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Perth, Australia, top 10 things to do (Wimup travel guide)
Top 10OceaniaAustralia

Top 10 Things To Do in Perth

Country
Australia
Best months
Mar · Apr · Oct · Nov
Population
2.4M Greater Perth
Language
English
Budget / day
A$150–280
Quick answer

The best things to do in Perth are Kings Park, the ferry to Rottnest Island, Fremantle Prison and the port town around it, the WA Museum Boola Bardip, and an evening on the sand at Cottesloe. Give the city three days, add a fourth for Rottnest and a fifth for the Swan Valley or the Pinnacles. Travel in autumn (March to May) or spring (September to November).

Perth reads in two directions. Inland is the Swan River, the wine valley behind it and a 400 hectare park on the escarpment above the city. West is the Indian Ocean, a run of patrolled beaches and the ferry to Rottnest. Below are the ten experiences worth your time, plus the small bars, the beaches and the day trips that start within an hour of the centre.

The 10 best things to do in Perth

Walk the escarpment at Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Perth, Australia
1

Walk the escarpment at Kings Park and Botanic Garden

Park· Fraser Avenue, Perth WA 6005

Four hundred hectares on the ridge above the Swan River, and one of the largest inner city parks in the world. Much of it is left as bushland rather than lawn, and the botanic garden holds thousands of species from across the state. The Federation Walkway lifts onto a bridge suspended in the canopy. Fraser Avenue ends at the war memorial and the view.

Time2–3 hrs
CostFree
Best atLate afternoon
TipStart at the Fraser Avenue lookout and walk down through the botanic garden
Map↗ Website
Take the ferry to Rottnest Island, Perth, Australia
2

Take the ferry to Rottnest Island

Island· Thomson Bay, Rottnest Island WA 6161

Wadjemup sits about 23 kilometres off Fremantle, and it is the day most visitors remember. Sixty-three beaches and twenty bays around an island that is essentially car free, so the way around is a hired bike or your own legs. The quokkas are genuinely everywhere and unbothered. Ferries leave from Fremantle in 25 to 30 minutes.

TimeFull day
CostTicketed
Best atFirst ferry
TipBook the bike with the ferry ticket. There is no public car access on the island
Map↗ Website
Fremantle Prison, Perth, Australia (Wimup)
3

Tour Fremantle Prison

Historic site· 1 The Terrace, Fremantle WA 6160

Built by convicts in the 1850s and used as a prison for 136 years until 1991, this is Western Australia's only World Heritage listed building. Five tours cover it: the plain history, the darker end of it, and the Tunnels tour, which takes you 20 metres below in overalls, partly on foot and partly by punt through flooded passages.

Time2 hrs
CostTicketed
Best atMorning
TipThe Tunnels and Torchlight tours sell out. Book them before you travel
Map↗ Website
4

Spend a morning at the WA Museum Boola Bardip

Museum· Perth Cultural Centre, Northbridge WA 6000

The state museum reopened in November 2020 after a rebuild that wrapped new galleries around the heritage buildings on the Cultural Centre square. Boola Bardip means many stories, a name given by Whadjuk Noongar elders, and the eight permanent galleries carry that brief. The art gallery and PICA are two minutes away.

Time2 hrs
CostTicketed
Best atWeekday
TipCross the square to the Art Gallery afterwards. Its permanent collection is free
Map↗ Website
Eat and browse at the Fremantle Markets, Perth, Australia
5

Eat and browse at the Fremantle Markets

Market· 74 South Terrace, Fremantle WA 6160

The foundation stone went down in 1897 and the Federation Romanesque hall has been trading ever since, which makes it one of the oldest working markets in the country. More than 150 stalls fill the Hall, while the Yard behind handles produce and cooked food. It trades Friday to Sunday, so a Monday visit needs a different plan.

Time1–2 hrs
CostFree entry
Best atSaturday morning
TipClosed Monday to Thursday
Map↗ Website
Watch the gold pour at the Perth Mint, Perth, Australia
6

Watch the gold pour at the Perth Mint

Landmark· 310 Hay Street, East Perth WA 6004

The mint still works out of its original limestone building on Hay Street, and the reason to go is the live gold pour in the melting house, which runs on the hour. The exhibition holds the world's largest gold coin, a one tonne disc of pure gold, and a wall of bullion you are allowed to try to lift.

