Booking choice: The hop-on hop-off bus, from $35 per person. Check dates Tour details
Hobart, founded in 1804, is Australia's second-oldest capital city. Greater Hobart had 247,086 people at the 2021 Census. It feels smaller: Salamanca Place, Battery Point and the waterfront are easy on foot, and kunanyi / Mount Wellington is only about 20 minutes from the centre.
Mona is the reason many people come, and it opens Thursday to Monday only. That makes the rest of the city useful: Tuesdays and Wednesdays are for the mountain, the convict history and the harbour. Below are the places we would put first, what the city's food is really about, day trips, and a plan for two days.
The quick answer
Don't miss Salamanca Place (with its market on Saturdays from 8.30am to 3pm), a walk round Battery Point, the view from the kunanyi summit, the Cascades Female Factory and the Cascade Brewery in South Hobart, and Mona by ferry. For a day trip, Bruny Island is the classic. The hop-on hop-off bus links 20 city stops on a 90-minute loop from US$35.
What not to miss in Hobart?
Salamanca Place and its Saturday market, Battery Point, the summit of kunanyi / Mount Wellington, the Female Factory and Cascade Brewery in South Hobart, and Mona up the Derwent.
Here is the short list, with what each costs and the easiest way to get there:
| Place | Why go | Cost | Easy way there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salamanca Place | Galleries and boutiques in Georgian warehouses; market every Saturday | Free to wander | Walk from the waterfront; hop-on bus stop |
| Battery Point | Colonial houses and whalers' pubs | Free | Walk up from Salamanca |
| kunanyi / Mount Wellington | The summit view over the city and the Derwent | Bus tour from US$66 | Mountain and city combo |
| Cascades Female Factory | World Heritage convict site in South Hobart | A$35 adult | Hop-on bus stop |
| Cascade Brewery | Brewery established in 1824, per Cascade Brewery Co. | Tours booked with the brewery | Hop-on bus stop |
| Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery | Museum and art gallery a short walk from the waterfront | Free | Walk; hop-on bus stop |
| Mona | Underground art on the Berriedale peninsula | A$45 adult entry | Mountain and Mona day trip |
What is there to do at Salamanca Place?
Browse the galleries and shops in the old Georgian warehouses, eat and drink along the strip, and come on a Saturday for Salamanca Market, 8.30am to 3pm.
Discover Tasmania sums up the area as "galleries and boutiques in the historic Georgian warehouses of Salamanca". The market is run by the City of Hobart and fills the street every Saturday; Discover Tasmania suggests it for a handcrafted gift.
Two practical links to Mona: Moo Brew, Mona's brewery, runs a taphouse called Manky Sally's on the ground floor at 25 Salamanca Place, from 4pm. And Brooke Street Pier, where the Mona ferry leaves, is a short walk along the waterfront. A Saturday plan writes itself: the market in the morning, the Derwent in the afternoon.
Helen, on the hop-on bus: "I went on the bus twice, once to see Hobart and secondly to use it to see Battery Point, visit The Brewery and also visit the Botanic Gardens [...]" (Oct 2026)
Hop on at Salamanca Place, off at Battery Point or the brewery: 24 hours of the city's open-top bus.
Check dates for the hop-on hop-off busIs Battery Point worth a walk?
Yes. Discover Tasmania points to its "quaint colonial houses and whaler's pubs". An hour on foot is plenty.
Battery Point comes right after Salamanca Place and Princes Park on the hop-on hop-off loop, and it is an easy area to walk: cottages, lanes and old pubs, free to wander, and close to the market and the ferry.
If you prefer to sit, Battery Point and St Georges Church are both stops on the hop-on hop-off loop, and the historic lunch cruise passes Battery Point from the water on its 1.5-hour run.
How do you get up kunanyi / Mount Wellington?
Drive Pinnacle Road to the summit, about 20 minutes from the centre, or take a tour. The summit is about 1,270 m high, and the road can close in snow, ice or bad weather.
The summit observation shelter opens 8am to 8pm in summer and 8am to 4.30pm in winter. Bring a warm layer whatever the season; the listings all say so.
- Mountain and city combo: the kunanyi Explorer bus from 4 Elizabeth Street, 2 hours return with 30 minutes at the summit, plus 48 hours on the city loop. From US$66.
- Mountain and Mona day trip: the summit and the Organ Pipes by coach with a guide, then the ferry to Mona.
- Private mountain and Mona: your own car to the top for 25 minutes, then Mona.
Rodney, on the combo: "The view along the way and from the mountain top, even with fog." (Feb 2026)
The kunanyi Explorer bus to the summit with 30 minutes on top, then 48 hours on the city loop.
Explore the Mt Wellington and city combo Tour detailsAre the Cascade Brewery and the Female Factory worth visiting?
Yes, and they are neighbours in South Hobart. The Cascades Female Factory is a World Heritage convict site open daily, and the Cascade Brewery says it was established in 1824.
Cascades Female Factory is one of the 11 sites that make up the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage Property, and its own site calls it the most significant place in Australia linked to female convicts. It is at 16 Degraves Street, open daily from 9.30am to 4.30pm. Entry is A$35 for adults, A$25 concession, A$20 for ages 7 to 17 and A$90 for a family; children 6 and under go free, and Port Arthur Ticket of Leave holders get in free too. Tours run through the day, among them the Convict Women's Tour.
