The most magical Christmas high teas around Australia

With Christmas just around the corner, it’s time to get festive the fancy way.

If you’ve explored Australia’s Christmas markets, there’s another way you can get into the spirit this silly season. Festive high teas are popping up across the country, enticing guests with sweets, treats and irresistible eats.

But there’s more to high tea than getting dressed up and indulging. It’s a way to celebrate a special occasion, and what’s more special than Christmas? Combine two great things and you get something incredible. Now, pinkies up – these are the best places to book a festive high tea experience this year.

1. Queen Victoria Building, Sydney, NSW

When: 21 November – 24 December
Cost: $105; $65 (1–12 years)

High Tea with Santa at QVB, Sydney — Cheers to Christmas with Santa himself at QVB’s Tea Rooms.

You’re invited to Sydney’s Queen Victoria Building this Christmas to have High Tea with Santa ! Held in the historic ballroom, guests will be treated to a range of sweet and savoury delights, from freshly baked scones to delicate pastries.

You’re not the only one invited, though. Santa himself is taking a break from his busy schedule to pop in for a bite to eat and a photo! A professional photographer will be onsite to capture happy snaps with old Saint Nick before he jets off to the North Pole again.

2. The Cupcake Co., Southern Highlands, NSW

When: 1 November – 23 December
Cost: $59.95

Christmas cupcakes — The Berrima tea house specialises in cupcakes. (Image: Getty/Liudmila Chernetska)

Curated by a boutique cake and cupcake shop, it’s practically a given that this festive high tea will be nothing short of amazing. Quaint Berrima tea house The Cupcake Co. delivers an indulgent spread of sweets and treats made fresh for you.

Paired perfectly with a barista-made coffee or a pot of fresh loose-leaf tea, it’s an experience worth savouring over a sunny morning. Afterwards, explore the cosy town of Berrima or finish your day ticking off some of nearby Bowral’s best local highlights.

3. Shangri-La, Sydney, NSW

When: 27 November – 6 January
Cost: $98–$178

Shangri La Sydney high tea, NSW — Treat yourself to high tea with views of Sydney Harbour this Christmas.

High above the city, Shangri-La Sydney is transforming its Level 36 bar into a Christmas wonderland this festive season. Indulge in sweet treats like Christmas-tree-shaped cookies, reindeer tarts and Santa-red choux pastries, alongside savoury delights and scones with clotted cream.

Prices range between $98 and $168 per person on weekdays, depending on your choice of beverage (think tea, coffee, bubbles or French Champagne. Come the weekend, tack on $10 for each offering. It’s the kind of high tea that feels like luxury wrapped in a festive bow, capped off with views of the glittering harbour below.

4. Dorsett, Melbourne, Vic

When: 7 & 15 December
Cost: $80; $40 (children)

Dining at Dorsett Melbourne, Vic — Every bite tastes like Christmas magic at Dorsett Melbourne. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Indulge in a delightfully festive high tea at the Dorsett Melbourne this year, with just two exclusive dining experiences available. The elegantly curated offering includes unlimited freshly baked scones and sandwiches, plus your choice of premium coffee or tea.

Each morsel has been handcrafted by the luxury hotel’s pastry chef, guaranteeing good times (and great flavours) all round. Guests will also enjoy a complimentary drink upon arrival to kick off the festivities – we’ll cheers to that!

5. Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie, Bellbrae, Vic

When: 22 December
Cost: $71; $30.50 (3–12 years)

Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery, Vic — The Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery hits the sweet spot.

Not only is the Great Ocean Road Australia’s top road trip adventure, it’s also home to one of the most mouth-watering pit stops – and this year, it’s hosting a festive high tea worth pulling over for. At the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery , guests can tuck into everything from turkey and ham to pastries and a giant chocolate fountain.

If you can’t make it to the coast, the celebration continues at the Chocolaterie’s sister venue in the Yarra Valley . The regional outpost is adding extra sparkle this season with an elf treasure hunt and a chocolate bauble-making workshop – perfect for chocoholics!

6. The Langham, Melbourne, Vic

When: 24 November – 1 January
Cost: $138; $60 (1–12 years); $148; $70 (Sundays)

Christmas high tea at The Langham Melbourne, Vic — The Langham goes all out for its annual Christmas High Tea.

Celebrate the most wonderful time of year with The Langham Melbourne , which hosts a dreamy afternoon high tea come Christmas. The banquet is held at the onsite bar and lounge, Aria, a befitting space with plush sofas, marble tables and huge windows draped with wispy white curtains.

Indulge in a mouth-watering arrangement of salty and sweet treats that have been delicately designed and baked to perfection. If you miss Chrissie with the family this year, don’t fret. The Langham’s high tea runs until 1 January, so you can still celebrate with loved ones in style.

