Solo travel · Hobart · Australia
Solo travel in Hobart
How to enjoy Hobart at your own pace.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
Hobart is easy and friendly for solo travellers: small enough to walk, with social markets, bar seating in restaurants and plenty of tours to the wilderness areas that are hard to reach without a car. Many solo travellers base themselves in North Hobart.
Key facts
- Base
- North Hobart
- Getting around
- Walking
- Emergency number
- 000 (police, fire, ambulance)
- Language
- English
Solo travel tips
- Join small-group day tours to Port Arthur, Bruny Island or Mount Field if you are not hiring a car.
- North Hobart and the waterfront have hostels and good-value guesthouses.
- Tell someone your plans before walking on kunanyi; weather turns fast and phone reception can be patchy.
- Weekly trivia nights and live music in pubs are an easy way to meet locals.
Where to stay
$$ · Best for food lovers, nightlife, budget and solo travellers
North Hobart
The stretch of Elizabeth Street known locally as the Restaurant Strip has Thai, Indian, Italian and modern Australian restaurants side by side, plus the State Cinema with its rooftop bar and the Republic Bar for live music. It is about 1.5 km from the waterfront, an easy walk or short bus ride.
- Good
- Good-value dining; Local, lived-in feel; Lively evenings
- Watch out
- Few hotels, mostly apartments and guesthouses; Uphill walk back from the waterfront
- Nearby
- State Cinema, Elizabeth Street restaurants, North Hobart Oval
Great on your own
Museum · Berriedale
MONA – Museum of Old and New Art
Take the MONA ferry from Brooke Street Pier rather than the bus; the 25-minute ride up the Derwent is part of the experience.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Iconic
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Viewpoint · Wellington Park
kunanyi/Mount Wellington
Bring warm, windproof layers even in summer; the summit can be 10°C colder than the waterfront, and the road can close after snow.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Views
- Free
- Outdoors
- Nature
Historic site · Salamanca
Salamanca Place
Walk through the arched lanes into the Salamanca Arts Centre courtyard, which most visitors miss.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- After dark
Neighbourhood · Battery Point
Battery Point and Arthur Circus
Walk up Kelly's Steps from Salamanca, loop through Arthur Circus and come down via Princes Park for river views.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Couples
- Photo spot
Museum · Waterfront and CBD
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
Head first to the thylacine displays and the palawa gallery, then leave time for the colonial art upstairs.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Rainy day
- History
- Kids
- Art
Historic site · South Hobart
Cascade Brewery
Walk there along the Hobart Rivulet Track from the city, about 45 minutes, and take a bus back.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Food
- Architecture
Meeting people
- Sunday at Farm Gate Market — Bathurst Street's growers' market is the place to taste Tasmanian produce in one go: sourdough, berries, cheese, cured meats and small-batch spirits, with coffee carts and breakfast stalls.
- Dockside seafood — Order fish and chips or a dozen oysters from a floating punt at Constitution Dock and eat looking at the fishing boats.
- Salamanca Place — Pubs and wine bars in the sandstone warehouses, busiest on Friday and Saturday nights.
- North Hobart — The Republic Bar for live music, the State Cinema's rooftop bar and late-ish restaurants on Elizabeth Street.
Sensible precautions
Hobart is generally a low-stress city for visitors. The main risks are outdoors: sudden weather changes on kunanyi and walking tracks, cold water at the beaches and wildlife on rural roads after dark. Strong UV means sunburn happens quickly even on cool days.
- Emergency number
- 000 (police, fire, ambulance)
- Staying connected
- Mobile coverage is good in the city but patchy in national parks and on parts of Bruny Island and the Tasman Peninsula.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Hobart good for solo travellers?
Hobart is easy and friendly for solo travellers: small enough to walk, with social markets, bar seating in restaurants and plenty of tours to the wilderness areas that are hard to reach without a car.
+Where should solo travellers stay in Hobart?
North Hobart: A strip of restaurants, pubs and an art-house cinema on Elizabeth Street.