Time1 hr
CostTicketed
Best atMorning
TipTime your arrival for a pour. The tour is built around it
Map↗ Website
Perth Zoo, Perth, Australia (Wimup)
7

Cross to South Perth and Perth Zoo by ferry

Zoo· 20 Labouchere Road, South Perth WA 6151

The Transperth ferry crosses Perth Water from Elizabeth Quay to Mends Street Jetty in a few minutes on ordinary public transport ticketing, which makes it the cheapest boat ride with a skyline view in Australia. The zoo is a short walk up Mends Street on a site that has opened every day since 1898.

Time3 hrs
CostTicketed
Best atMorning
TipTake the ferry rather than the bus. It runs on the same Transperth fare
Map↗ Website
Climb or zip the Matagarup Bridge at Optus Stadium, Perth, Australia
8

Climb or zip the Matagarup Bridge at Optus Stadium

Landmark· Matagarup Bridge, Burswood WA 6100

The 370 metre pedestrian bridge from East Perth to the stadium is free to walk and worth it at dusk. The two paid versions are better: 314 steps up the arch to a platform 72 metres above the Swan, and a zip line that runs 400 metres across the river. Optus Stadium seats 60,000, so on a match night the walk over is part of the event.

Time2 hrs
CostFree to walk, climb ticketed
Best atSunset
TipThe climb and the zip line are booked separately from the stadium tour
Map↗ Website
Cottesloe Beach, Perth, Australia (Wimup)
9

Stay for sunset at Cottesloe Beach

Beach· Marine Parade, Cottesloe WA 6011

Perth faces west, so the sun goes down over the water rather than behind a headland, and Cottesloe is where the city watches it. The beach sits about 12 kilometres from the CBD, roughly 30 minutes by train and a ten minute walk down the hill. For three weeks in March the whole beach becomes the Sculpture by the Sea site.

Time2–3 hrs
CostFree
Best atSunset
TipSwim between the flags. The patrolled stretch is in front of the pavilion
Map↗ Town of Cottesloe
Walk Elizabeth Quay and the Bell Tower, Perth, Australia
10

Walk Elizabeth Quay and the Bell Tower

Landmark· Barrack Square, Riverside Drive, Perth WA 6000

The quay is the inlet cut back into Perth Water at the foot of Barrack Street, ringed by a pedestrian bridge, an island, a playground and a row of waterfront bars. Next to it stands the Bell Tower, built to house the Swan Bells. This is also the jetty for the South Perth ferry, so most Perth days start or end here.

Time1 hr
CostFree to walk, tower ticketed
Best atEvening
TipThe South Perth ferry leaves from the jetty on the eastern side
Map

8 of the 10, mapped

Perth · 8 spots
AllLandmarksMuseumsBeachesFree

Perth travel FAQ

How many days do you need in Perth?+
Three days covers the city: Kings Park and the centre, a day in Fremantle, and an afternoon at the beach. Add a fourth for Rottnest Island, which deserves the whole day, and a fifth if you want the Swan Valley or the drive north to the Pinnacles.
When is the best time to visit Perth?+
Autumn (March to May) and spring (September to November), when the days are warm and dry and the wildflowers are out at the spring end. Summer is hot and rainless, often above 30 degrees, and the afternoon sea breeze off the Indian Ocean is the reason anyone survives it. Winter is mild and wet by Australian standards.
How do you get to Rottnest Island?+
By ferry. The shortest crossing is from B Shed in Fremantle, about 25 to 30 minutes, and there are also services from Barrack Street Jetty and from Hillarys. Island admission is charged on top of the fare and is usually bundled into the ticket. Bikes can be hired with the booking, and there is no public car access.
Do you need a car in Perth?+
Not for the city. Trains reach Fremantle, the airport, Mandurah and the northern suburbs, the four CAT bus routes are free inside the centre, and the ferry to South Perth runs on the same ticket. A car only pays for itself on the day trips: the Pinnacles, the Avon Valley, Margaret River and Wave Rock.
Is Perth expensive?+
Budget A$150 to A$280 a day for a mid range trip, which is close to Adelaide and below Sydney. The cheap half of the city is the good half: the beaches, Kings Park and the CAT buses cost nothing, and the Art Gallery of Western Australia and the WA Shipwrecks Museum ask nothing for their permanent collections.
Where Perth eats

