The Best 1 Day in Perth – What To See & Do in 24 Hours
Perth is an amazing city with plenty to see in a single day. From the city’s thriving arts scene to its stunning natural beauty, there’s always something new to discover in Perth. Find out our tips on how to see everything in 1 day in Perth.
How to get around Perth in 1 day
Perth Hop On Hop Off Bus
Although not the cheapest, the easiest way to get around Perth in 1 day is using the Hop On Hop Off Bus that tours the city. You can decide what stops to disembark depending on your interests.
For more information, read this Perth Hop On Hop Off Bus review or book tickets here.
CAT
Perth offers a Central Area Transit (CAT) bus service, which is free and allows you to get on and off them as often as you like. They’re a great way to get around Perth city but can be busy. You can find out more on the Transperth website.
🤩 To Book Tours Direct with the Tour Operators, click the links in the box below
1 Day in Perth Itinerary
Breakfast in Perth
Assuming that you are staying in Perth, head to Sayers Sister Northbridge, Post, or La Veen in Perth’s CBD for breakfast.
Morning in Perth
Catch a bus or walk to Kings Park, one of Perth’s top tourist attractions. Take in the spectacular panoramic views of the Swan River and Darling Range. Choose from a stroll around the botanic garden, a free guided walk, playgrounds, paying respects to our fallen war heroes at the ANZAC memorial, or relaxing with a cup of coffee.
You can read more about this beautiful inner-city park in this guide on Kings Park.
Now head to Elizabeth Quay, where you can climb the Bell Tower, walk over Elizabeth Quay Bridge for views of Perth’s city skyline, admire the art, and let the kids play in the water playground, island playground, or ride on the carousel.
Elizabeth Quay is the perfect place to stop for lunch, where excellent options include The Island, The Reveley, and V Burger. Finish off with ice cream from Gusto Gelato.
Find out more about this area in this guide on things to do in Elizabeth Quay.
Afternoon in Perth
Choose from one of the three options depending on your interests:
- Visit the Perth Cultural Centre in Northbridge for the Art Gallery of Western Australia, WA Museum Boola Bardip, State Library of WA, The Blue Room, PICA (Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts), and the State Theatre Centre of WA.
- Head to East Perth for a tour of the Perth Mint, an Optus Stadium Guided Tour, or zip-line Matagarup Bridge.
For other ideas, read this guide on things to do in East Perth. - Cross the Swan River on a ferry from Elizabeth Quay to South Perth and take a short walk to Perth Zoo.
Evening in Perth
Finish off your 1 day in Perth with drinks and dinner.
The C Restaurant is Perth’s only revolving restaurant and has stunning views of the Darling Ranges, Swan River, Perth city, and surrounds. The best time to visit is sunset when you can witness the beautiful colours of the sky and watch as the city lights up. It takes 90 minutes for the full 360-degree rotation.
Our other favourites are Long Chim, Petition Kitchen, Nobu (Crown complex), Balthazar, and Wildflower. For a cheap eat, My Bayon is amazing.
There are many bars around Perth to start and finish your evening, including Varnish on King, Bobeche, Hadiqa, and Andaluz Bar and Tapas.
Perth Tours
Some of the best tours in Perth are:
- Coffee, Culture & Art Tour
- Arcades & Laneways
- Eat, Drink, Walk Tour
- Perth City Riverside Segway Tour
- Guided Bike Tour around Matilda Bay and Kings Park
Of course you need more than one day in Perth to fully appreciate what this city has to offer, so check out the other itineraries if you plan on staying longer.
Save Money Planning your Trip
Click on the links which will take you direct to the website.
Flights ✈️
We usually fly Virgin Australia domestically due to their competitive prices and fantastic customer service and fly with Qatar Airways to Europe.
Accommodation 🏩
We mainly use Booking.com for accommodation as they consistently have the lowest rates with free cancellation on most properties. We also book through Stayz for private accommodation as they are usually cheaper than Airbnb.
Car Rental 🚘
To compare rental car company prices, we use Discover Cars, an award winning car rental comparison website. They offer competitive pricing in over 10,000 locations worldwide and are highly-rated.
Campervan/RV Rental 🚐
Drivenow is a good resource to compare campervan hire in Western Australia as it includes all the large companies like Britz, Maui, Jucy as well as smaller ones.
Tours & Attractions 🎢
We book direct and use a mixture of third-party sites Viator, Get Your Guide & Klook due to their free cancellation policies, instant confirmation, price guarantees, and mobile ticketing.
Accessing Money 💵
We recently started using Wise to access funds internationally, including trips to Bali and Malaysia. They offer a debit card in 50 currencies and transfers are fast and free from hidden fees and exchange rate markups. Funds can be accessed through ATMs too. Wise has saved us a lot of money compared to our usual credit card and debit card.
Travel Insurance 🌏
Cover-More and Travel Insurance Direct are our preferred travel insurance companies for domestic and international travel.
See this Travel Insurance for Australia guide for more information.
Western Australia Travel Guide
For other ideas on where to visit in Western Australia along with the best things to do, where to stay, how to get around, and other essential information, click on the link below.
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