7. W Brisbane, Brisbane, Qld

When: 7 November – 28 December
Cost: $80 (tea/coffee) – $99 (Champagne); $45 (children)

Festive high tea at W Brisbane, Qld — Festive indulgence never looked so good at the W Brisbane.

If you’re in the Queensland capital this Christmas, head to the W Brisbane for a fun-filled high tea at the Living Room Bar . Devour a teetering tower of treats with your loved ones, paired with your choice of tea and coffee or Champagne.

Afterwards, get hands-on with a build-your-own gingerbread house kit courtesy of the W Brisbane, which you can take home to enjoy. Not only is the five-star hotel one of the best places to stay in Brissie, it’s a fantastic spot to celebrate the silly season.

8. QTea, Gold Coast, Qld

When: 15 November – 31 December
Cost: $69; $39 (5–12 years)

QTea at QT Gold Coast, Qld — Get festive the Gold Coast way this Christmas at QTea.

Dive into a sun-soaked Christmas high tea on the Gold Coast, where the usual elegance takes on a festive twist at QTea . Think beetroot-thyme macarons, smoked-salmon roulades, mini pavlovas and more – all within one of the Gold Coast’s most luxurious properties.

With your choice of tea or espresso, plus optional bubbles or even boozy iced tea, it’s the perfect excuse to gather friends and treat yourself. This sip-sational high tea offering is available until the end of December, running from 11am to 2pm daily.

9. Strangers’ Restaurant, Brisbane, Qld

When: 2–17 December
Cost: $69.50

Christmas-themed sweet treats — Strangers’ Restaurant is setting the table for merriment this Christmas. (Image: Getty/Mila Bond)

In the heart of the city with views across the Brisbane River, Queensland’s parliament building may not seem like the most festive of places. But come December, its onsite Strangers’ Restaurant transforms into a twinkling wonderland for its Christmas high tea.

The menu has been curated to include delectable festive-themed eats with warm, comforting flavours. Think everything from chocolate-filled pastries and cranberry scones to prawn rolls and pumpkin tarts – delicious!

10. Cataract on Paterson, Launceston, Tas

When: 14 December
Cost: $75; $35 (children 10 and under)

High tea at Cataract on Paterson in Launceston, Tas — Don’t skip Cataract on Paterson’s delicious, freshly baked scones.

Cataract on Paterson is one of the best restaurants in Launceston, partly due to its incredible food, and partly due to its very merry Christmas high tea . Start off with a festive-themed cocktail before diving into a range of sweet treats, savoury snacks and bottomless cups of tea.

It’s the perfect family day out, thanks to a mini high tea curated for your mini-me. The team at Cataract have taken the adult menu and shrunk it, turning bigger treats into bite-sized eats. There will also be presents for little ones, delivered by Santa Claus himself.

11. Hadley’s Orient Hotel, Hobart, Tas

When: Throughout December
Cost: $59

Plate of Christmas desserts — Dive into a high tea full of Christmas classics at Hadley’s. (Image: Getty/Mtreasure)

Tucked in the heart of Hobart’s charming city centre, this heritage hotel invites you to savour a joyfully festive afternoon tea in its beautifully restored atrium. Hadley’s Orient Hotel will be serving up freshly baked scones, finger sandwiches and Christmas-themed sweet treats, all served with bubbles or tea.

Whether you’re celebrating with friends, family, or simply treating yourself, the venue’s holiday ambience, complete with seasonal decor and tailored table settings, makes for a memorable festive outing. It’s the perfect excuse to soak in the Chrissie spirit before the year ends.

12. Hearth, Perth, WA

When: 1–31 December
Cost: $87; $49 (children)

Hearth's high tea package, Perth WA — Hearth’s high tea offering is inspired by Western Australia’s landscape.

Hearth at the Ritz Carlton Perth is going all out this Christmas by giving its signature afternoon tea a seasonal makeover. But it won’t be your usual menu. In true Hearth fashion, this high tea is inspired by Western Australia’s landscape, from coast to country.

Take a culinary journey through sweet and savoury flavours, all elevated by locally sourced ingredients like raw Forest Fresh honey and tea grown in Margaret River. Running seven days a week throughout December, this is one Santa would definitely approve of.

13. Cape Arid Rooms, Perth, WA

When: Until 5 February
Cost: $85; $45 (children 12 and under)

Cape Arid Rooms high tea in Perth, WA — The Spring to Summer high tea experience is perfectly suited to an Aussie Christmas.

