Things to do in Perth, Western Australia

There are plenty of great things to do in Perth, although the Western Australian capital is best when you venture from the city centre. Top attractions in Perth include Kings Park, Swan River cruises, Rottnest Island, Fremantle heritage buildings, Perth Mint and Wolf Lane street art.

The first thing you notice about Perth is the light. The Western Australian capital seems permanently bathed in gleaming, bright sunshine. It makes the Swan River sparkle and the skyscrapers dazzle.

As an introduction to Australia, this is pretty darned good. Which is handy, as the only direct flights from the UK to Australia land in Perth.

DON’T MISS OUT! 9 fabulous Perth experiences to book today ✅

✅ See the Rottnest Island quokkas the smart way – with a ferry and bike package.
✅ Be amazed by the abundant wildlife – on a dolphin, penguin and sealion cruise.
✅ See clear night skies in a moon-like desert – on a Pinnacles stargazing experience.
✅ Indulge in chocolate, cheese & premium wines – on a Swan Valley food and wine tour.
✅ See the city sunset from the water – on a Swan River dinner cruise.
✅ Watch gold being melted and poured – on a Perth Mint gold tour.
✅ Combine nature with imperious city views – on Kings Park Segway tour.
✅ Face your fears and get the thrill of your life on a – on a 15,000ft skydive.
✅ Find all the best hidden hangouts – on a small bar and street art tour.

Best attractions in Perth

The best place to brush off that jetlag is Kings Park. Long Perth’s crowning glory, Kings Park is four square kilometres of green majesty on a perch above the Swan River. There are some tremendous views of Perth from here.

View of Perth city centre from Kings Park. By David Whitley/ Australia Travel Questions.

Big swathes of Kings Park are semi-wild native bushland with walking tracks. While the more primped sections include a treetop walkway and the Botanic Gardens. This showcases rare Western Australian plants – and explains traditional indigenous uses for them. There are free-to-use public barbecues at the northern end of the park, if you fancy an al-fresco lunch.

Perth has undergone some serious renovation in the last decade, with two major new focal hubs created. Yagan Square links the city centre to cultural and nightlife hub Northbridge. A giant cylindrical video screen and the Market Hall are the eye-catchers here. The latter is a posh food hall – try tasting native Australian ingredients at Maalinup Bush Foods.

5 great day trips from Perth – make your visit special

Rottnest Island ferry transfer – with bike hire and snorkelling gear. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Pinnacles desert – with koalas 🐨 and sandboarding.
Wave Rock day tour – with wildflowers & Aboriginal culture.
Margaret River wineries experience 🍷 – with tastings, caves & Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse.
Full day Swan Valley wine tour 🍷– with lunch.

The other major new addition is Elizabeth Quay, next to the Perth Bell Tower at Barrack Square. Here, public art, food and drink and new hotels mingle. Segway tours and Swan River cruises depart from here. The Little Ferry Company does hop-on, hop-off cruises in near silent, solar-powered boats. The route heads upstream past the brand new 60,000-seater Optus Stadium. Keep an eye out for the resident black swans and dolphins, plus the kangaroos on Heirisson Island and bridge-climbers on Matagarup Bridge. The climb is one of the best things to do at night in Perth.

Things to do in Perth: Walking tours

Perth’s seemingly quiet city centre comes to life once you start dipping into laneways. Two Feet and a Heartbeat offers several themed walking tours. Their small bar adventure offers the best combo of history, cultural insight and cool, semi-hidden joints to come back to later.

If picking just one laneway, plump for Wolf Lane. It has become the epicentre of Perth’s street art scene (although there’s also plenty in Maylands) . Amid the large murals are several restaurants and bars. Of these, the Cheeky Sparrow does endearingly mismatched furniture amid an impressive array of craft beers and cocktails.

The CBD has several hotels, including the Hyatt Regency Perth. It is sorely lacking in tourist attractions, though, even though the kitschy London Court shopping arcade tries its best. The best thing to do in Perth CBD is the Perth Mint. This has museum-style exhibits about Western Australia’s gold rush – which is still ongoing in Kalgoorlie – and a massive collection of gold bars on display. The gold-pouring demonstrations, where a bar is melted down in a furnace, are the highlight.

