Perth: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Perth, founded in 1829 as the Swan River Colony on the land of the Whadjuk Noongar, is among the most isolated large cities in the world — Adelaide, the nearest, is over two thousand kilometres away by road. The mining booms made it rich. Half a day on foot; the sun is fierce, even in spring.
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A short history of Perth
The Noongar people lived along the Swan River for tens of thousands of years. In 1829 James Stirling established the Swan River Colony here, and the city of Perth was founded in the same year. The colony struggled to grow, and from 1850 convicts were brought from Britain to build roads and buildings, among them Fremantle Prison. In 1893 gold was discovered at Kalgoorlie, and the rush that followed doubled the population within a few years. Perth is more remote than any other major city in Australia, and in the 20th century it grew mainly thanks to the mines of Western Australia.
The ten best sights in Perth
1Elizabeth QuayThe waterfront of the city
2The Bell TowerBells from London
3Kings ParkBush on a hill over the city
4State War MemorialThe best view of the city
5Botanic GardenWildflowers in spring
6Federation WalkwayA bridge through the treetops
7WA Museum Boola BardipMany stories, free
8NorthbridgeRestaurants and nightlife
9Perth MintGold pours and a giant coin
10Matagarup BridgeWalk over the Swan to the stadium
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Perth →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Perth:
Free walking tours in Perth
The city by the Swan
Perth, founded in 1829 as the Swan River Colony on the land of the Whadjuk Noongar, is among the most isolated large cities in the world — Adelaide, the nearest, is over two thousand kilometres away by road. The mining booms made it rich. Half a day on foot; the sun is fierce, even in spring.
- WA Museum Boola Bardip · The state museum, reopened in 2020 under a Noongar name, Boola Bardip, which means many stories; among them the skeleton of a blue whale hanging in the hall.
- London Court · An arcade of 1937 built in the style of a Tudor English street, with a clock where little knights joust every quarter of an hour — a gold-rush fortune’s idea of old England.
- Perth Mint · Opened in 1899 to turn the gold of the Kalgoorlie rush into sovereigns, it is the oldest operating mint in Australia; it has poured gold for visitors and struck a gold coin weighing a tonne.
- The Bell Tower · A glass spire on the river holding the Swan Bells, twelve bells from the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields in London, some of them centuries old, given to Western Australia for the bicentenary of 1988.
- Elizabeth Quay · An inlet cut from the riverbank and opened in 2016 to reconnect the city with the Swan, with a footbridge and the ferries across to South Perth.
- Northbridge · Across the railway, the neighbourhood of the immigrants — Italian, Greek, then Vietnamese and Chinese — which became the city’s quarter of restaurants and nightlife.
Kings Park and the river
Above the city rises Kings Park, about four hundred hectares of bush and gardens — larger than New York’s Central Park — with views down the Swan. Half a day; in September and October the wildflowers are in bloom.
- State War Memorial · On the edge of the scarp, with an eternal flame and the best view in the city, down over the river and the towers; the gathering place for the dawn service on Anzac Day.
- Kings Park · Set aside as a reserve in 1872, it is among the largest inner-city parks in the world, and most of it is still native bush; the Noongar know the hill as Kaarta Koomba.
- Botanic Garden · A garden of the plants of Western Australia, one of the richest flora regions on earth, where thousands of species grow that are found nowhere else.
- Federation Walkway · A glass and steel bridge that carries the path up into the canopy of the eucalypts, sixteen metres above the ground, with views to the river.
- Matagarup Bridge · A footbridge opened in 2018 over the Swan to the new stadium, whose two arches are said to represent a pair of swans; Matagarup is the Noongar name of the place, meaning leg-deep, the depth at which the river could be crossed.
- Optus Stadium · The stadium of some sixty thousand seats on the far bank, where Australian rules football is played with a passion that empties the city on match days.
Fremantle and Rottnest
Down the river at its mouth, Fremantle is the port town of the colony, built of limestone by convicts, with an Italian street of cafés; from its wharf the ferries cross to Rottnest Island and its quokkas. A full day by train and ferry.
- Round House · A twelve-sided gaol of 1831 on a headland over the sea, the oldest surviving building in Western Australia; a tunnel was cut beneath it for the whalers to haul their catch to the beach.
- WA Maritime Museum · It holds Australia II, the yacht that in 1983 ended the New York Yacht Club’s hold on the America’s Cup after a hundred and thirty-two years, thanks in part to its secret winged keel.
- Fremantle Prison · Built by convicts in the 1850s — Western Australia asked for convict labour when other colonies had stopped taking it — it held prisoners until 1991 and is now a World Heritage site, with tours through flooded tunnels beneath it.
- Fremantle Markets · A Victorian market hall of 1897, open Friday to Sunday, of produce, crafts and street musicians.
- South Terrace · The cappuccino strip, where Italian immigrants who came to fish and work the port after the Second World War opened the cafés that brought espresso to Perth.
- Rottnest Island · The Dutch captain Willem de Vlamingh named it in 1696 the rat’s nest, mistaking its quokkas for giant rats. From 1838 to 1931 it was a prison for Aboriginal men, and hundreds of them are buried there; the Noongar call it Wadjemup.
Getting to Perth and getting around
- Perth Airport · A train to the city since 2022
- Perth Station · Trains to Fremantle
- B Shed ferry terminal · Ferries to Rottnest
Cheap eats in Perth
Perth’s counter is fish and chips by the water — in Fremantle it is a ritual, eaten on the harbour lawn with the gulls — and a flat white from the Italian cafés. Western rock lobster, the local crayfish, is the splurge. Fish and chips cost about fifteen to twenty-five dollars.
- B Shed ferry terminal · Fish and chips on the harbour
- South Terrace · The espresso strip
- Northbridge · Asian food late
Nature and day trips near Perth
Bushland in the city, wildflowers and the Indian Ocean.
- Kings Park · The bush
- Cottesloe Beach · Sunset swim
- Rottnest Island · Bays and bicycles
Things to do in Perth with kids
With children: quokkas, koalas and a bridge in the treetops.
- Rottnest Island · Quokkas
- Caversham Wildlife Park · Koalas and wombats
- Federation Walkway · The treetop bridge
Museums in Perth
The state museum, the convict prison and the maritime museum.
- WA Museum Boola Bardip · Many stories
- Fremantle Prison · The convict prison
- WA Maritime Museum · Australia II
Nightlife in Perth
Perth goes out in Northbridge and in the pubs of Fremantle; on summer evenings, at the beach bars of Cottesloe and Scarborough.
- Northbridge · Bars and clubs
- South Terrace · Fremantle pubs
- Scarborough Beach · Sunset bars
Frequently asked questions about Perth
What is there to see in Perth?
The top sights in Perth are Elizabeth Quay, The Bell Tower and Kings Park. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Perth?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Perth without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Perth?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Perth, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The city by the Swan.
How do you get to Perth and get around?
The main ways are Perth Airport, Perth Station and B Shed ferry terminal. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Perth, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Perth that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Perth for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.