Australia's best-known convict settlement: sandstone ruins on a quiet harbour, 90 minutes from Hobart.
Walk the shell of the Penitentiary and the silent Separate Prison, cruise past the Isle of the Dead, then stand above Tasman Arch.
Time on site, spelled outHours at Port Arthur, not just trip length
Entry checkedWhat each tour includes, and what it leaves out
Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before on almost every tour
Official prices tooThe site's own tickets and tours in A$
Tours
Choose your Port Arthur tour
In the centre, the lowest-priced day from Hobart with entry and the harbour cruise included. Either side, the
classic coach day with about four hours on site, and a full day that adds three hours at sea under Cape Pillar.
The classic coach day: Richmond Bridge, Eaglehawk Neck, then about four hours at Port Arthur. Entry, a guided walk and the harbour cruise are in the price.
A relaxed day from Hobart with entry and the harbour cruise included, plus Pirates Bay and the Dog Line. Choose three or four hours at the site, then oysters at Dunalley.
Two questions sort it out. How many hours do you want inside the site? And what else do you want from the
day: sea cliffs, Tasmanian devils, the Isle of the Dead or a slower pace?
Every day trip in this table includes site entry and the 20-minute harbour cruise. Buying entry from
the site yourself costs A$55 per adult and covers two consecutive days.
Before you book
The ticket is simple. The road is the trip.
Port Arthur Historic Site sells its own entry, and it is a generous ticket: two consecutive days, a 20-minute harbour
cruise, short guide talks through the day and the Point Puer exhibition. GetYourGuide does not sell that ticket on its
own. What it sells is the day around it: a coach or minibus from Hobart, stops on the Tasman Peninsula, and the entry
folded into the price.
The part that varies is how long you are inside the site. The Isle of the Dead day gives about 4.3 hours. The
Tassie Devils day gives 2.25, because the devils and a clifftop walk take the rest. Two of the cruises do not go into
the site at all. Read the hours, not the photo.
2
Consecutive days covered by one entry ticket. Driving yourself and staying
on the peninsula? Come back the next morning for the houses you missed, at no extra cost.
Day tripSelf-driveSite toursCruises
The Guard Tower, built to watch the settlement and the water at once.
01
Do I need a tour?
No. Entry, the cruise and the guide talks are enough for most people with a car.
02
Is entry included?
On every day trip from Hobart here, yes. On the two cruises, no.
03
How long to stay?
At least half a day, the site advises. Four hours is a fair minimum.
04
Is it accessible?
Partly: hills, gravel and steps, but a courtesy vehicle and an accessible boat.
Your day
How a Port Arthur day trip runs
Eight to ten and a half hours, door to door. The order changes from tour to tour; the shape does not.
01
Pickup in Hobart
Brooke Street Pier, Franklin Wharf, Davey Street or a central hotel. Be early: the buses run to a timetable.
7:15 to 9:30am
02
The peninsula
Richmond Bridge, Pirates Bay, Eaglehawk Neck, Tasman Arch or Devils Kitchen, depending on the tour.
About 90 minutes of driving
03
Port Arthur
Entry, a guide talk or walk, the 20-minute harbour cruise and free time in the ruins and houses.
2.25 to 4.3 hours
04
The way home
Remarkable Cave, a chocolate foundry or an oyster stop, then back to Hobart.
Tickets, the site's own tours, getting there and access: one tab each.
General Admission: A$55 adult, A$27.50 child (7 to 17), A$44 concession; under-7s go free.
What it covers: two consecutive days, the 20-minute harbour cruise, short guide talks and the Point Puer exhibition.
At the gate: yes, at the Visitor Centre counter. Online saves the queue and holds a tour time.
On a day trip: entry is already in the price of every Hobart day tour on this site.
Essentials Tour: 45 minutes, four times a day, A$65 with entry.
Premium Tour: 90 minutes at noon and 1:30pm, A$85 with entry.
Isle of the Dead: a 20-minute ferry and a 45-minute guided walk on the island, A$85 with entry.
Ghost Tour: 90 minutes after dark, Wednesday to Sunday, A$35. Day entry is separate.
By car: about 90 minutes from Hobart on the Arthur Highway. Parking at the site.
By tour: day trips leave Hobart between 7:15 and 9:30am and return by about 6pm.
By bus: there is no frequent public bus, so without a car a tour is the practical choice.
By air: seaplane flights leave Hobart's waterfront, at a much higher price. Full options in the day trip guide.
The site is large and outdoors, with hills, gravel paths and steps.
A courtesy vehicle runs from 10:30am to 3:30pm (longer in summer) to the furthest houses and the jetty.
The Visitor Centre, the Gallery and the harbour boat are wheelchair accessible.
On tours, the Port Arthur & Tasman Park day is wheelchair accessible; the Isle of the Dead and Tasman Sights days are not.
From HobartAbout 90 minBy road on the Arthur Highway, through Sorell and over Eaglehawk Neck.
EntryA$55 adultFrom the site, valid for two consecutive days.
Harbour cruise20 minutesPast the Isle of the Dead, included with every entry ticket.
Open9am to 5pmEvery day except Christmas Day.
On site2.25 to 4.3 hThe real number to compare between day trips.
Refund24 hoursFree cancellation up to a day before on most tours here.
Where it is
Where Port Arthur is
At the end of the Tasman Peninsula
Port Arthur Historic Site, Arthur Highway, Port Arthur TAS 7182
The settlement sits on Mason Cove near the southern tip of the Tasman Peninsula, joined to the rest of Tasmania by
Eaglehawk Neck, a strip of land once guarded by soldiers and a line of chained dogs. The coastline on the way in is
the bonus: Pirates Bay, the Tessellated Pavement, Tasman Arch and Devils Kitchen are all a short stop from the road.
