TASMANIA: your ultimate 10 day itinerary
Updated: May 20, 2021
When planning this trip to Tasmania, people would constantly reiterate about how beautiful the state was. Because of this I arrived with high expectations - yet somehow they were still exceeded.
It's surrounded by stunning mountains and national parks, completely unique coastlines, cute towns and great food. If you're wanting to cover a good amount of Tasmania and the beauty it has to offer this *twelve day* itinerary will help you plan the perfect trip / road trip!
I also vlogged this whole holiday, so if you'd like to see it in video form you can watch here:
Hobart vlog & Tasmanian road trip vlog.
We began our trip by flying into Hobart and picking up a rental car - a car is a must when traveling TAS!! I also recommend planning your trip around spending the weekend in Hobart. Trust me their weekend markets are something you don't want to miss.
*We arrived in Tasmania on a Friday morning for context of this itinerary*
DAY ONE. Port Arthur
Port Arthur was the first stop of the holiday. A small town - about a 1.5hr drive from Hobart - known for its scenic views, beautiful hikes and historic site. We stayed in a little shack (airbnb) on a pear farm which was cozy, quirky and budget friendly. We hardly spent any time there so we only needed something basic - which this was.
We spent most of our time in Port Arthur just following the roads and stopping every few kms in awe of the views. Here is a rough list however of some sights and experiences we did this day:
morning:
Shipstern Bluff walk
Remarkable cave
Coffee at Cubed Espresso - one of my favourite coffee experiences to date - Cubed is a little coffee van parked up on the side of the road. It overlooks the most incredible view and has pillows and blankets for you to snuggle up with while you drink your coffee and admire the view. Need I say more?
noon:
Lunch at Bangor vinyard
evening:
Sunset at Boomer Bay
DAY TWO. Hobart
We spent the morning in Port Arthur and stopped by the Tasman Arch - another postcard view definitely worth visiting.
An hour and a half later, we arrived in Hobart and checked into Hobart City Appartments - where we stayed for the next two nights. We dropped our bags off at the lobby and got straight into the hustle and bustle of the city. Here is how we spent our first day in Hobart:
morning:
Room for a pony - our first stop was breakfast. a cafe and bar with a really nice outdoor seating area (perfect on a sunny day).
Pigeon Whole Bakers - ANOTHER coffee and croissant. We stumbled across this cute spot on our way to the Salamanca market. I'm honestly embarrassed about how often this would happen, but when on holidays right?
noon:
Salamanca Market - You MUST try the woodfired halloumi sandwich from the stall Flamecake!!
Re-Loved Thrift Market - thanks to a lovely girl who messaged me on IG we found this sick flea market. I wish we had gotten there earlier as I could tell there would've been so much great stuff - nether-the-less it was still fun to have a look around.
*NB this market is only on every third Saturday from 10am-2pm.
evening:
The Stock Market - highly recommend, an incredible dining experience *booking is essential
DAY THREE. Hobart
morning:
Mount Wellington - we went up nice and early to watch the sunrise over the city. You'll need to drive to get to the top but the view is so so worth it - if you're lucky you might even see snow.
Hobart farmers market - one of the best food markets I have ever been to! I could've bought one of everything!
noon:
Hobart botanical gardens
evening:
Templo (Italian) - This night we had dinner reservations at this highly recommended restaurant however, I was feeling unwell and didn't end up going. If you are headed to Hobart do try it, it is meant to be incredible *booking is essential.
DAY FOUR. Hobart
morning:
Machine laundry cafe - A real hidden gem. I had the 'Thom's thing' which was delish!
MONA Ferry - After breakie we then boarded the MONA ferry, a fun way to get the the Mona Gallery *booking essential.
noon:
MONA Gallery - if you don't already know about this gallery why don't you. It's iconic - a must.
Dubsy's @ MONA - after wandering the museum for a few hours we found ourselves a funky spot on the lawn to have lunch just behind the museum. Burgers & drinks in the sun from Dubsy's - what more could you want.
The Source Restaurant - Another dining option post MONA. We did not go here but I have heard only incredible things. *booking is essential.
evening:
We checked into The Luttrel - a quaint Tasmanian shack located in Bellerive (a 15 minute drive to Hobart CBD). Leading up to this holiday I was SO EXCITED about this airbnb and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. One of the best airbnb experiences I've ever had!
