1Hobart, kunanyi / Mount Wellington and MONA
Base · 1–5 nights
Tasmania’s most useful opening or closing base: harbour warehouses, serious dining, MONA and the weather-whipped summit of kunanyi. Give it at least three nights rather than treating it as an airport stop.
Freycinet, Coles Bay and Bicheno
Base · 2 nights
The east coast’s essential stop for Wineglass Bay, the Hazards, oysters and beaches. Stay in Coles Bay or Bicheno; commuting from Hobart or Launceston burns the day you came to enjoy.
Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park
Base · 2 nights
This is the mountain stay that earns its reputation: Dove Lake, alpine weather, wildlife and walks ranging from easy circuits to the Overland Track. Book one or two nights near the park, because a day return from either city is bad planning.
4Tasman Peninsula
Short stop · 1 night
Come for Port Arthur’s convict history and the sea cliffs around Cape Hauy, Cape Pillar and Cape Raoul. An overnight lets you pair history with a real coastal walk instead of rushing both from Hobart.
Launceston and Tamar Valley
Base · 2 nights
Launceston is the practical northern base for Cataract Gorge and the Tamar’s cellar doors, particularly sparkling-wine producers around Pipers Brook. Two nights is usually enough unless wine touring and dining are the point of the trip.
6Bruny Island
Short stop · 1 night
A compact mix of wild coast, oysters, cheese, honey, whisky and excellent boat trips, reached by ferry south of Hobart. It works as a long day, but an overnight is the better call for South Bruny walks and dusk wildlife.
St Helens and Bay of Fires
Base · 2 nights
Base in St Helens or Binalong Bay for broad white beaches, orange-granite headlands and an intentionally slow beach break. Give it two nights; it is too far from Hobart to justify as a hurried add-on.
Strahan, Queenstown and the west coast
Short stop · 1 night
Tasmania’s moodier side: rainforest, Macquarie Harbour, Huon-pine history, the wilderness railway and Queenstown’s mining-scarred hills. Build it into a west-coast loop and expect weather to dictate the day.
Huon Valley, Far South and Mount Field
The south’s slower food-and-forest country, with orchard towns, cider, farm gates, tall forest and Russell Falls. Choose one valley or park day at a time; trying to cover every attraction becomes pure driving.
Derby and the north-east forests
Derby is a legitimate mountain-bike destination, not a token stop on the way to somewhere else. Non-riders can enjoy a quiet forest overnight, but riders should budget several days.
Stanley, the north-west coast and Tarkine edge
A strong second-trip extension for Stanley’s Nut, dairy country, seafood and increasingly wild roads toward Arthur River. It makes most sense when arriving by ferry or linking Cradle and the west coast, not as a detour from Hobart.
12Flinders Island
A separate Bass Strait trip of granite peaks, empty beaches and serious solitude, reached by flight rather than a quick detour. Stay three to five nights and go for walking and isolation, not a packed dining itinerary.
Sample routes
Classic first visit: Hobart to Launceston
7 nightsHobart, kunanyi / Mount Wellington and MONA (2 nights) → Tasman Peninsula (1 night) → Freycinet, Coles Bay and Bicheno (2 nights) → Launceston and Tamar Valley (2 nights)
The cleanest short self-drive for a first visit: Hobart’s art and food, Port Arthur and cliffs, then Wineglass Bay before finishing with Cataract Gorge and Tamar wine. It deliberately skips Cradle Mountain rather than reducing it to a punishing detour.
Plan this routeFirst-timer’s best route: east coast and Cradle
10 nightsHobart, kunanyi / Mount Wellington and MONA (2 nights) → Bruny Island (1 night) → Tasman Peninsula (1 night) → Freycinet, Coles Bay and Bicheno (2 nights) → Launceston and Tamar Valley (2 nights) → Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park (2 nights)
This is the strongest all-round first Tasmania itinerary if you have 10 nights and a car. It gives Bruny, Freycinet and Cradle enough time to be actual stays, not long drives with a photograph at the end.
Plan this routeThe full first loop: coast, mountains and west coast
14 nightsHobart, kunanyi / Mount Wellington and MONA (3 nights) → Bruny Island (1 night) → Tasman Peninsula (1 night) → Freycinet, Coles Bay and Bicheno (2 nights) → St Helens and Bay of Fires (2 nights) → Launceston and Tamar Valley (2 nights) → Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park (2 nights) → Strahan, Queenstown and the west coast (1 night) → Hobart, kunanyi / Mount Wellington and MONA (1 night)
For travelers who want Tasmania’s major contrasts rather than a relaxed holiday: polished east-coast beaches, alpine Cradle, and the wet, mining-shaped west. It is busy but workable; treat the Cradle–Strahan and Strahan–Hobart drives as full travel days, not gaps to fill with extra attractions.
Plan this routeHobart without a car
5 nightsHobart, kunanyi / Mount Wellington and MONA (5 nights)
The right short, car-free Tasmania trip. Use Hobart as a real base and take organised day trips or ferries to MONA, Bruny Island and the Tasman Peninsula; trying to add the east coast or Cradle without a car turns the trip into logistics.
Plan this route