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Port Arthur Full-day Guided Tour with Harbour Cruise and Tasman National Park

Badge of ExcellenceHobart, Australia

9 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Take the day to fully explore Port Arthur with a guided tour of all the history of this former convict site, followed by a cruise. You’ll see the ruins and restored buildings, and the surrounding natural beauty of the Tasman National Park on this day out. When finished exploring the port, you can hop aboard your vessel, and sit back and relax as you make your way to visit the Isle of the Dead.

Hotel pick up and drop off are included
Wifi on board the air conditioned vehicles
The guided Port Arthur Historic Site tour is included
Relax on the Harbor Tour, which lasts approximately a half hour

What's Included

Admission to Port Arthur Historic Site
30-minute Harbour Cruise around Isle of the Dead
Visit to Historic Richmond for photo opportunities
Opportunity to explore Remarkable Caves and stunning Maingon Bay Lookout
Air-conditioned vehicle
Hotel pick-up and drop-off

Gratuities
Food and drinks

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Mona Brooke Ferry Terminal
Franklin Whrf, Hobart TAS 7000, Australia
Brooke St Pier, 12 Franklin Wharf, Hobart TAS. Please check-in at the Day Tours desk inside the pier building.

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

08:45 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

Hotel pick-ups commence approximately 40 minutes before listed start time/tour departure time. If you selected a hotel pick-up, you will receive a separate email from the tour operator. Please check your emails for the confirmed hotel pick-up time. You will receive the email within 24hrs of booking. For bookings made after closing time for the following day, you will receive your email confirming pick up details the following morning, at least 2 hrs prior to departure. Please be waiting at your hotel pick-up location 5 mins prior to your confirmed pick-up time. Not all pick-up locations are directly at the hotel. The exact pick-up location will be provided in the email sent from the tour operator. If a hotel has not been selected, your pick-up will be confirmed as Brooke St Pier, 12 Franklin Wharf, Hobart (central departure point) at 8.30am.

What To Expect

Richmond

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Pirates Bay/Eaglehawk Neck

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Port Arthur Historic Site

4 hours 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Remarkable Cave

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Tasmanian Chocolate Foundry

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation

Infants must sit on laps
Infant seats available
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 100 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

331 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 331 reviews

Past and present inhumanity explored

Mary_R, Apr 2024

Vast coverage during a day of bright sunshine on some of the darkest events in Port Arthur during the past three centuries. The deeply moving reminders of the recent horror were set against the confusion and inhumanity of the prison life. Simply unforgettable. Bus driver Hugo brought his extensive knowledge of the surrounding area to life. His puns would have had him sentenced for 5 years minimum.

Amazing and awesome tour

Jennifer_P, Apr 2024

I gave this tour as a wedding present for my brother and his wife. They expressed the it was fantastic and very interesting and loved the sight seeing. I would recommend it. Thank you for making their experience so wonderful.

Hobart tours

Columbus_D, Apr 2024

The Port Arthur site visit is truly an excellent experience...viewing all those remnants, ruined structures in the past. However, the harbour cruise was pretty boring to me as there was not much to see.

Great day trip.

Vicki_B, Apr 2024

Port Arthur is the most stunning place. Not what we were expecting. The layout, information and fantastic restoration made for a 5 star visit. All the other stops and points of interest were great too. Mark the driver was a wealth of information and a very nice guy.

Would recommend it to our friends

Anne_D, Apr 2024

Hugo our fantastic bus driver made our tour come to life. He had fantastic knowledge of our trip and of Hobart and its history in general. He was very funny and friendly. Port Arthur was both interesting and sad. The added cave and Richmond bridge were just a highlight. We loved the trip and Hugo made it even better.

Good, however rushed.

Gabrielle_D, Apr 2024

It was a great day, our bus driver was lovely. However, the day felt very rushed. Could have had an earlier pickup to ensure we had enough time at Port Arthur.

Awesome

Jenny_P, Apr 2024

Phill was awesome.. very knowledgeable and loved his quirky jokes.. well worth more money.. thanks Phill for your hospitality and tour 👍👍

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you, Jenny. We will enjoy sharing your review with Phil. He will love it (and so do we!) Thanks again. We are so pleased you enjoyed your day.

