One day in Perth

Day by day

1. Day 1: Kings Park and Botanic Garden and Fremantle Prison

   Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Fremantle Prison, Cottesloe Beach and Elizabeth Quay and the Bell Tower, then Matagarup Bridge and Optus Stadium in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Kings Park and Botanic Garden

      Watch sunset from the State War Memorial lookout, where the city lights come on across the river. Allow Half a day.

   2. Late morning

      Fremantle Prison

      Book the Tunnels Tour ahead; it is the most memorable option and runs in small groups. Allow 1.5–2.5 hours.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Western rock lobster

      Seafood restaurants in Fremantle and Hillarys, and seafood markets selling cooked lobster.

   4. Afternoon

      Cottesloe Beach

      Swim in the morning before the afternoon sea breeze — the 'Fremantle Doctor' — roughens the water. Allow Half a day.

   5. Late afternoon

      Elizabeth Quay and the Bell Tower

      Climb the Bell Tower for river views, then catch the ferry across to South Perth for the skyline from the other side. Allow 1–2 hours.

   6. Evening

      Matagarup Bridge and Optus Stadium

      Walk across at sunset, or catch an AFL match at the stadium between March and September.

Before you go

• Fremantle Prison: Tunnels and night tours are limited and often sell out; reserve online.

If it rains

• Swap in WA Museum Boola Bardip (Northbridge): Start in the Ngalang Koort Boodja gallery on First Nations stories before moving to the natural-history halls.
• Swap in Art Gallery of Western Australia (Northbridge): Pair it with WA Museum Boola Bardip across the plaza for a rainy or very hot afternoon.
• Swap in WA Maritime Museum (Fremantle): The nearby WA Shipwrecks Museum displays timbers from the Dutch ship Batavia, wrecked in 1629 — worth adding on the same visit.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 10–14 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 10.1 hours in June to 14.2 hours in December, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Train. Transperth trains run from Perth station to Fremantle (via Subiaco and Cottesloe), Joondalup, Mandurah, Midland, Armadale and the airport.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Perth
• 3 days in Perth
• 5 days in Perth

Questions travellers ask