As the days stretch into the warmer months, Cape Arid Rooms invites you to its Spring to Summer afternoon tea in the heart of Perth. Expect savoury bites such as smoked salmon and pumpkin, as well as sweet treats like brownies, tarts, mousse and seasonal fruits.

The tea selection is sure to impress, with 20 blends on offer labelled under profiles like rich and bold, rare and precious, sweet and mellow, plus filter coffee, too. It’s the perfect fit for an Aussie Christmas: fresh, light and inspired by summer.

14. The Q on Hallet, Adelaide, SA

When: 16 November
Cost: $70

A small Christmas cake — Experience high tea at one of Adelaide’s best art galleries. (Image: Getty/Liliboas)

Is there anywhere more fancy to have scones and a cuppa than one of Adelaide’s most beautiful art galleries? This year, the Q on Hallett in Adelaide is inviting you to do just that, with Christmas high tea under its twinkling chandeliers.

Devour 10 different treats, half savoury and half sweet, with your choice of Christmas punch or glass of bubbles on arrival, as well as free-flowing coffee and T2 tea! A browse through The Q’s stunning art collection is the perfect way to end the day.

15. Together & Co, Darwin, NT

When: 14 November – 25 December
Cost: $45; $25 (5–12 years)

Christmas-themed high tea — Upgrade your high tea experience to bottomless for just $10 extra. (Image: Getty/Yena Lou)

Starting mid-November and running every day until Christmas, Together & Co at Darwin’s Hilton Garden Inn is hosting a festive high tea of epic proportions. Taste your way through a tantalising menu that features everything from brownies and baked cheesecake to pork sliders and arancini.

Whether you prefer classics like fruit cake or want to try your luck with an eggnog shooter, your taste buds are sure to be thankful. Simply can’t get enough? You’re in luck – make the whole thing bottomless for just $10 extra a pop.

16. Hyatt Hotel, Canberra, ACT

When: 24–25 December
Cost: $79; $85 (weekends, with a 10 per cent Sunday surcharge)

High tea at Hyatt Hotel Canberra, ACT — Indulge in tiers of festive favourites at Hyatt Hotel Canberra. (Image: Pew Pew Studio)

Those in the nation’s capital this December should treat themselves to an indulgent high tea buffet courtesy of the Hyatt Hotel Canberra. Set up in the aptly named Tea Lounge, the exclusive experience will be held on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day only.

Sit down with your friends and family to munch on savoury sandwiches and sweet treats delivered to your table and paired with your choice of beverage. Too full to journey home? Book a stay and treat yourself to a cosy night at one of Canberra’s top hotels.

Are you looking to take the year off from hosting Christmas? Explore the best restaurants open on Christmas Day in Australia.

Wind through fern tunnels, stop for a wine in a tram bar, or chase giant murals across the wheatbelt. These drives and rides prove Victoria’s best stories are found off the straight and narrow.

There’s something unmistakably Australian about a road trip: car packed, playlist on, landscapes shifting. Travelling down the highway toward Healesville, in Victoria’s Yarra Valley , the mountains rise, flanking me on both sides. I feel its embrace, a silent invitation to explore what lies beyond.

Moss-covered embankments rise on either side, and towering mountain ash trees form a green tunnel overhead. Road signs warn of wombats and cyclists but with giant ferns lining the roadside, the landscape feels prehistoric, as if a dinosaur might suddenly emerge. This, the Black Spur , is one of my favourite road trips.

The Black Spur

Location: Yarra Ranges
Duration: 30 kilometres / 30 minutes

The Black Spur is short compared to other Victorian road trips, just 30 kilometres, stretching from Healesville to Narbethong. But what it lacks in distance, it makes up for in scenery. Just outside Healesville, Maroondah Dam offers bushwalks and scenic views. However, if pressed for time, Selover’s Lookout is an easy roadside stop offering uninterrupted views of the dam.

In Narbethong, close to the Marysville’s snowfield, is the Black Spur Inn , a charming double-storey brick hotel that’s been welcoming travellers since 1863. Here, diners cosy up by the roaring fire or gaze through the floor-to-ceiling windows, imagining horse-drawn coaches carrying hopeful gold seekers to the eastern goldfields.

Victoria’s Silo Art Trail

Location: Various towns across the Wimmera Mallee region
Duration: More than 200 kilometres / 4–5 hours but best over a minimum of three days

What began as a way to draw travellers back into town bypassed by highways – places such as Nullawil, Sea Lake and Patchewollock – has grown into a celebrated outdoor art movement. The Silo Art Trail now includes 23 silos, each transformed with large-scale mural portraits sharing local stories, celebrating community heroes, Indigenous history, farming life, or regional identity.

