Hobart doesn’t shout for attention; it doesn’t need to. With a 200-year-old harbour, a mountain that watches over the city, world-class art built underground, and wild island escapes just an hour away, it lets everything speak for itself. Australia’s second-oldest capital sits quietly on the banks of the River Derwent, delivering world-class food, stunning natural scenery, rich history, and a creative arts scene that attracts millions of visitors every year. If you’re planning a trip and looking for the best places to visit in Hobart, here are the six spots you simply cannot skip.
Sullivan’s Cove & the Waterfront
No Hobart travel guide is complete without starting at Sullivan’s Cove. A natural harbour sitting at the edge of Hobart’s city centre, right where the River Derwent meets the shore. It is the oldest and most historically significant part of the city, which is the exact spot where Lieutenant Governor David Collins landed on 21 February 1804 to establish what would become ‘Hobart’.
Today, the area stretches from Hunter Street in the north to Salamanca Place in the south, taking in Constitution Dock, Brooke Street Pier, Franklin Wharf and Elizabeth Street Pier. The old colonial bones of the precinct are still visible in the sandstone buildings lining the waterfront, many of which now house restaurants, bars, galleries, and maritime museums.
Getting there is straightforward — Sullivans Cove is just a two-minute walk east of Hobart’s CBD and well connected by local buses that stop at Franklin Square. The waterfront is best explored on foot, though if you want to truly appreciate the scale and beauty of the cove and the Derwent River, seeing it from the water is something else entirely. The Hobart river cruises are a relaxed and scenic way to do exactly that, giving you an unhurried view of the waterfront, the surrounding harbour, and the mountain rising behind the city.
Salamanca Market
Salamanca Market is an open-air weekend market held every Saturday along Salamanca Place, a historic street in Hobart’s waterfront precinct just a short walk south of Sullivan’s Cove. The name comes from the street itself, which was named after the Napoleonic War victory, the Battle of Salamanca, celebrated around the time Hobart’s sandstone warehouses were being built in the 1820s.
Running since 1972, the market hosts over 300 stalls at the base of those same beautifully preserved Georgian warehouses. This is where you come to taste and take home the best of Tasmania’s fresh oysters, local cheeses, sourdough, honey, berries, handmade crafts, and art prints, all in one place with live music setting the mood.
If you want an honest, local feel for Hobart in a single morning, this is it. Arrive before 9 AM, bring a reusable bag, and set aside at least two hours to explore the market.
Battery Point
Battery Point is Hobart’s first suburb and widely considered the best-preserved colonial-era neighbourhood in Australia. It sits immediately south of the CBD, roughly a 10-minute walk from the city centre.
The name comes from the Mulgrave Battery, a defence station established here in 1818 to guard the port. The guns are long gone, but the character of the area is remarkably intact.
As for whether it’s a tourist spot or a local one, well, it’s both. Locals genuinely love it here; the Shipwrights Arms Hotel, known simply as “Shippies,” has been pouring drinks since 1846 and remains a neighbourhood staple. But it’s not overrun by tourists either, which is exactly what makes it worth visiting. You get the history, the charm, and a rare sense that you’ve wandered somewhere real.
Mount Wellington (Kunanyi)
Kunanyi is the name given to this mountain by the Muwinina people, the Aboriginal Tasmanians who inhabited the Hobart region for thousands of years before European settlement.
The mountain stands 1,271 metres above sea level and is about 21 kilometres west of Hobart’s CBD, roughly a 30-minute drive. If you’re not driving, the kunanyi / Mount Wellington Explorer Bus runs directly from the waterfront to the summit. Those who prefer hiking can take one of several trails through fern forests and past the dramatic dolerite Organ Pipes rock formation on the eastern face.
The summit treats you to panoramic views across Hobart, the Derwent River, and on clear days, all the way to Bruny Island and the Tasman Peninsula. Pack a warm layer regardless of the season; conditions at the top change fast.
MONA – Museum of Old and New Art
MONA is the largest privately funded museum in the Southern Hemisphere and the institution that single-handedly put Hobart on the global cultural map. It opened in January 2011, funded entirely by David Walsh, a Hobart-born mathematician turned professional gambler who poured his fortune into building something the world hadn’t seen before. Walsh himself describes it as a “subversive adult Disneyland”, which is about as accurate a summary as you’ll find.
The museum sits on the Berriedale Peninsula, 12 kilometres north of the CBD, built three floors underground into a sandstone cliff. Inside, over 1,900 works spanning ancient antiquities and confronting contemporary installations challenge you at every turn. Entry is free for Tasmanians; interstate and international visitors pay admission.
Bruny Island
Bruny Island sits off the south-eastern coast of Tasmania, about 40 minutes south of Hobart by car, followed by a 20-minute vehicle ferry crossing from the small town of Kettering. Technically two islands — North and South Bruny which are joined by a narrow strip of land called The Neck, the island has a population of just 500 people and feels genuinely remote despite its proximity to the city.
The island is best known for its wildlife, dramatic dolerite sea cliffs, and exceptional local produce. White wallabies, little penguins, fur seals, and dolphins are all regularly spotted here. The Bruny Island Wilderness Cruise is one of the most popular ways to experience it, a three-hour eco-cruise out of Adventure Bay that takes you beneath towering cliffs, through sea caves, and past seal colonies. It is as close to untouched Tasmania as a day trip gets.
On land, stop at the Bruny Island Cheese Company and Get Shucked for fresh oysters straight from the channel.
Conclusion
Hobart is a city that reveals itself gradually. From the historic shores of Sullivan’s Cove to the wild coastline of Bruny Island, each place carries its own story, its own pace and its own reason to linger. The mountain watches over all of it, the market brings it to life every Saturday, and somewhere between Battery Point’s cobblestone lanes and the underground halls of MONA, most visitors realise they haven’t seen nearly enough. Hobart has that effect on people – are you ready to experience it’s quiet magic?