Best restaurants in Perth

Ten kitchens, from a rooftop on St Georges Terrace to a fish shed on the Fremantle harbour.
WildflowerState Buildings

Wildflower

Modern Australian · Dinner

A glasshouse on the roof of the State Buildings, with a menu built around the six Noongar seasons. The most formal dining room in the city and the one with the view.

Map
Long ChimState Buildings

Long Chim

Thai · Lunch and dinner

Thai street food in the basement of the same heritage block, loud and properly hot. Order the curries rather than playing safe with the noodles.

Map
State Buildings

Petition Kitchen

Modern Australian · All day

All day sharing plates on the ground floor, with a wine bar and a beer corner under the same roof, which makes it the easiest booking in the city centre.

Map
Perth CBD

Santini Bar & Grill

Italian · Dinner

Handmade pasta and a wood fire in an open kitchen, in a room designed to be looked at. Good for a table of four who cannot agree.

Map
Perth CBD

Lalla Rookh

Italian · Lunch and dinner

A basement bar and eating house that has been the office lunch and the late glass of Italian wine for years, with a cellar list that goes deep.

Map↗ Website
Subiaco

Lulu La Delizia

Pasta · Dinner

A small Subiaco room doing Friulian cooking and hand rolled pasta. Book, or plan to eat at the bar.

Map
Cottesloe

Il Lido

Italian · All day

An Italian canteen on Marine Parade across from the water, and the holder of Australia's best Italian wine list for 2025, with more than 100 labels behind the bar.

Map
Fremantle

Manuka Woodfire Kitchen

Woodfire · Dinner

Kenny McHardy cooks everything over wood, and the menu moves with the season rather than with the year. Small room, one fire, no hiding place.

Map
North Fremantle

Bib & Tucker

Seafood · All day

On the sand at Leighton with the Indian Ocean through the windows, which is the reason to book the late lunch rather than the dinner.

Map
Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour

Cicerello's

Fish and chips · All day

The harbour fish shed, and the standard place to meet Fremantle's bowl of chilli mussels. Order at the counter, eat at a long table over the water.

Map
After dark

Best small bars in Perth

Perth drinks in small rooms. Eight of the best, most of them behind an unmarked door.
Northbridge

Sneaky Tony's

Rum · Late

A dim prohibition era room off a laneway with a rum list in the hundreds. On the busiest nights the door wants a password, posted on the bar's own social channels.

Map
Perth CBD

Alfred's Pizzeria

Pizza and bourbon · Late

A former record shop turned neon lit pizza bar, with slices named after film and game characters and a bourbon shelf that takes itself more seriously than the menu does.

Map
King Street

Varnish on King

Whiskey · Evening

A basement on King Street built around American whiskey, with a short menu of smoked meat to go under it.

Map
Perth CBD

Helvetica

Cocktails · Evening

One of the first of the small bars, open since 2009 and hidden down a lane between the office towers. Soft lighting, whisky, and no sign worth looking for.

Map
Northbridge

Mechanics Institute

Rooftop · Evening

A first floor terrace above William Street and a repeat winner of best small bar at the Australian Bartender awards. The burger comes from the shop downstairs.

Map↗ Website
Northbridge

Lot Twenty

Beer garden · Evening

A courtyard rather than a room, on the corner of James and William beside the State Theatre Centre. The one to pick when there are six of you.

Map
Northbridge

Ezra Pound

Cocktails · Late

Off Williams Lane, small enough to fill with a dozen people, and one of the originals of the city's laneway drinking.

Map↗ Website
Perth CBD

Caballitos

Tequila · Late

Beneath the 1907 building on Queen Street, with frozen margaritas, tacos and a tequila list longer than the food menu.

