Where to eat, stay and play in Hobart, Tasmania

Head to the Tassie capital for cafes serving farm-fresh fare, hotels steeped in history and underground art that’ll absorb you for hours.

Good coffee and chefs doing wonders with fresh local produce. Groundbreaking art and breathtaking nature at your fingertips. A tangible sense of history to be explored in a myriad of interesting ways. All of the above forms part of the Hobart experience – and here are some pointers for packing it all in.

EAT

Pigeon Hole

You’ll be spoiled for choice when it comes to coffee and brunch in Hobart. From The Stagg , a hole in the wall in the CBD, to hip haunts Born in Brunswick and Room For A Pony in North Hobart.

For somewhere that feels like a bit of a local’s secret, head to Pigeon Hole in the quiet streets of West Hobart, not far from the city centre. This welcoming little spot is supported by its own farm, Weston Farm, so you’re guaranteed only the freshest and most seasonal of ingredients end up on your plate.

Try the oat porridge with warm farm apples and whey caramel or the slow-baked smoky beans on polenta bread with zesty tomatillo verde. Coffee is by local roasters Villino and there’s a good tea menu, too, which includes honey-soaked chai.

Pigeon Hole cafe is supported entirely by its own farm, Weston Farm. (Image: Tourism Tasmania / Adam Gibson)

Fico

In recent years, Hobart has honed the art of fine dining with a twist, with creative chefs working magic with the freshest produce Tasmania has to offer – from veggies to seafood – in considered spaces tucked into interesting corners of the city. From Templo to Dier Makr to the recently closed Franklin, which became a cult hit among foodies when it opened in 2014.

Among the cream of the crop is European-inspired Fico , a small-seater restaurant that describes itself as a ‘neo bistro’ that blurs the lines between fine dining and a traditional bistro. It makes all its pasta by hand and uses the best Tassie fare from small local producers such as Phil & Jenny’s Pigeons, Tas Truffles, Kettering Quail and Tongola Cheese. There’s an extensive wine list, too, encompassing the best bottles from Australia and Europe.

Fico Hobart — Fico blurs the lines between fine dining and a traditional bistro.

In the Hanging Garden

Hidden behind the Odeon Theatre in the city centre, In the Hanging Garden is a cultural precinct that spans almost an entire block.

Initially conceived to host Dark Mofo’s late-night revellers, it now serves as a multifaceted and flexible indoor/outdoor space to serve the local community: an extensive tiered beer garden with outdoor dining, bars and live music complete with garden green and room to park a food truck or two.

Its resident kitchen serves Pan-Asian cuisine from Oryza and Basque-country inspired meals from La Sardina Loca.

It serves as a multifaceted and flexible indoor/outdoor space to serve the local community. (Image: DarkLab / Jesse Hunniford)

STAY

Moss Hotel

Based across two historic buildings that have variously served as grain store, ship’s chandler, sail maker, print shop and tavern, Hobart’s newest boutique hotel has a truly old soul.

Decked out from top to bottom in soul-soothing shades of green, Moss Hotel is a sanctuary above the bustle of Salamanca Place on the waterfront. Through the use of native greenery, original timbers and stonework, the heritage of each space is brought to life and complemented by hyper-local finishes: be it the mini bar contents, handmade furniture or the crisp green apple left waiting for you on the bedside table.

Moss Hotel also featured in our 100 ways to holiday here this year list. Read more about it here.

MACq 01 Hotel

As Australia’s first storytelling hotel, the five-star MACq 01 Hotel was designed to bring Tasmania’s fascinating stories to life.

Based on the historic Macquarie Wharf, which in previous lives has been a bustling wharf market and later a giant shipping shed, the hotel has 114 rooms matched with 114 unique character tales that give visitors insight into the island state’s storied past – convicts, sailors, beekeepers and Indigenous trailblazers among them.

Each of the suites reflect one of four different Tasmanian character traits: Colourful and Quirky rooms come eclectic and bold; Grounded Yet Exceptional are all about earthy materials and highly crafted details; Fighting Believers are edgy but sophisticated; and Curious and Creative feel organic and light.

Islington Hotel

A stay at Islington Hotel offers a different perspective on Hobart. This 11-room luxury bolthole, formerly a stately home, is tucked away in the quiet, leafy suburb of South Hobart – not far from the base of kunanyi/Mt Wellington and the historic sites of the Cascade Brewery and the Cascades Female Factory.

With corridors and rooms filled with a careful collection of art and antiques, the Islington Hotel blends the historic and the modern with aplomb and has the added boon of a first-class degustation menu served five days a week in its stunning mountain-view conservatory.

The Islington Hotel Dining — Enjoy a first-class degustation menu served five days a week in the stunning mountain-view conservatory.

PLAY

Mona

The first stop on your Hobart itinerary has to be Mona : the mad-cap subterranean art museum credited with kick-starting Tassie’s creative renaissance when it opened almost a decade ago.

Catch the bespoke ferry service from Brooke Street Pier down the River Derwent and prepare to be absorbed for a whole day. The museum’s fascinating collection spans antiquities to modern art (you can’t miss the monumental Sidney Nolan artwork Snake, which takes up an entire gallery) to contemporary works by luminaries like light artist James Turrell.

Come up for air and sustenance at one of the on-site eateries: The Source Restaurant, The Museum Cafe or futuristic Faro. And sip and swill on Mona’s own Moorilla wine and Moo Brew beer at the Cellar Door or Moorilla Wine Bar.