The Nullawil silo, for example, is a portrait of a local farmer in a chequered flannelette shirt alongside his loyal kelpie, painted by artist Sam Bates (AKA Smug). And the silos at Albacutya in the Grampians, painted by artist Kitt Bennett, depict her joyful memories of growing up in the countryside. Many of the murals sit right in the heart of small towns, such as Rochester and St Arnaud , making them perfect spots to pause for a country pub meal or something sweet from a local bakery.

Metung to Mallacoota

Location: Gippsland
Duration: Approximately 220 kilometres / 4 hours

The Gippsland Lakes are a much-loved holiday spot in Victoria, but road-tripping further east reveals much more. Begin in Metung and time your visit with the monthly farmers’ market, or simply linger over lunch on the lawn of the Metung Hotel. Twenty minutes away is Lakes Entrance , where you can watch the fishing boats return with their catch.

Lakes Entrance. (Image: Visit Victoria/Iluminaire Pictures)

Continue to Marlo, where the Snowy River spills into the sea, and Cape Conran for its many beaches and walks. If needing to stretch your legs, Croajingolong National Park is home to the historic Point Hicks Lighthouse and the Wilderness Coast Walk. Birdwatching and rainforest trails near Bemm River are worth a pit stop before arriving in Mallacoota, where the forest meets the sea.

Great Ocean Road

Location: South-west Victoria, from Torquay to Allansford
Duration: Approximately 250 kilometres / 4–5 hours but best over a minimum of three days

Victoria’s most famous road trip delivers it all: world-class surf breaks, rainforest walks, clifftop lookouts and wildlife encounters. The journey begins in Torquay, the state’s surf capital, then hugs the coast past Anglesea and Lorne to Apollo Bay, before curving inland through the lush rainforest of the Otways. Stop at Cape Otway Lightstation or take to the treetops at Otway Fly.

Between Cape Otway and Port Campbell lies the most photographed stretch – seven of the Twelve Apostles still standing, alongside the golden cliffs of Loch Ard Gorge. Further west, Warrnambool is a winter whale-watching hotspot, before the road winds to Port Fairy, a charming fishing village of whalers’ cottages, walking trails and offshore seal colonies further along the coast.

Bellarine Taste Trail

Terindah Estate. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Godfrey)

Location: Bellarine Peninsula
Duration: Approximately 80 kilometres / 2–3 hours

The Bellarine Taste Trail is a feast for the senses, winding through coastal towns, past boutique wineries and artisan producers. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure style trail – simply grab a map and build your own delicious journey.

You might wander historic, seafront Queenscliff, sip wine in a converted tram bar at Terindah Estate , sample a locally distilled whisky at The Whiskery in Drydale or pick up a jar of honey at Wattle Grove in Wallington. Seafood lovers can head to Portarlington, famous for its mussels. Eat them fresh at local restaurants or head out on the water with Portarlington Mussel Tours.

O’Keefe Rail Trail – Bendigo to Heathcote

Pink Cliffs Reserve in Heathcote can be seen on the O’Keefe Rail Trail. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Godfrey)

Location: Central Victoria
Duration: Approximately 50 kilometres / 4 hours cycling

Travellers first journeyed between Heathcote and Bendigo in 1888, when the railway line was built to link the towns. Trains stopped running in 1956, but today the route has a new life as the O’Keefe Rail Trail . The path is mostly level for easy riding, and along the way you’ll cycle past bushland, waterways and reserves. There are plenty of places to picnic, birdwatch, and if you’re lucky, spot a platypus.

The trail is well supported with water stations, bike repair points, shelters, and signage. Axedale makes a great halfway stop, with the pretty Campaspe River Reserve for a rest and local cafes for refuelling. Begin in Heathcote, known for its wineries and cafes, or in Bendigo, which is easily reached by train from Melbourne/Naarm. Shorter sections, such as Heathcote to Axedale, are also popular.

Goldfields Track – Ballarat to Bendigo

Location: Central Victoria
Duration: Approximately 210 kilometres / 2–3 days cycling

The Goldfields Track traces a route once so rich in gold it made Melbourne one of the wealthiest cities in the world. Starting at Mt Buninyong, south of Ballarat, the trail leads mountain cyclists and walkers north through Creswick, Daylesford and Castlemaine before finishing in Bendigo. Along the way, you’ll encounter granite outcrops, eucalypt forests, rolling farmland and remnants of the region’s mining past.

As it passes through the lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung and Wadawurrung people, the track shares gold rush history and Indigenous stories brought to life by interpretive signs. Walk or ride the full trail or choose from one of its three distinct sections. With cosy stays, cafes and pubs, it’s easy to mix wilderness with comfort.

The most magical Christmas high teas around Australia to celebrate the festive season