Getting around Hobart
With an efficient public transport system and a compact city centre, you’ll find it easy to get around Hobart.
By Mark Sariban
While Hobart is smaller than most of Australia’s major cities, it still has plenty of transport options for visitors including buses and cycling paths. Here’s how to move around this historic city.
Transport in Hobart
Salamanca Place, Hobart, Tasmania © Alastair Bett
To use the public bus network in Hobart, you can purchase a Metro Greencard or buy single tickets on board. Greencards are available from Greencard agents as well as the Metro Shop on Elizabeth Street in Hobart.
- Once you have a Greencard, you’ll receive a discount to your bus fares and a daily cap, which will be automatically applied when you travel.
- To start your ride, tap your card on the driver’s ticket machine when you board and make the driver aware of your destination.
Hobart is serviced by Hobart Airport (HBA), around a 15-minute drive from the city centre. There are several options for reaching the city from the airport.
- The SkyBus shuttle drops and collects passengers from selected stops in central Hobart, and the timetable meets all flights arriving and departing from Hobart Airport.
- You’ll find taxi ranks and rideshare pick-up areas at the front of each terminal – simply follow the signage.
In Australia, airlines, trains, buses and ferries have accessible options for people using mobility devices, as well as services for hearing and vision impaired travellers.
- Hobart Airport provides special assistance for people with disabilities and can help with baggage, getting around the airport, and getting on and off the plane.
- All of Hobart’s public buses are accessible: the driver can lower the bus and extend a ramp to the kerb to assist in boarding. Use the ‘Wheelchair accessible routes only’ option on the Trip Planner tool to ensure you can access bus services beyond central Hobart.
Tip: Download the City of Hobart’s handy mobility map to easily locate accessible toilets and car parks in the city. The map also shows streets with steep gradients and locations of audio tactile street crossings.
Getting around Hobart on public transport
Aerial of a yellow camouflage painted MR-II ferry to the Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart, Tasmania © MONA/Stu Gibson
Most buses in the Metro network will depart from Elizabeth Street (between Macquarie and Collins Streets) or Franklin Square. Use the Trip Planner tool or the Hobart Network guide to plan your route.
There are limited ferry services in Hobart. Derwent Ferries operates a service between Hobart’s Brooke Street Pier and Bellerive Pier at the historic harbourfront suburb of Bellerive. Use your Greencard to pay for the journey to Bellerive, which takes about 15 minutes. From Bellerive Pier you can follow the Bellerive Heritage Walk along the waterfront.
- If you’re planning on visiting Mona, the Museum of Old and New Art, you can catch a private ferry from Brooke Street Pier to the museum in Claremont. The journey takes 25 minutes. Note that the ferry wharf at Mona is not wheelchair accessible.
Getting around Hobart by car
Red Decker Company, Hobart, Tasmania © Tourism Australia
Hobart is a relatively compact city, so you may find it’s easier to explore the Tasmanian capital’s attractions without a car. If you do opt to rent a vehicle at the airport or in the city, you may want to check whether your hotel charges a daily parking fee.
- Hobart has a number of off-street car parks, some of which have electric vehicle charging stations.
Hobart is served by several taxi companies, including Hobart Taxi Cabs and 13cabs.
Tip: Female travellers can also book a ride with Shebah, a rideshare service with all-women drivers catering to women. (Adult men can use the service if they need to transport a child who requires an approved child safety seat.)
The Red Decker hop-on, hop-off double-decker bus is another great way to see Hobart’s city attractions. You can purchase a 24-hour or a 48-hour City Loop ticket, each allowing you to hop on and off at 20 stops.
- Red Decker also offers tours combining the City Loop with excursions to kunanyi/Mt Wellington, Richmond Village or Zoodoo Zoo.
Read next
Where to stay in Hobart
Other forms of transport in Hobart
Intercity Cycleway, Hobart to Glenorchy, Tasmania © Andrew Bain
National coach operator Gray Line offers half-day and full-day coach tours of Hobart’s main attractions.
- Hobart Historic Cruises operates two one-hour harbour cruises from central Hobart; the North route travels up Derwent River to Montagu Bay, while the South route travels downriver to Kangaroo Bay.
- Peppermint Bay Cruises offers river cruises from central Hobart on Fridays and Sundays, with lunch at Peppermint Bay Hotel.
Hobart has an extensive network of bike paths, including the Intercity Cycleway. This 15.6km (9.7mi) path follows the Derwent River from inner-city Sullivans Cove to the town of Claremont, north of Mona.
- Hire e-scooters, e-bikes and conventional bicycles from Hobart Bike Hire.
- Download an app from Beam or Neuron to access a pool of shared e-scooters at docking hubs across Hobart.
