Port Arthur this summer

What are Port Arthur's opening hours over summer 2026-27?

The grounds, museum houses and Visitor Centre open 9am to 5pm daily. The only closed day is Christmas Day, 25 December.

The General Admission page lists 9:00am to 5:00pm daily and says the site is "closed only on Christmas Day". Boxing Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are normal opening days. The official FAQ adds the details people miss: the gift shop opens at 10am, and the car park stays open until 10:30pm from Wednesday to Sunday for the Ghost Tour, but closes at 5:30pm on Mondays and Tuesdays.

A ticket (A$55 adult, A$27.50 child, A$44 concession) is valid for two consecutive days and includes the 20-minute harbour cruise and the short guide talks. On a long summer day that second day is the best value on the peninsula. Spend the afternoon at the site, sleep nearby, and come back for the houses you skipped.

What time is the Port Arthur Ghost Tour in summer?

From October to March the Ghost Tour runs Wednesday to Sunday at 7:00pm, 8:20pm and 9:00pm. There are no Ghost Tours on Monday or Tuesday.

The Ghost Tour page gives those three summer departures and notes that extra tours can be added and times can vary, so check your evening when you book. The walk lasts about 90 minutes and covers around 2 km by lantern light. Tickets are A$35 for adults and A$18 for children, and they do not include day entry.

Summer has one catch: it is still light at 7pm. The 9pm tour gets the darkest walk, the 7pm one is easiest with kids. Arrive 15 to 30 minutes early, leave the umbrella in the car (they are not allowed), and know that the route is not wheelchair accessible. Every day trip returns to Hobart by about 5:30pm or 6pm, so a Ghost Tour means your own car or a night on the peninsula. Our Ghost Tour guide covers which session to pick.

When are the Tasmanian school holidays in summer 2026-27?

Term 4 ends on Friday 18 December 2026 and Term 1 starts on Thursday 4 February 2027. The weeks in between are the busiest at Port Arthur.

Those are the government school dates published by the Department for Education, Children and Young People. Mainland summer holidays overlap most of the same stretch, and the Christmas to New Year week is the peak. Expect more cars, fuller harbour cruise sailings and busy timed tours from Boxing Day through January.

Our advice: be at the gate at 9am. The flagship day trip from Hobart is on site from about noon to 4pm, and the other coaches keep similar hours, so the far houses are quietest in the first two hours. Early February, after school goes back, is the sweet spot of the whole summer.

Do I need to book Port Arthur in advance in summer?

Not for plain entry most days, but you should. Timed tours have limited places, and pre-booking skips the ticket counter queue.

The official FAQ puts it plainly: "Pre-booking is the best way of making sure you can secure your entry on the day and time you prefer." The Essentials Tour, Isle of the Dead tour and the Ghost Tour all have capped numbers. In January those are the ones that sell out, not the gate.

A day trip from Hobart books the entry for you. GetYourGuide does not sell a standalone Port Arthur ticket; what it sells is the transport and the day around it. The tours also fill in summer, and all the ones below cancel free up to 24 hours before, so locking in a January date costs nothing if plans change. For prices and the two-day rule see our tickets guide.

Which day trips and cruises run from Port Arthur in summer?

All the day trips from Hobart run through summer, and the Tasman Island Cruise adds an afternoon departure from 1 December to 28 April.

Tasman Island Cruises runs a morning cruise all year (check in by 9:15am) and an afternoon cruise from 1 December to 28 April (check in by 1:15pm), daily except Christmas Day. The afternoon slot is the useful one in summer: do the site in the morning, then go to sea. The 3-hour cruise does not include site entry.

The Cape Raoul cruise leaves from the site's own jetty twice a day, at about 10:45am and 1:15pm, and needs a Port Arthur entry ticket. If you have no car, the Tasman Sights day trip gives you three or four hours on site by option, and the Tasman Island cruise day folds the 3-hour cruise and lunch into one long day from Hobart.

What should I bring to Port Arthur in summer?

A light jacket, a hat and sunscreen. The official average is 13 to 22 C, and the wind off the harbour can turn a warm afternoon cool.

Summer on the Tasman Peninsula is mild rather than hot. The FAQ recommends a windcheater or light jacket even in summer. Most of the site is open lawn with little shade, and the walk to the far houses is longer than it looks. The courtesy vehicle helps; it runs from 10:30am to 3:30pm, with longer hours in peak summer.

Bring layers on any boat. Pennicott hands out spray jackets on its cruises, but the open sea past Cape Pillar is colder than the lawn. If you are staying for an evening Ghost Tour, eat before it: the site cafe closes at 5:30pm, Wednesday to Sunday.

Frequently asked questions