Booking choice: The Tasman Sights day trip, from $108 per person. Check dates Tour details
Port Arthur Historic Site sits near the southern tip of the Tasman Peninsula, about 97 km and 90 minutes by road from Hobart. That puts three hours of driving into any day trip before you have seen a single ruin. The question is who does the driving, and how much of the day is left for the site itself.
GetYourGuide does not sell a standalone entry ticket. What it sells is the day around it: the coach, the stops on the peninsula, and entry folded into the price. Those days run 8 to 10.5 hours and give you anything from 2.25 to about 4.3 hours inside the site. That last number is the one to compare.
The quick answer
Yes, Port Arthur works as a day trip from Hobart: about 90 minutes each way by car or coach. With a car and two or more people, driving yourself and buying entry from the site (A$55 per adult) is cheaper. Without a car, take a tour: there is no public bus that lets you go and come back on the same day. The Isle of the Dead day gives the longest stay, about 4.3 hours; the Tassie Devils day the shortest, 2.25.
Can you do Port Arthur in a day from Hobart?
Yes. Leave Hobart by 8:30am and you can have four or five hours on site and be back before dark for most of the year.
The site opens at 9am and closes at 5pm every day except Christmas Day, according to the official admission page. The site's FAQ tells visitors to allow at least half a day, and adds that the entry ticket covers two consecutive days because many people stay overnight on the peninsula.
A day is enough for the main ruins, the harbour cruise and a couple of the restored houses. It is not enough to see everything and stop at every lookout on the way. Pick one: more time on the site, or more time on the coast. The day tours make that choice for you, which is why their hours on site differ so much.
Is it better to drive to Port Arthur or take a tour?
Drive if you have a car and at least two people: it is cheaper and you set the hours. Take a tour if you would rather not drive three hours on country roads, or if you are on your own.
The arithmetic, per person, with 2026 prices:
| Drive yourself | Day tour from Hobart | |
|---|---|---|
| Site entry | A$55 adult (about US$38), bought from the site | Included |
| Transport | Your car, fuel, about 194 km return | Coach or minibus, pickup in central Hobart |
| Price per person | Entry plus your share of the car | From $108 to $246 |
| Hours at Port Arthur | As many as you like, two days on one ticket | 2.25 to about 4.3 |
| Commentary | Free guide talks and an audio experience on site | Driver commentary plus the same talks |
| Stops on the way | Your choice | Fixed, 5 to 75 minutes each |
The US$38 figure uses the rate of about 0.69 on 1 October 2026 (exchange-rates.org). The road is the Arthur Highway: sealed and well signed, but winding after Sorell and slow behind caravans. Drive back before dusk if you can. Wallabies and pademelons come out onto Tasmanian roads in the evening, and the peninsula is no exception.
Solo travellers rarely save money driving once you count a hire car. Couples and families do. Either way, the site itself is the same: the entry fee guide covers what the A$55 buys.
No car? The lowest-priced day from Hobart with entry and the harbour cruise: up to four hours on site.
Check dates for the Tasman Sights day tripHow do the Port Arthur day trips compare, hour by hour?
They all leave central Hobart between about 7:15 and 9:30am and are back by 5:30 to 6pm. The difference is how the hours in between are split.
Every day trip below includes Port Arthur entry and the 20-minute harbour cruise. Prices are GetYourGuide from-prices in USD, checked in October 2026.
| Day trip | From | Trip length | At Port Arthur | What else fills the day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isle of the Dead day | $132 | 1 day | About 4.3 h, incl. a guided walk on the Isle of the Dead | Richmond 25 min, Tasman Arch 15 min, optional Remarkable Cave 40 min |
| Tasman Park day | $113 | 8.5 h | About 4 h, with a guided walk | Richmond Bridge 15 min, Eaglehawk Neck 15 min, chocolate foundry 20 min |
| Deep History tour | $136 | 9 h | 4 h | Richmond 30 min, Tessellated Pavement, Tasman Arch and Devils Kitchen |
| Tasman Sights day | $108 | 8 h | 3 or 4 h, by option | Pirates Bay, the Dog Line, chocolate, oysters at Dunalley |
| Tasman Island cruise day | $246 | 10.5 h | About 3 h, incl. lunch | A 3-hour wilderness cruise under Cape Pillar |
| Tassie Devils day | $147 | 10 h | 2.25 h | Devil feeding 75 min, Waterfall Bay walk 45 min, Richmond 45 min |
Two things the table can't show. The Tasman Sights day runs to a strict timetable: you meet at 9:30am, and the operator doesn't refund latecomers. The Tassie Devils day takes guests aged 8 and up only, and its free cancellation closes two days before, not 24 hours.
Which day trip gives you the most time at Port Arthur?
The Isle of the Dead day, with about 4.3 hours on site including a guided hour on the cemetery island. The Tasman Park and Deep History days follow at about 4 hours.
Four hours is about right for a first visit: the Penitentiary, the Separate Prison, the church, the harbour cruise and two or three houses, without running. At 2.25 hours, the Tassie Devils day gives you the cruise and a fast loop of the main ruins, and not much else. That is a fair trade if the devils and the clifftop walk are why you are going.
The Isle of the Dead day is the only day trip here that lands you on the island. The site's own Isle of the Dead tour costs A$85 with entry if you arrive by car, and its walkways climb at gradients up to 1:8, which is why this day trip isn't sold to guests with limited mobility. How long to spend at Port Arthur has plans for two, four and six hours.