Good

Henry_W, Apr 2024

Such a nice tour, really enjoyed the knowledge end local knowledge of the bus driver. Bus journey and timetable well planned

Disappointing unfortunately

Jason_R, Apr 2024

Was expecting a full day tour as the title suggests but had very little time at Port Arthur, was very disappointed. Left Hobart after 0900 and with very quick toilet stops, git to Port Arthur approximately 1115 and needed to be back on the bus to return to Hobart by 1520, no where near enough time!

Great day out

Deborah_O, Apr 2024

Loved all the stops and the bus driver, Mark, was very knowledgeable and helpful. The optional visit to Remarkable Caves is well worth the journey. Beautiful scenery 👌.

Amazing

Nerissa_L, Mar 2024

Everything was awesome and memorable. Learned much about life during those times in Port Arthur. Will recommend to family and friends.

A great day.

Cheryl_C, Mar 2024

Darren the driver/guide was a cheerful person who gave a most interesting commentary. He was very helpful, explained things well and happy to answer questions.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Hi Cheryl, It is great to hear you enjoyed your day spent with Darren. We appreciate you taking the time to leave us a review. We hope to see you on board again in the future.

Port Arthur and more.

Jonathan_B, Mar 2024

A long but interesting day. Hugo the driver was great . He made a few extra stops and was very entertaining.

Not a good tour for us

Guy_B, Mar 2024

This tour was not as described. First, after booking and booking pick up, we received a message that we would not be picked up, and would have to make our own way to the pick up point. From the website: “Hotel pick up and drop off are included”. Not for us. The bus picked up a full load elsewhere, and we were left with the worst seats on the bus for the entire trip. The seats were horrible and cramped, with our knees jammed into the back of the seats in front. Then, the tour skipped the Pirates Cove stop. That was promised on the website. All the stops out were hurried, or indeed skipped, as the company had booked passengers on a second trip on our bus that had to make a connection, so all of the people on our tour were inconvenienced. From the website: “The guided Port Arthur Historic Site tour is included”. That is incorrect. There was no guided tour of Port Arthur on this trip. That is what we paid a premium for, and not received. Then, the driver’s microphone stopped working, and we were unable to hear any of the commentary on the two hour trip back. This was a terrible tour. I do not recommend it. Port Arthur was lovely. I suggest a different tour, though.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

On the 5th March 2024 at 08.23am the day you booked our tour we sent you a confirmation with the pickup details for the tour on the 17th March. We clearly stated that the pickup for Lenna was from our day tour central departure point Brooke Street pier at 08.30am. This location is a 600 metre – 7 minute walk from your accommodation. 14 other guests made it to Brooke Street on time. It is not possible to get a large tour coach into the street Lenna is located at. It’s unfortunate that you arrive late at the departure point hence the limited seat selection. Our tour vehicle was a large tour coach with ample leg room. We operate some of the best tour vehicles to Port Arthur that are comfortable, spacious and have great viewing. Pirates Bay is a viewing stop, not a cove and is purely a stop for the view. The viewing stop was included and as our driver guide mentioned on the day it was a difficult stop due to motor homes parked in the bus area! No other company had booked guests on our tour and nothing was left out of the tour. Following our complimentary hotel pickups, the journey to Port Arthur includes personalised, guided commentary by our guides and also includes a short stop at Richmond (guided) . On arrival at Port Arthur, our guide provides all guests with the historic site entry tickets (no lining up, pre-arranged tickets) before providing introductory information about the site, where to best use your time, and directions to the various guided talks around the site. Following this time, our guests partake in a guided harbour cruise within Port Arthur. After the cruise there is time for our guests to wander around the site, purchase lunch, or partake in another guided talk (approx.. 1hr free time). At 2.30pm, our coach departs Port Arthur for Remarkable Caves, a guided experience. (optional side trip) Those who prefer to stay at Port Arthur can do so. At 3.20pm, our coach departs Port Arthur for the return journey to Hobart, with stops at the Tasmania Chocolate Foundry and a stop at Tasman National Park (guided). Throughout the day, our guides provided guided commentary, guided information about the various stops, and guided information at the appropriate places. They are available all day for directions, information, and to best assist our guests to ensure they have memorable and enjoyable experiences. We do not provide commentary on the return to Hobart after the stop at the Tasman National Park. We believe by this point our guests have taken in a lot of information during the day at like to sit back, relax and enjoy the journey back to Hobart.

