Friday to Monday if you want lunch at Faro; Thursday has everything else.
Yes, Mona is still open, with the same five-day week through to mid-2027. Mona notes that hours can shift a little and anything unusual on a given day shows up when you book. Christmas and public holiday hours are not posted yet, so check Mona's opening-hours page for those dates.
How we would choose the day:
- Friday to Monday: the full set. Faro serves lunch, and James Turrell's Amarna is free to visit at sunrise and sunset.
- Thursday: everything except Faro's lunch.
- Saturday: Salamanca Market runs in Hobart from 8.30am to 3pm, so you might give Saturday morning to the market and Mona another day.
- Tuesday and Wednesday: Mona is closed, so use them for the mountain or the rest of Hobart.
Whatever the day, book ahead. Entry is by timed ticket, slots are limited, and the wildcard ticket means joining the queue.
How long do Mona tours give you at the museum?
About 3 hours on both Gray Line tours, about 2.5 hours on the private tour, the afternoon on the zoo tour, and most of the day on Mona Like a Rockstar.
Every tour below includes Mona and leaves from central Hobart. Times at Mona are from each listing's itinerary:
| Tour | Length | Time at Mona | The rest of the day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain and Mona day trip | 7.5 hours | About 3 hours | kunanyi / Mount Wellington by coach (105 minutes), the Cascade Gardens, ferry both ways |
| City tour with Mona | 8 hours | About 3 hours, in the afternoon | 3-hour coach tram tour of Hobart, ferry, back at Brooke Street Pier at 5.30pm |
| Mona Like a Rockstar | 7 hours | Most of the day | 10.15am Posh Pit ferry, 5-course lunch at Faro, Event Horizon, 3pm digestif at The Source |
| Mona, Salamanca and zoo | 8 hours | The afternoon, with the O | Zoo in the morning, Salamanca Place, kunanyi |
| Private mountain and Mona | 5 hours | About 2.5 hours | kunanyi summit (25 minutes) by private car |
On the private tour, the listing includes Mona entry but its itinerary marks Mona "extra fee", so check whether Mona entry is in your quote. The tours that stop elsewhere, such as the hop-on hop-off bus, say plainly that they do not visit Mona.
Your own car and driver guide: the kunanyi summit first, then about 2.5 hours at Mona at your pace.
Explore the private Mt Wellington and Mona tour Tour detailsCan you stay overnight at Mona?
Yes. The Pavilions are Mona's own waterfront stays on the Berriedale peninsula, one or two bedrooms each, and each is named after an influential Australian artist or architect.
There are eight: Robin, Sidney, Roy, Esmond, Walter, Charles, Brett and Arthur, each with works from the Mona collection inside. Staying turns the time question around. Guests get:
- Priority entry to the museum and Phrontisterion, plus Event Horizon tickets.
- All-hours access to Turrell's Amarna, which is the sunrise and sunset artwork.
- Breakfast daily at The Source (in your room on Tuesdays), and a free Moorilla tasting.
- A heated infinity pool, sauna and gym, and free parking with EV charging.
Check-in runs Wednesday to Monday. The rates are Bed and Breakfast, or Bed, Breakfast and Dinner, which adds a three-course dinner, a cocktail hour and a one-hour museum introduction. The Interlude is a mid-week package of at least 2 nights with A$200 to spend on site. Mona's planned hotel "remains unbuilt for now".
How long does a Mona day take from Hobart, door to door?
Plan on 5 to 7 hours from Brooke Street Pier and back: about an hour on the ferry in total, 3 to 4 hours in the galleries, and lunch if you want it.
Mona is 11 km north of Hobart, about 30 minutes by ferry or 20 minutes by road. The museum opens at 10am and closes at 5pm, so a day on your own looks like this:
- Galleries only: a morning ferry out, 3 to 4 hours inside, an early-afternoon ferry home. About 5 hours in all.
- With lunch: out on the 10.15am, galleries until midday, lunch, the cellar door, then the 4pm or 5pm ferry. About 7 hours.
- Two days: the two-day ticket, or a night in the Pavilions.
The bus is another way in: Metro routes 510, 520, 522 and X20 pass Mona and are fare-free until 30 June 2027. Our guide to getting to Mona covers the bus, the car and the cycleway.
Hobart by coach tram in the morning, then about 3 hours at Mona and the ferry back to town.
Check dates for the Hobart city tour with MonaFrequently asked questions
Is 3 hours enough at Mona?
For the galleries at a steady pace, yes. Mona itself suggests three or four hours, and a full day if you add lunch, wine or ticketed artworks.
What days is Mona closed?
Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Mona is open Thursday to Monday, 10am to 5pm, with hours listed until 30 June 2027.
Can you stay at Mona?
Yes, in the Pavilions: eight waterfront stays on the Mona site, each named after an Australian artist or architect. Check-in runs Wednesday to Monday.
Does Mona sell two-day tickets?
Yes. Mona offers a two-day ticket for people who want to pace themselves; book it on Mona's ticket page.
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Choose your tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
kunanyi / Mt Wellington and Mona Day Trip
- Guided coach tour to the kunanyi / Mt Wellington summit
- Entry to Mona
- Return Mona ferry from Brooke Street Pier
Hobart City Sightseeing Tour and Mona
- 3-hour city tour by coach tram
- Driver and guide
- Entry to Mona
Explore Mona Like a Rockstar
- Posh Pit ferry lounge with drinks and nibbles
- Museum entry and a host to meet you
- Cocktail at the Void Bar