Things to do in Perth: Beaches and Fremantle

But Perth’s appeal really isn’t in the centre, anyway. For a start, there are some tremendous Indian Ocean beaches. Cottesloe Beach is the most popular, but a recent makeover at Scarborough Beach has brought it an Olympic-sized pool and a skate park.

None of this matters when you’re on the white, dune-backed sand though. The beach stretches as far as the eye can see in either direction. You can also take surfing lessons on Scarborough Beach, hit the consistent surf at Trigg Beach or tackle the snorkelling trail around the Omeo Wreck at Coogee Beach. Mettams Pool in the northern suburbs is also a superb place for snorkelling.

Fremantle likes to pretend it’s a separate city, but it’s really just a coastal suburb of Perth. The beaches aren’t the draw here, though.

Freo is a fabulous place to hang out, full of cafés, brewpubs and quality restaurants such as Bread In Common and Bathers Beach House. It also brims with heritage, with colonial-era buildings such as the Roundhouse and Fremantle Prison well worth exploring. There are convict-dug tunnels under the latter, which can be explored on a Fremantle tunnels tour.

Other Fremantle attractions include the sprawling Fremantle Markets and the WA Shipwrecks Museum. This tells the tales of early Dutch exploration on the west coast, including the dark tale of the Batavia shipwreck on the Houtman-Abrolhos Islands near Geraldton.

Day trips from Perth

The Rottnest Express ferries to Rottnest Island leave from Fremantle. (They leave from the Barrack Street Jetty in Perth, too, but much less frequently). And Rottnest Island is the best day out from Perth. This is the famous quokka island, and you can find the cute little quokkas all over Rottnest. The island is car-free, so hire a bike and cycle to one of the Indian Ocean beaches. There are several tour options available, including boat cruises around the coast, snorkelling tours and Rottnest Island skydives from 15,000ft.

Other easy day trips from Perth include the monastic town of New Norcia, the giant sand dunes at Lancelin and the Nambung National Park near Cervantes. The latter is home to the Pinnacles, a weird moonscape of jutting rock pillars.

Go south to the bottom end of Perth’s suburban sprawl, and you’ve got Rockingham. This is the gateway to Penguin Island, from where nature tours take in Australia sea lions, dolphins and pelicans as well as the penguins. Swimming with dolphins is also available in Rockingham.

You could conceivably swing by Serpentine Falls in the Serpentine National Park on the way there or Lane Poole Reserve near Dwellingup on the way back.

Then just to the east of the city, near Perth International Airport, is the Swan Valley. This is the oldest wine region in Western Australia, although you can stop for cheese, chocolate and honey-tasting between the winery cellar doors. Top wineries include Oakover Grounds and Mandoon Estate. The suburb of Henley Brook is home to several top spots, including the Mash Brewery, Caversham Wildlife Park in Whiteman Park and Swan Valley Cuddly Animal Farm.

Just north of the Swan Valley, in Bullsbrook, is the Outback Splash water park.

The Perth Hills also start east of the city, with Lesmurdie Falls and John Forrest National Park an easy jaunt out of the city. The Karakamia Sanctuary in Chidlow also runs fascinating twilight wildlife tours.

The best places to stay in Perth

You can check out deals on a wide range of Perth accommodation options. But these are some of the best choices.

The swankiest address in town: COMO The Treasury.
The cool, fun one in the centre of the action: The Alex.
For quality apartments next to Kings Park: Quest Kings Park.
For quality apartments by the beach: Seashells Scarborough.
On a backpacker budget: Spinners Hostel.

Western Australia beyond Perth

A road trip in Western Australia is a popular option for second time visitors to Australia. The gentle option is a loop of the south-west. Take the drive from Perth to Margaret River via the Western Australian towns of Bunbury and Busselton. After enjoying the Margaret River wineries, stingrays on the beach and cave tours, continue the circuit via Pemberton, Walpole and Denmark (home of the Boston Brewery) to historic whaling town Albany. Stop for a walk in the Porongurup National Park on the way back to Perth.

Alternatively head north, undertaking the epic drive from Perth to Broome. Great stops on the way include Kalbarri National Park, Monkey Mia in Shark Bay, Exmouth for the Ningaloo Reef whale shark tours and the swimming hole-lined gorges of Karijini National Park.

Bars and restaurants in Perth

complete guide Perth things to do Western Australia