Best things to do in Hobart, including free and rainy-day options

Hobart is small enough to see on foot in two days, with one half-day trip out to MONA and one morning on the mountain. Match the plan to the weather: the summit is worth saving for a clear day, and the museums are worth saving for a wet one.

Start at Constitution Dock and the Salamanca place warehouses, then climb through Battery Point's lanes: Kelly's Steps, Arthur Circus and the waterfront houses are the classic short walk and cost nothing. On Saturday the Salamanca Market fills the same streets with food stalls, produce and craft; go early, before 10am, if you want space to move.

MONA is the reason many people come. The ferry leaves from Brooke Street Pier and takes roughly 25–30 minutes up the Derwent; you can also take a bus and arrive by road. Buy the ferry and museum tickets together if you want a set time, and allow three to four hours on site. The museum is largely underground and works well in any weather.

For the mountain, kunanyi / Mount Wellington sits about 20–30 minutes by car above the city, and the temperature at the top can be 10 °C colder than the waterfront, with snow possible outside summer. The summit road can close in bad weather, so check before you go. If you have no car, a shuttle or a small-group tour is the usual option.

In town, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) near Constitution Dock is the easy wet-weather stop, and the Cascades Female Factory in South Hobart tells the convict story with guided tours. The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, just past the Tasman Bridge, are free to enter and good for a slow afternoon.

Hobart's best-known sights split into free and paid. The paid items are MONA (entry plus ferry), the Cascades Female Factory tour and any mountain shuttle or tour. Everything else on this page is free or costs only a bus fare. Treat all figures as 2026 estimates and check current prices before booking.

Hobart's centre is compact and walkable, but MONA, Cascade and the mountain all need a bus, ferry or car, so plan those as separate outings rather than trying to chain them in one day. See hobart public transport for ticketing and routes.

Weather is the main variable. Summer days can be warm on the waterfront and near-freezing on the summit within the same afternoon. Winter is quiet, cheap and often clear, but daylight is short and the mountain road closes more often.

If you have a car, Richmond and the Huon Valley make easy half-days; without one, Richmond is reachable by bus and the Huon is best done as a tour. Book accommodation early for the December–January period and for the days around the Sydney to Hobart yacht race finish.