Map
The Indian Ocean

Best beaches in Perth

Eight stretches of sand, sorted by what you want from the water. Cottesloe is in the Top 10 above.
Scarborough

Scarborough

Patrolled · Surf

The liveliest of the city beaches: patrolled surf, a beachside pool for lap swimmers and an esplanade of bars that can fill a half day without the water.

Map
City BeachCity Beach

City Beach

Patrolled · Family

Fifteen minutes from the CBD, wide and well kept, with waves gentle enough to learn on and a kitesurfing crowd further along the sand.

Map
TriggTrigg

Trigg

Surf · Experienced

The best beach break close to the city, and the one with the rips to match. Strong swimmers and surfers only.

Map
LeightonNorth Fremantle

Leighton

Kitesurfing · Wide

Soft white sand on the run between Fremantle and Cottesloe, wide enough that it never feels busy, and a fixture with kitesurfers when the afternoon breeze arrives.

Map
North Beach

Mettams Pool

Snorkelling · Calm

A shallow lagoon held behind a reef, which keeps the water flat and the fish close in. The standard first snorkel in Perth.

Map
Sorrento

Sorrento

Family · Calm

Sheltered water beside Hillarys Boat Harbour, with the aquarium and the harbour restaurants a few minutes away. Busy through the school holidays.

Map
South Fremantle

South Beach

Family · Calm

Grass, shade and a gentle shelf a few minutes south of the Fremantle cafes, which is why local families use it rather than the tourist stretches.

Map
Bathers BeachFremantle

Bathers Beach

In town · Sunset

The only beach inside Fremantle itself, tucked under the Round House on Arthur Head, with the working harbour in view and a bar on the sand.

Map
Collections

Best museums & galleries in Perth

Seven, split between the Cultural Centre square in the city and the Fremantle waterfront.
Art Gallery of Western AustraliaPerth Cultural Centre

Art Gallery of Western Australia

Art · Free entry

The state collection, strongest on Australian and Western Australian art and on work by Aboriginal artists. The permanent collection is free.

Map↗ Website
Northbridge

WA Museum Boola Bardip

State museum · Ticketed

Eight permanent galleries on the state's Aboriginal history, natural history and industry, in a rebuild that wrapped new wings around the heritage buildings.

Map↗ Website
Fremantle

WA Shipwrecks Museum

Maritime · Free entry

The hull timbers and relics of the Batavia, wrecked off the coast in 1629, in what is called the foremost maritime archaeology museum in the southern hemisphere.

Map↗ Website
WA Maritime MuseumVictoria Quay

WA Maritime Museum

Maritime · Ticketed

The modern half of the story, on the quay above the working harbour, built around Australia II and the boats that made the state a sailing one.

Map↗ Website
PICAPerth Cultural Centre

PICA

Contemporary art · Free entry

The Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, in an 1896 school building on the Cultural Centre square, running exhibitions, dance and performance year round.

Map↗ Website
Walyalup Fremantle Arts CentreFremantle

Walyalup Fremantle Arts Centre

Art and music · Free entry

A gothic heritage building on four acres, with free exhibitions inside and a courtyard that runs live music through the warm months.

Map↗ Website
ScitechWest Perth

Scitech

Science · Ticketed

Six interactive galleries and Australasia's largest planetarium, which is the answer to a wet afternoon with children in tow.

Map↗ Website
Where to spend a day

Best neighbourhoods in Perth

Seven parts of the city, each worth an afternoon on its own terms.
FremantleFremantle

Fremantle

Port town · 30 min by train

A working port with a Victorian West End that survived intact, the markets, the prison and the maritime museums. Half a day at least, and the easiest train ride here.

Map
NorthbridgeNorthbridge

Northbridge

Nightlife · Cultural Centre

Immediately north of the railway, and the city's late quarter: the Cultural Centre square, William Street's Asian kitchens and most of the small bars in this guide.

Map
LeedervilleLeederville

Leederville

Cafes · Independent shops

Oxford Street in a few blocks: record shops, a bookshop, gelato, casual dining and the art house cinema. Ten minutes from the centre on the Joondalup line.

Map
Mount LawleyMount Lawley

Mount Lawley

Dining · Live music

Beaufort Street through leafy streets of federation houses, with the dining and small live music rooms that come with a student population next door.