A slice of unvarnished history

Jane_C, Mar 2024

Colin - our bus driver was very knowledgeable and humourous. This added so much depth to our journey and viewing of Port Arthur

Disappointing

Tina_M, Mar 2024

Wasn't allowed to eat or have tea / coffee on the bus, which was the first time I experienced this on a day tour. It's a long time travelling, so being able to refuel is important. Some of us had to throw out our unfinished ice-creams at one of the stops because we weren't allowed them on the bus and were only allocated 10mins at that stop - not enough time for all passengers to be served and eat. It was a waste of our money. Not really impressed with the tour guide.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Hello Tina Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. Apart from your disappointment regarding our policy regarding hot drinks and food in our vehicles, I hope you enjoyed our tour. I believe you are referring to our brief stop at the chocolate foundry at the end of the day. Yes, the stop is brief. We allow 15 minutes to be able to purchase some of the amazing products at the shop. We do need to limit the time as the journey back to Hobart takes around 1.5hrs, some guests have dinner arrangements and some have flights to catch. No food or hot drinks on tour coaches is very common in our industry. Unlike airlines, it is difficult to know the conditions ahead (rough road conditions, vehicles pulling out in front of our coach, wildlife on the road etc) therefore no hot drinks are purely for our guests' safety and for no other reason. Small snacks are ok although sticky or strong smelling foods are not allowed for the comfort of all on board the tour vehicle.

Great well organised tour.

Geoff_M, Mar 2024

Whole day was an eye opening experience. Our driver Barry was excellent as were the staff at Port Arthur. If you have mobility issues they did have "golf carts" to drive you to the main points of interest. The visit to Tasman Arch was well worth the little detour. Be aware that at the chocolate factory you can't take ice creams back on the bus so please don't do as one very rude young lady did to us and hold us up for nearly 15 mins. Highly recommend this tour.

Great day out

Beverley_J, Mar 2024

Fantastic day, hosted by our wonderful driver and guide Evan. My Daughter and I loved the tour. Evan was so informative. Highly recommend this tour Port Arthur amazing

Port Arthuer Guided Your

Peter_B, Mar 2024

The Full Day Guided Tour was really enjoyable. The bus driver was informative and funny. He was able to keep the group entertained and moving so that we got some extra points of interest in the tour

After the tour & through...

Ching_D, Mar 2024

After the tour & through an enquiry, I was told by Grayline Tas company that this is no longer a GUIDED TOUR ! She explained that Viator should have changed their advertising online to make passengers aware of the change. I booked for my visitors but it is just as easy for local residents to take visitors to the site & wonder round themselves for less cost in the future. So Guided tour is a false advertising !

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We provided what is known to be Tasmania's best guided coach tour to Port Arthur with the maximum amount of time, inclusions, and guided experiences. No other coach tour to Port Arthur provides what we do. I have checked our listing on Viator and it is correct, not misleading or false. It appears your guests may not have understood the details provided by our guide on the day with regards to the order of the day. Following our complimentary hotel pickups, the journey to Port Arthur includes personalised, guided commentary by our guides and also includes a short stop at Richmond (guided) and Pirates Bay Lookout (guided). On arrival at Port Arthur, our guide provides all guests with the historic site entry tickets (no lining up, pre-arranged tickets) before providing introductory information about the site, where to best use your time, and directions to the various guided talks around the site. Following this time, our guests partake in a guided harbour cruise within Port Arthur. After the cruise, yes, there is time for our guests to wander around the site, purchase lunch, or partake in another guided talk (approx.. 1hr free time). At 2.30pm, our coach departs Port Arthur for Remarkable Caves, a guided experience. (optional side trip) Those who prefer to stay at Port Arthur can do so. At 3.20pm, our coach departs Port Arthur for the return journey to Hobart, with stops at the Tasmania Chocolate Foundry and a stop at Tasman National Park (guided). Throughout the day, our guides provided guided commentary, guided information about the various stops, and guided information at the appropriate places. They are available all day for directions, information, and to best assist our guests to ensure they have memorable and enjoyable experiences. If you would like to contact us directly, we are more than happy to provide the tour again and ensure that your guests fully understand the order of the day so that they can best utilise their time on our Port Arthur full-day fully guided tour from Hobart.

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