3 Day Hobart Itinerary: Best Things To Do In Hobart

How To Plan The Perfect 3 Day Hobart Itinerary

There’s no shortage of things to do in Hobart, but with only 3 days in the city, you’ll need to plan your itinerary carefully.

Here are some tips on how to make the most of your time in Hobart:

• Decide what type of activities you’re interested in: Whether you’re looking to explore the city’s history and culture or get out into nature, there are plenty of things to do in Hobart to suit your interests.
• Create your Hobart must-visit list: Creating an itinerary for any city is always easiest once you know the essential attractions and experiences you don’t want to miss! Start with the basics and add in any other activities that interest you.
• Choose your accommodation wisely: When deciding where to stay in Hobart, make sure to choose a location that’s close to the things on your must-see list or suitable to the type of transport you plan to use.

With that in mind, let’s look at the basics for a visit to Hobart, Tasmania before you get too deep into the itinerary planning!

Where To Stay In Hobart

There is no shortage of places to stay in Hobart, whether you are looking for budget or luxury accommodation. You can find a wide variety of hotels, motels and apartments throughout the city centre and neighbouring suburbs.

For those planning an extended visit, there are also plenty of vacation rentals available such as beach houses and holiday homes too.

Here are some great options for accommodation in Hobart:

• Hotel Grand Chancellor Hobart
• Hadley’s Orient Hotel
• Crowne Plaza Hobart

Day One In Hobart: City Sights & Culture

Arrive in Hobart and check into your accommodation. If you’re staying in the city centre, you’ll be within walking distance of many of the best attractions.

Start your day with a wander around Salamanca Place, home to a weekly market and some of the city’s best restaurants and bars. The Salamanca Markets have a similar vibe to the Southbank Markets in Brisbane and were a total foodie delight with so many great food stalls and fresh produce too.

The markets are especially popular on a Saturday morning if you planning a Hobart weekend itinerary!

It was bratwurst and jam doughnuts for lunch for our visit… the strange urges of a pregnant woman, since we were visiting Hobart on a Tasmania road trip during our babymoon!

If you arrive early enough in the day, this is a perfect chance to jump in your hire car and head up Mt Wellington. It’s only a short drive from town.

The mountain is located really close to Hobart town and offers stunning 360-degree views of Hobart and the surrounding area.

Make sure you bring your camera because this is one photo stop you won’t want to miss! There are also some wonderful hiking tracks if you love the chance to explore the outdoors.

In the summer months, you will find plenty of great options for a picnic area to bring some of the yummy goodies you found at the markets.

Note: During the winter months, it gets dark early so make sure you head up early enough to enjoy your time exploring Mount Wellington. It also means taking care on the winding roads if you are coming back down the mountain as the daylight fades.

Afterwards, head back down into the city for dinner and drinks. Hobart has a thriving restaurant and bar scene, so you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to finding somewhere to eat and drink.

If you’re after something a little more low-key, there are plenty of pubs and bars serving up delicious food and pub meals.

Day Two: Wildlife and Pub Visits

If you love wildlife, get an early start and head to Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary in the morning. This wildlife reserve is a reasonable drive from Hobart, however, it is a perfect place to see the beautiful and highly endangered Tasmanian Devil up close.

This is a great place to spend some time getting up close with native Australian wildlife and hearing wildlife talks from the knowledgable rangers. The reserve is focused on rescuing and rehabilitating injured animals.

Afterwards, head to Australia’s oldest brewery, Cascade Brewery, for lunch and possibly a beer tour if you have the time and interest to learn more. The brewery has been around since 1824!

They have the most amazing stout pie. This pie was easily THE BEST PIE EVER!

The food is great and it is set in some lovely gardens for an after-lunch stroll.

Near the Cascade Visitor Centre and Brewery, you will find the Cascades Female Factory, which is a historic site that was the female convict accommodation in Hobart.

Thousands of women and children were accommodated here in the past and it has some interesting history about the female convicts.

You can wander around the ruins of the historic site, but better still is if you time your visit during one of their historical reenactments which happen at intervals throughout the day.

For dinner, head to the popular Drunken Admiral Seafood Restaurant down by the Hobart harbour. The restaurant is award-winning and has been decorated with a rustic boat theme, making it a lot of fun if you are looking for places to eat in Hobart with kids.

Our booth consisted of upright boat halves. And the food was great so it is a wonderful place to dine if you enjoy seafood!

Day Three In Hobart: Port Arthur and Tasman Island Cruise

After a very early breakfast, head off early to experience one of the most popular things to do in Hobart – a day trip to Port Arthur!

See Also

50 Best Things to Do in Ipswich Queensland [Updated 2023]

You can either drive to Port Arthur yourself or book a full-day tour from Hobart instead. The drive is around 2 hours from Hobart to Port Arthur, hence the early start!

Start your day with a Tasman Island Wilderness Cruise with Pennicott Wilderness Journeys. This is one of the best things to do in Tasmania and an experience you will never forget! It was the highlight of our Tasmania trip.

The 3-hour cruise will take you around Tasman Island National Park via their specially designed boats where you will see the spectacular coastline, birds, sea lions and maybe even some dolphins playing in the water.

This is a fantastic experience and highly recommended while you are in the Tasman Peninsula! You can read our full experience here.

Afterwards, head over to Port Arthur Historic Site, which is a World Heritage site and one of Australia’s most significant convict settlements.

We started off having lunch in the Port Arthur Historic Site cafe before taking a look around.

The area is rich in history and there are plenty of things to see and do. We highly recommend joining one of the walking tours which is included with the standard entry ticket to Port Arthur Historic Site.

On the tour, you will hear the history and see many of the important buildings – Separate Prison, the Dockyard, Convict Church, Commandant’s House and much more. Then enjoy exploring the remaining parts of the grounds at your own pace.

There are also ghost tours which are meant to be very good if you enjoy getting scared during your travels! These run at night if you have the time to fit it into your Hobart itinerary. This is an extra cost to the standard entry tour.

There are also many hikes and nature walks nearby if you did have time spare to explore the Port Arthur region for longer.

Then make your way back to Hobart, stopping for dinner at one of the many English-inspired pubs along the way. We dined at Hadley’s Hotel Restaurant and Bar which was near our accommodation.

Then prepare to head off to your next destination or catch your flight home in the morning.

Find more planning inspiration for your Tasmania trip:

• Tasmania self-drive road trip itinerary
• Best beaches in Tasmania
• Road trip packing list
• How to plan a road trip
• How to plan a camping trip
• Best road trips in Australia
• Tasman Island cruise review
• Port Arthur day trip guide