Map
SubiacoSubiaco

Subiaco

Boutiques · Restaurants

Tree lined and unhurried, with the restaurants that Perth books for a birthday and a Saturday market building at its centre.

Map
Scarborough

Scarborough

Beachside · Surf

The beach suburb that rebuilt its foreshore: a pool, a skate park, an esplanade of food, and the surf directly in front of it.

Map
South PerthSouth Perth

South Perth

River views · Zoo

Across Perth Water from the city, reached by ferry in a few minutes. Mends Street, the foreshore path and the view of the skyline that ends up on every postcard.

Map
Out of town

Best day trips in Perth

Eight trips from the city, from a 30 minute drive to a long day each way. Rottnest is in the Top 10 above.
Swan ValleySwan Valley

Swan Valley

Wine · 25 km north east

Western Australia's oldest wine region and Australia's second oldest. Vines went in at Olive Farm in 1829, and the valley now runs to breweries and distilleries too.

Map
Cervantes

The Pinnacles

Desert · Nambung National Park

Thousands of limestone spires standing out of yellow sand in Nambung National Park, about 250 kilometres north. Go for late afternoon, when the shadows do the work.

Map
Penguin IslandShoalwater

Penguin Island

Wildlife · 45 min south

A small island in the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park, a short ferry from Rockingham, with little penguins and clear shallow water. Closed in the breeding season.

Map
Yanchep National ParkYanchep

Yanchep National Park

Bush · 40 min north

Koalas on a boardwalk, limestone caves under the park and a lake with black swans on it, about 50 kilometres north of the city.

Map
Margaret RiverMargaret River

Margaret River

Wine and surf · 3 hrs south

The state's best known wine region, with caves, tall forest and world class surf on the same peninsula. Three hours each way makes it an easy overnight.

Map
MandurahMandurah

Mandurah

Estuary · 1 hr south

A canal city on the Peel estuary, reachable on the Mandurah line, known for dolphins in the waterways and for the blue swimmer crabs that come out of them.

Map
YorkYork

York

Heritage town · Avon Valley

The oldest inland town in Western Australia, about 100 kilometres east over the Darling Scarp, with a main street of 19th century buildings still in use.

Map
Hyden

Wave Rock

Granite · Hyden

A 15 metre granite wall shaped like a breaking wave, striped by mineral run off, about 340 kilometres east at Hyden. Usually better as an overnight.

Map
Bush and water

Best parks & nature in Perth

Six green places beyond Kings Park, all within an hour of the centre.
Bold ParkCity Beach

Bold Park

Bushland · City Beach

437 hectares of coastal bushland around Reabold Hill, with a walk to a lookout over the ocean on one side and the city on the other.

Map
Wembley

Lake Monger

Black swans · 10 min from the CBD

The easiest place in Perth to stand near the black swans the colony was named for, on a flat path around the water.

Map
Herdsman

Herdsman Lake

Wetland · Birdwatching

A wetland in the middle of the suburbs with boardwalks, hides and more than 100 recorded bird species.

Map
Crawley

Matilda Bay

Riverside · Picnics

Grass running down to the Swan below the university, with the view back to the skyline and the Kings Park escarpment. The classic Perth picnic.

Map
John Forrest National ParkDarling Scarp

John Forrest National Park

Jarrah forest · 24 km east

Western Australia's first national park, proclaimed in 1900, in jarrah forest on the Darling Scarp, with a rail trail through it and falls that run after winter rain.

Map
Whiteman ParkWhiteman

Whiteman Park

Wildlife · Trams

Bush parkland north east of the city with a wildlife park, heritage tram and train rides, and guided night walks to find the nocturnal animals.

Map
What's on

Festivals & annual events in Perth (2026)

Time your trip around the city's biggest dates.
Jan – Feb

Fringe World

An open access festival across the city and Northbridge, with more than 600 shows in over 100 venues.

Feb – Mar

Perth Festival

The state's flagship arts festival: theatre, music, film and visual art across the city, with a third of it free.