Port Arthur is one day. Bruny Island is the other day trip most Hobart visitors make: a ferry across the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, easy walks to beaches and lagoons, the Cape Bruny Lighthouse and, with luck, a white wallaby. Book it for a different day.
Most people arrive knowing three words: convicts, ruins, ghosts. Here is what the place actually was, and how
to see the best of it in the hours you have.
What happened here
Port Arthur began in September 1830 as a timber-getting camp. From 1833 to 1877 it was a penal settlement for
secondary offenders: men already transported to Van Diemen's Land who had committed new crimes in the colony. The
peninsula made escape hard. Eaglehawk Neck, the narrow strip of land you drive over on the way in, was held by soldiers,
traps and a line of dogs. Across the water at Point Puer, the colony built what the site calls the first purpose-built
juvenile prison in the British Empire, for boys as young as nine.
When the last convicts left, the town was renamed Carnarvon, land was sold off, and bushfires in 1895 and 1897 gutted
the big buildings. The old name came back in 1927. Since 2010 Port Arthur has been one of the eleven Australian Convict
Sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Penitentiary began life in 1843 as a flour mill and granary.
The buildings worth your time
Start with the Penitentiary, the four-storey shell on the waterfront that everyone photographs. Then walk up to
the Separate Prison, finished in 1853, where silence and isolation replaced the lash: the site calls it punishment of
the mind, and it still feels like it. The Convict Church was never consecrated. The restored houses along the hill,
from the Commandant's House to the officers' cottages, show the other side of the settlement. Leave time for the harbour cruise, which passes Point Puer and the Isle of the Dead, where more than 1,000
people who lived and worked here are buried.
The honest small print: GetYourGuide sells day trips and cruises for Port Arthur, not the entry ticket
on its own. Every day trip on this site includes entry, but the hours inside run from 2.25 to about 4.3. Each of our
tour pages puts that number first.
Day trip or your own car?
With a car, you set the clock: arrive at 9am, use both days of the ticket, add the Ghost Tour in the evening and stop
at Tasman Arch and Remarkable Cave when the light is good. Without one, a day trip is the easy answer, and most include the
peninsula sights a driver would stop at anyway. The trade is time. A coach day gives you about four hours on site, which
covers the main buildings and the cruise but not the houses at a slow pace. Our day trip guide
compares them hour by hour.
The houses on the hill are where the free settlers and officers lived.
A place of memory
Port Arthur is also where 35 people were killed in April 1996. The Memorial Garden, around the shell of the Broad Arrow
Café, remembers them. Visit it quietly if you wish; there is more information in the Gallery.
The 20-minute harbour cruise is part of every entry ticket.
Straight answers to what people ask most about visiting Port Arthur.
What is the best tour to take in Port Arthur?
It depends on what you lack. With a car, buy site entry and add the 90-minute Premium Tour or the evening Ghost Tour on site. Without one, a day trip from Hobart that includes entry is the easy answer: the Tasman Sights day is the cheapest, and the Isle of the Dead day stays longest. Our self-guided or guided guide sorts it out.
How much is the entry fee to Port Arthur?
General Admission costs A$55 for adults, A$27.50 for children aged 7 to 17 and A$44 for concessions, bought from the site; under-7s go free. It covers two consecutive days, the 20-minute harbour cruise and short guide talks through the day. Details in the entry fee guide.
Can you visit Port Arthur without a tour?
Yes. Most people walk the site on their own with General Admission, a map and the free guide talks. The harbour cruise is part of the ticket. Paid guided tours on site, such as the 45-minute Essentials Tour, are optional extras.
How many hours do you need at Port Arthur?
Allow at least half a day, the site itself says, and four hours is a comfortable minimum. Day trips from Hobart give you between 2.25 and about 4.3 hours on site, so check that number before you book. See how long to spend.
Can I take a day trip to Port Arthur from Hobart?
Yes, and it is the most common way to go. The drive is about 90 minutes each way. Day tours run 8 to 10.5 hours and include site entry and the harbour cruise. Compare them in the day trip guide.
Can I buy Port Arthur tickets at the gate?
Yes, at the ticketing counter in the Visitor Centre. Booking online first lets you skip that queue and lock in a time for any paid tour, which have limited places. A day trip from Hobart already includes your entry.
What days is Port Arthur open?
Every day of the year from 9am to 5pm, except Christmas Day. The Ghost Tour runs in the evening from Wednesday to Sunday.
Is the Port Arthur Ghost Tour worth it?
For older kids and adults who like a story told well, yes. It is a 90-minute, lantern-lit walk of about 2 km, A$35 for adults, and it does not include day entry. More in the ghost tour guide.
How long is the Port Arthur harbour cruise?
About 20 minutes. It loops past the Isle of the Dead and Point Puer, the boys' prison, and comes with every entry ticket. Landing on the Isle of the Dead needs the separate guided tour.
What is Port Arthur known for?
It is Australia's best-known convict site: a penal settlement from 1833 to 1877 for convicts who re-offended in the colony, and part of the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage listing since 2010.
How do you get to Port Arthur without a car?
On a day tour from Hobart. There is no frequent public bus to the site, which is why every day trip on this site includes the transfer. A seaplane from Hobart's waterfront is the pricey alternative.
Can I cancel a Port Arthur tour?
Every day trip and cruise here cancels for a full refund up to 24 hours before, except the Tassie Devils day, which needs 2 days' notice. Tickets bought from the site follow its own terms.
Ready to book
Sandstone, sea cliffs and a seat on the bus.
Entry and the harbour cruise included on every day trip, and free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Wheelchair friendly
★ 4.78.5 hoursFree cancellation
