Perth travel guide

Plan your trip, step by step

• Where to stay
  Choose between the city, Fremantle and the beach — and hotel vs rental.
• Things to do
  Decide which ferries, tours and prison tickets to lock in ahead.
• Perth in 3 days
  Follow a plan that splits the city, the port and the island.
• Estimate your trip cost
  See what a Perth trip costs in A$ and set your style.
• First-timer mistakes to avoid
  Sidestep the closed-day and distance errors that waste a Perth day.
• Perth on a budget
  See what a lean, comfortable or generous day really costs here.

The neighborhoods at a glance

Perth CBD & Elizabeth Quay

Known for the riverfront inlet at Elizabeth Quay, the Hay and Murray Street malls, free CAT buses and the Free Transit Zone that makes short hops cost nothing.

Northbridge

Known for the Perth Cultural Centre — WA Museum Boola Bardip, the Art Gallery of WA, PICA — plus the small-bar scene and the city’s densest run of Asian and Italian kitchens.

Fremantle

Known for the working port and its convict-era streets: World Heritage-listed Fremantle Prison, the Fremantle Markets, breweries on the harbour and the shortest ferry to Rottnest.

Cottesloe & the western beaches

Known for Norfolk pines above white sand, a west-facing beach that gets a proper Indian Ocean sunset, and a station on the Fremantle line.

Scarborough

Known for a longer, surfier stretch of coast with a rebuilt foreshore, a public pool and skate park — the beach that suits a family or a longer stay.

Subiaco & Leederville

Known for leafy inner-west streets, weekend farmers markets, independent cinemas and cafés, and the back way into Kings Park.

Deciding where to base yourself? The where-to-stay guide turns these areas into a lodging decision.

When to go — month by month

Average daytime high (bars) and rainy days per month, from 5-year climate normals. Greener months are the most comfortable to visit.

Best months to visit: Aug–Nov

Destinations with a similar climate

Like Perth’s weather? These places have the closest year-round climate in our data — tap through for each one’s best time to visit.

• Cape Town →
• Santiago →
• Buenos Aires →
• Sydney →
• Brisbane →
• Gold Coast →

Know before you go

Currency

Australian dollar (A$). By law the 10% GST is already inside every displayed price, so the menu number is the number you pay. Tap and card work everywhere, including on Transperth; card surcharges exist but must be disclosed.

Language

English. You will see Whadjuk Noongar place names used alongside the English ones — Boorloo for Perth, Walyalup for Fremantle, Wadjemup for Rottnest Island, and Boola Bardip (“many stories”) for the WA Museum.

From the airport

Perth Airport (PER) sits on the Airport Line. Airport Central station is built into Terminals 1 and 2 and reaches Perth Station in about 18 minutes; Terminals 3 and 4 are not on the line, so you take the free 292 shuttle to Redcliffe station, about 15 minutes from the city. Trains run roughly 6am–midnight. A taxi or rideshare to the CBD is far more expensive.

Getting around

Transperth runs the trains, buses and Swan River ferries. Since 1 January 2026 there is one flat “Go Anywhere Fare” for three hours of travel anywhere on the network — cheaper on a SmartRider card with autoload than with cash or contactless — plus a DayRider for unlimited travel. Four CAT bus routes are free, the central Free Transit Zone is free, and Sundays are free with SmartRider or contactless.

Best time

September–November and March–May are the sweet spots: warm, dry, long days without the peak heat. December–February is hot and rainless (30°C is a normal day, 40°C happens) and the beach becomes the itinerary. June–August is the wet season — mild, green, genuinely rainy and by far the cheapest time to come. Wildflowers peak around Perth in September.

Tipping & surcharges

Tipping is not expected — hospitality staff are on award wages and there is no tip line to feel awkward about. What you will meet instead is a Sunday and public-holiday surcharge, added as a stated percentage and required to be disclosed on the menu. Western Australia charges no bed tax or short-stay levy.

For the best months to visit and a day-by-day plan, see Perth in 3 days.