We were exhausted after such a big day and opted to pickup some ingredients up from the local supermarket, cook dinner, and have a chill night in.
DAY FIVE & SIX.
Keeping it real - we were exhausted by this point in the trip. Two cozy days at The Luttrel was exactly what was needed. We spent them catching up on work, cooking home made meals, sitting by the fire watching movies. Trust me when I say you'll never want to leave this place.
ROADTRIP
DAY SEVEN.
Recharged after our mid-holiday holiday we began our roadtrip by picking up our Britz campervan. We decided to go with a van that was in the mid price-range and opted to size up to a 4 man as we were carrying a lot of luggage and didn't want to be crammed. It came with everything we needed - all of the basic cooking amenities, camper chairs, heater etc. This was so perfect for us and so so comfortable!
tell me you're a virgo without telling me you're a vigro - I'll go first:
*tip - bring a spare set of sheets from home for you to put over theirs (for peace of mind lol).
HOBART - STRAHAN (4.5hr drive)
Strahan is a small fishing town on the west-coast. It was the perfect stop-over on our way to Stanley and Cradle Mountain. Macquarie heads is a really pretty place in Strahan where you can also park your RV over night.
DAY EIGHT.
Before leaving Strahan we had breakie and coffee at The Coffee Shack - a cute spot with views of the fishing boats.
STRAHAN - STANLEY (3hr drive)
We then drove to Stanley, another one of my favourite places of the whole trip. It's so picturesque. Make sure to do The Nut Walk if you go! For $35 we opted to park our van in an RV park in town and made use of their kitchen and hot shower facilities.
DAY NINE.
STANLEY - CRADLE MOUNTAIN (3.5hr drive)
Unfortunately during the short time we were in cradle mountain there were severe weather warnings which meant we weren't able to do what we had originally planned.
Our original itinerary read:
Sunset walk to Hansons Peak - a 4km round trip that gives incredible views over the lake and Mountain peaks.
Dove Lake walk for sunrise (the next morning)
Instead we parked the van for the night at Discovery Parks Cradle Mountain and had an early dinner at the Peppers Resort restaurant.
DAY TEN.
CRADLE MOUNTAIN - BICHENO - VIA LAUNCESTON (4.5hr drive)
When we woke up it was still blowing heavy winds and raining outside - that unfortunately meant no Dove Lake walk. So we decided to leave Cradle Mountain a little earlier than expected and head to Bicheno.
On the way to Bicheno we passed through Launceston. This is such an old city with a really nice vibe. We didn't have much time to spend here but I really enjoyed what we did.
*The Bay Of Fires is only a 1.5 hour drive from Bicheno and would make another great stop over on the way.
From Launceston to Bicheno we stumbled across Devil's Corner - a selection of fresh seafood & food trucks located at a winery. They also had a viewing tower which was insanely beautiful - I really recommend stopping here if you decide to drive this route.
DAY ELEVEN.
BICHENO - FREYCINET NATIONAL PARK (30min drive)
Bicheno has PENGUINS !!! You can see them from the beach, near the Blowhole. This whole town is really sweet, and definitely worth a visit. That morning we had coffee and pastries at Little Bay Collective *i recommend going early, the cafe fills up fast and the pastries go quick.*
We then drove to Freycinet National Park to do the Wineglass Bay walk - a very doable 6km return (lots of stairs, but worth it !!)
The Freycinet National park has overnight RV parking available which we totally would've opted for. However, we were lucky enough to be hosted by Aplite House for the night.
Situated on 200 acres, Aplite is an architectural solar passive, solar powered home, built from Tasmanian materials. It was truely nothing I had ever experienced before. It was such an insane place to view sunset from and we just spent the evening taking it all in with homemade risotto and a fire.
DAY TWELVE.
FREYCINET NATIONAL PARK - HOBART (2.5hr drive)
It was our last day on the road and we were headed back to Hobart. We spent our last night in Tasmania back at The Luttrel - as it was only a 15 minute from the airport and we had an early flight to catch in the morning.
And that's a wrap - Tasmania is the perfect mix of nature, scenic hikes, abundant food markets, unique coastlines and cool towns. It was completely different to anywhere else I've been in Australia. Feel free to use this itinerary as a guide for your Tassie trip and let me know how it goes - I can't wait to go back!
For more Tasmania travel inspo, don’t miss my Tasmania Highlights (coming soon) post.