Mar

Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe

Seventy sculptures installed along the sand and the lawn at Cottesloe. The 2026 exhibition, its 21st, ran from 6 to 23 March.

Apr

Lotterywest Boorloo Heritage Festival

A month of tours, talks and open house days across the City of Perth, built around the heritage of Boorloo.

Jun – Jul

Lightscape at Kings Park

A 1.8 kilometre light trail through the Botanic Garden after dark, by international and local artists.

Sep – Oct

Everlasting Kings Park Festival

Wildflower season in the Western Australian Botanic Garden, with walks, talks and displays.

Sep – Oct

Perth Royal Show

Eight days of agriculture, showbags, rides and competitions at Claremont Showground each spring.

Nov – Dec

Christmas Lights Trail

The City of Perth strings light displays and building projections through the centre from late November.

Getting around

Perth transport & airports

How to arrive and move around the city.
PER

Perth Airport

About 15 kilometres east of the centre, with four terminals in two precincts. The Airport line opened in 2022: Airport Central sits 250 metres from terminals 1 and 2.

Map↗ Transperth
Train

Trains

Transperth trains radiate from Perth Underground to Fremantle, the suburbs, Mandurah and the airport. Pay with a SmartRider, and travel inside the Free Transit Zone costs nothing.

↗ Plan a journey
Free

Free CAT buses

Four Central Area Transit routes circle the city centre and are free to ride. Fremantle runs its own free CAT, the easiest way between the station, the markets and the prison.

↗ CAT services
Ferry

Ferries and driving

Transperth ferries cross Perth Water between Elizabeth Quay and Mends Street on ordinary fares. A car earns its keep only for the Pinnacles, the Avon Valley and Margaret River.

↗ Rottnest Island
Traditional food

Must-try dishes in Perth, Australia

The classics to order before you leave.
Chilli mussels, Perth (Wimup travel guide)

Chilli mussels

Black mussels in a tomato and chilli broth with bread to finish. The dish Fremantle has made its own.

Western rock lobster, Perth (Wimup travel guide)

Western rock lobster

The state's largest wild fishery, treated plainly: split, grilled, garlic butter, nothing else.

Exmouth prawns, Perth (Wimup travel guide)

Exmouth prawns

Wild prawns trawled off the north west coast, sold through Perth fishmongers and cooked simply.

Rottnest Island scallops, Perth (Wimup travel guide)

Rottnest Island scallops

Dived and dredged off the island, usually served in the half shell with very little done to them.

Manjimup black truffle, Perth (Wimup travel guide)

Manjimup black truffle

Western Australia grows about 80 per cent of Australia's truffles, and Perth shaves them over winter menus.

Marron

A freshwater crayfish from the forests of the south west, farmed and wild, sweeter and firmer than a yabby.

Mandurah blue swimmer crab

From the Peel estuary an hour south, and a summer ritual in Perth households. Ordered in chilli or plain.

Pearl meat

The adductor muscle of the Broome pearl oyster, sliced thin and barely cooked. A north west product.

Perth fact sheet

Perth at a glance

The essentials worth knowing before you go.
Country
Australia
Region
Western Australia
Population
2.4M Greater Perth
Founded
1829 · Whadjuk Noongar land long before
Nickname
City of Light
Language
English
Currency
Australian dollar (A$)
Time zone
AWST · UTC+8
Calling code
+61 8
Airports
PER
Power
230V · Type I
Emergency
000
Ideal length
4 days
Getting around
Trains, free CAT buses & ferries
Tourism board
Official site

Interesting facts

  • Perth is the sunniest of Australia's capital cities, averaging about 8.8 hours of sunshine a day and roughly 3,200 hours a year.
  • Whadjuk Noongar people know the ground the city stands on as Boorloo, and have lived in the south west for more than 35,000 years.
  • Kings Park covers 400 hectares above the Swan and is one of the largest inner city parks in the world, much of it left as bushland.
  • Gija Jumulu, the boab in Kings Park, weighs 36 tonnes, is estimated at 750 years old and was moved 3,200 kilometres from the Kimberley.
  • Vines were planted in the Swan Valley in 1829, the year the colony was founded, which makes it Australia's second oldest wine region.

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Photo credits (19)