Cascade Brewery books its tours through its own website, and tastings are for adults of legal drinking age. The Cascade Gardens beside it are a pleasant place for lunch; Jen, on the hop-on bus: "We hopped off and enjoyed an amazing lunch at Cascade Gardens, then a visit to Female Factory." (Jul 2026)
Both are stops on the hop-on hop-off loop, and the mountain and Mona day trip stops at the Cascade Gardens with a view of the brewery and the Female Factory.
The summit, the Cascade Gardens and the brewery's facade in the morning, Mona by ferry in the afternoon.
Check dates for the Mt Wellington and Mona day tripWhat food is Hobart famous for?
Mona's own visit page puts it in four words, "drink wine, eat oysters", and Discover Tasmania points to small whisky bars and seasonal "feed me" restaurants.
Where to taste it, using only what the sources say:
- Oysters and cheese: on Bruny Island, where the day tour serves freshly shucked Get Shucked oysters and three Bruny Island cheeses for morning tea. Jocelyn: "The morning tea was one of my favourite parts. The oysters were honestly the freshest I’ve ever tasted!" (Sep 2026)
- Wine: Moorilla at Mona, founded in 1958, with tastings at the cellar door from A$20.
- Beer: Moo Brew at Manky Sally's on Salamanca Place, and the Cascade Brewery in South Hobart.
- Whisky: Discover Tasmania mentions tiny whisky bars and a whisky tasting in a converted car-sales room.
- Lunch on the water: the historic lunch cruise from Murray Street Pier, with steak, fish, chicken or a vegetarian main. Karen: "Boat was comfortable. Skipper was clear & concise. Food was excellent." (Mar 2026)
1.5 hours on the Derwent from Murray Street Pier: Battery Point, Sandy Bay, under the Tasman Bridge, lunch on board.
Explore the historic lunch cruise Tour detailsWhat are the best day trips from Hobart?
Bruny Island for food and the lighthouse, Port Arthur for convict history, about 90 minutes' drive away, and Richmond and Russell Falls for a shorter day.
Tasmania's highlights spread well beyond the city. The ones that work from Hobart in a day:
- Bruny Island: the Bruny Island day tour leaves at 7am with hotel pickup and covers the ferry fares, oysters and cheese, lunch at Hotel Bruny, chocolate and honey tastings, the South Bruny National Park pass and a guided visit inside Cape Bruny Lighthouse, built by convicts in 1836, per the listing. 4.8 out of 5 from 1,008 reviews.
- Port Arthur: a UNESCO World Heritage site, "a 90-minute drive from nipaluna / Hobart", open daily 9am to 5pm except Christmas Day. General admission is A$55 for adults.
- Richmond: home to what Discover Tasmania calls "the oldest bridge in Australia".
- Russell Falls: what Discover Tasmania calls "Tasmania's most accessible and photographed waterfall".
- Tasman National Park: sea cliffs Discover Tasmania describes as the tallest in the Southern Hemisphere.
A full day on Bruny Island with a local guide: oysters and cheese, lunch, chocolate and a guided visit inside the lighthouse.
Explore the Bruny Island day tour Tour detailsHow do you fit Mona into 2 days in Hobart?
Give Mona its own day, Thursday to Monday, and spend the other on the city and the mountain. If you only have Tuesday or Wednesday, swap Mona for Bruny Island.
A plan that works for most first visits:
| When | Day 1: Hobart | Day 2: Mona |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | kunanyi summit on the Explorer bus, or the market if it is Saturday | Ferry from Brooke Street Pier |
| Midday | Lunch at Salamanca Place | Galleries from B3 up, then lunch on site |
| Afternoon | Battery Point on foot, then the Female Factory by hop-on bus | Phrontisterion, Event Horizon or a wine tasting |
| Evening | Moo Brew at Manky Sally's, from 4pm | Ferry back to Brooke Street Pier, dinner in town |
Short on time? The mountain and Mona day trip squeezes the summit and about 3 hours at Mona into one 7.5-hour day. On a Tuesday, when Mona is closed, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery is open (Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm, free entry; daily from 26 December to 31 March). The how long at Mona guide helps size Day 2.
A city morning by coach tram with a guide, then Mona and the ferry home: two days' highlights in one.
Check dates for the Hobart city tour with MonaFrequently asked questions
What not to miss in Hobart?
Salamanca Place and its Saturday market, Battery Point, the kunanyi / Mount Wellington summit, the Cascades Female Factory and Mona by ferry.
What can you do in Hobart for free?
Walk Salamanca Place and Battery Point, visit the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (free entry), ride the Intercity Cycleway, and use Metro buses, which are fare-free until 30 June 2027.
What food is Hobart famous for?
Mona's own visit page says "drink wine, eat oysters". Bruny Island oysters and cheese, Moorilla wine, Moo Brew and Cascade beer, and whisky bars are the easy places to start.
What can you do in Hobart when Mona is closed?
Mona closes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Use them for kunanyi / Mount Wellington, the Female Factory, the hop-on bus, a river cruise or a Bruny Island day.
Ready to book
Choose your tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Hobart 24-Hour Hop-on Hop-off Bus
The city's sights on an open-top bus, the day before Mona
kunanyi / Mt Wellington and City Combo
The summit view plus 48 hours of the city bus
Bruny Island Day Tour with Lighthouse
Oysters, cheese and a guided visit inside Cape Bruny Lighthouse