The longest stay of any day trip from Hobart: about 4.3 hours, the harbour cruise and a guided walk on the Isle of the Dead.
Explore the Isle of the Dead day trip Tour detailsHow do you get to Port Arthur without a car?
On a day tour. The only public bus, Tassielink route 734, leaves Hobart at 3:45pm on weekdays and reaches Port Arthur at about 5:28pm, after the site has closed.
The route 734 timetable is built for people who live on the peninsula, not for visitors: into Hobart in the morning, home in the afternoon. A bus-only visit means two nights in Port Arthur. It can work if you want a slow stay, but it is not a day trip.
- Day tour: the practical answer. Six options from $108, all with entry included.
- Seaplane: Discover Tasmania points to seaplane flights from Hobart's waterfront. Fast and scenic, at several times the price of a tour.
- Taxi or rideshare: possible, but the fare for 97 km each way is far more than a tour.
- Rental car for one day: the cheapest independent option for two or more people.
What does a self-drive day to Port Arthur look like?
Leave Hobart at 8am, stop at Eaglehawk Neck on the way in, spend 10am to 3:30pm on site, and do the coastal sights on the drive back.
- 8:00 Leave Hobart on the Tasman Highway, across the Derwent and through Sorell. Fuel up there.
- 8:45 Dunalley, then the Arthur Highway onto the peninsula.
- 9:15 Eaglehawk Neck: the Pirates Bay lookout and the Tessellated Pavement, 15 minutes each. The narrow neck is where soldiers and chained dogs once guarded the only way off the peninsula.
- 10:00 Port Arthur. Pick a harbour cruise time, note the guide talk times, then the Penitentiary and the Separate Prison before the tour buses arrive at about noon.
- 12:30 Lunch at the Port Arthur Café or the 1830 Restaurant, then the houses and gardens.
- 3:30 Leave. Tasman Arch and Devils Kitchen are a five-minute detour off the highway; Remarkable Cave is ten minutes south of the site but sits in Tasman National Park, which needs a Parks Pass.
- 5:30 Back in Hobart.
Car park hours run from 8am to 5:30pm on Mondays and Tuesdays and to 10:30pm Wednesday to Sunday, for the Ghost Tour (site FAQ).
Which Port Arthur day trip should you pick?
The Tasman Sights day for the lowest price, the Isle of the Dead day for the most time inside, and the Tasman Island cruise day if you want the sea cliffs too.
- On a budget: Tasman Sights & Harbour Cruise, $108. Choose the four-hour option.
- History first: Isle of the Dead day at $132, or the Deep History tour at $136 with a group of 20 at most. It is rated 5.0, but from only 28 reviews: a small sample.
- Wheelchair users: Port Arthur & Tasman Park, the one day trip listed as wheelchair accessible.
- Coast and wildlife: the Tasman Island cruise day at $246, with lunch. Three hours at sea, three on site.
- Families with kids 8 and up who want animals: the Tassie Devils day, if you accept 2.25 hours at the site and the two-day cancellation window.
The classic coach day: Richmond Bridge, Eaglehawk Neck and about four hours at Port Arthur with a guided walk. Wheelchair accessible.
Explore the Tasman Park day trip Tour detailsShould you stay overnight instead of a day trip?
If you have a car and the time, yes. The ticket covers two days, the Ghost Tour runs after dark, and the Tasman Island cruise leaves from Port Arthur at 10am.
A night on the peninsula turns a rushed day into an easy one. Arrive after lunch, walk the main ruins, join the Ghost Tour at night, and come back the next morning for the houses you missed, on the same ticket. The 3-hour Tasman Island cruise checks in at 9:15am, 100 metres from the site entrance. Accommodation runs from cabins and a holiday park to lodges at Stewarts Bay and in Nubeena and Eaglehawk Neck.
Staying on the peninsula? Three hours under the highest sea cliffs in Australia, from 100 m outside the site gate.
Check dates for the Tasman Island cruiseFrequently asked questions
How far is Port Arthur from Hobart?
About 97 km, or 90 minutes by car on the Tasman and Arthur Highways. Day tours allow about 1.5 hours each way, plus stops.
Do Port Arthur day tours include the entry fee?
Every day trip from Hobart on this site includes site entry and the 20-minute harbour cruise. The two cruises from Port Arthur, the Tasman Island and Cape Raoul trips, do not include entry.
What time do Port Arthur tours leave Hobart?
Between about 7:15am (the Tasman Island cruise day, from Franklin Wharf) and 9:30am (the Tasman Sights day). All are back by about 5:30 to 6pm.
Can you visit Port Arthur and Bruny Island in one day?
No. They are in opposite directions from Hobart and each takes a full day. Do Port Arthur one day and the Bruny Island day another.
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.
Port Arthur, Tasman Sights & Harbour Cruise
- Port Arthur Historic Site entry
- The 20-minute harbour cruise
- Pickup from 8 central Hobart points
Port Arthur & Tasman Park Day Trip
- Port Arthur admission and a guided walk
- The harbour cruise
- Air-conditioned coach with Wi-Fi
Port Arthur & Isle of the Dead Day Trip
The longest stay, about 4.3 hours, with a guided walk on the cemetery island