For a full immersion, the museum also offers accommodation by way of its ‘luxury dens’ overlooking the river, Mona Pavilions.

Mona Tourism — The first stop on your Hobart itinerary has to be Mona. (Image: Tourism Tasmania / Rob Burnett)

Hobart’s waterfront

There’s no better way to feel the spirit of Hobart than by exploring its historic waterfront and surrounds on foot. Here, old piers that stretch out into harbour and the elegant sandstone buildings that flank it have been repurposed into modern spaces with Hobart accommodations, boutique hotels and waterside eateries.

A stone’s throw from here, Salamanca Place harbours galleries, theatres and restaurants in its 1830s Georgian warehouses as well as the must-visit Salamanca Market on Saturdays, which hosts purveyors of the best local produce. Take Kelly’s Steps from Salamanca Place to explore the historic suburb of Battery Point – home to Hobart’s best bakery, Jackman and McRoss.

Back down near the waterfront, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) offers a fascinating insight into the land you’re standing on, including essential learning on the history and culture of the Tasmanian Aboriginal, or palawa, people.

Hobart’s best bakery, Jackman and McRoss.

kunanyi/Mount Wellington

You don’t have to venture far from Hobart to find Tassie’s famed wilderness. In fact, kunanyi/Mt Wellington – which stands sentinel above the city – is only 20 minutes’ drive from the centre by car or the hop-on hop-off Explorer Bus .

From the summit on a clear day you’ll be treated to a sweeping panorama of the city, its waterways and Bruny Island beyond. And you can explore a wide range of short walks or mountain bike trails from up here too, which take in a diverse range of landscapes including fern gullies, eucalypt forests and alpine boulder fields.

On the way back down, stop off at Cascade Brewery at the foot of the mountain – Australia’s oldest, which offers tours, tastings and drinks in the garden.

kunanyi/Mt Wellington is only 20 minutes’ drive from the centre by car or the hop-on hop-off Explorer Bus.

For more insider tips and inspiration, check out our ultimate guide to Hobart.

Welcome to Hotel Addict, a monthly column where I check into Australia’s best hotels, exploring not just the rooms, but the stories, service and settings that make each stay unforgettable and worth adding to your wishlist.

I arrive at The Tasman in Hobart at 10pm. Two McLaren 620Rs are parked out front, and a welcome cup of mulled wine – made from local chardonnay, not red wine – lands in my hand. It’s already clear this isn’t your average hotel stay. The last time I was in the Tassie capital was in 2022, when my family stayed at MACq 01 and cheered on my brother-in-law who raced in the Sydney to Hobart. This time, I’m moving away from one of my favourite Australian hotels and checking into this award-winning stay.

What I love most about Tasmania is the dedication to good produce. Farmers, chefs and locals alike create and grow some of the country’s finest offerings – plump oysters, world-class gins, irresistible cheese and fresh berries. And much of it can be savoured from the comfort of the unique accommodations peppered across the island, each impressing with its attention to detail. Perhaps none do it as well as this month’s chosen hotel, though.

Having opened its doors in December 2021, The Tasman was named in The World’s 50 Best Hotels list for 2024, putting Hobart firmly on the map for international travellers. Visitors and locals are also drawn to its onsite restaurant Peppina, an Italian eatery helmed by Tassie-born and Napoli-raised chef Massimo Mele, whose food philosophy centres on using the best produce, simply.

The view from the The Aurora Suite at The Tasman — The hotel is a short walk from Salamanca Place, the waterfront and Battery Point.

The building is located in the heart of Hobart CBD in the Parliament Square precinct – a short walk from the waterfront – making it a convenient base for exploring the city. Designed by Sydney-based architects fjcstudio with heritage guidance from Design 5 and interior design practice JPDC, the project involved melding and restoring three distinct architectural styles – 1840s Georgian, 1940s Art Deco and the new Contemporary Pavilion – while celebrating the city’s maritime heritage. The result is an elegant fusion of heritage character and modern sophistication.

There are 152 rooms and suites divided into Heritage, Art Deco, and Pavilion. My room is in the Heritage part of the building and features dramatic ceilings, a mini bar stocked with local treats and a huge marble-swathed bathroom with an enticing freestanding bath and Tasmanian dairy cream and leatherwood honey soap.

I decide to order room service since the onsite speakeasy, Mary Mary, is closed and I don’t have a dinner reservation. The late-night menu tempts with seafood chowder served with crusty bread and a ham and cheese toastie – but whenever I see a cheese plate, I can’t resist. Have I ever had a truly great one in a hotel? Not even in Bordeaux. But this time, it’s different: the spread is beautifully presented with thinly sliced apple and pear, three local cheeses, honey and an assortment of crackers made onsite. I pair this with a gin and tonic made with Forty Spotted Classic Tassie Gin and Tasmanian Tonic Company gin – it’s my perfect night in.

Forty Spotted Gin and Tasmania Tonic Company tonic at The Tasman — The minibar is stocked with local treats. (Image: Rachael Thompson)

The next morning, I opt for the buffet breakfast. Hotel buffets can be hit or miss, and I generally see them as a waste of money, but my sister claimed the offering at Peppina was her favourite she’s ever had. Coincidentally, one of her closest friends is in town for a conference and, having stayed here before, chose The Tasman and breakfast at Peppina again; more assurance of its deliciousness.

The space is light and bright with two productive olive trees boosting the mood. I load up a plate of chickpeas, roasted tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach, pickles, the world’s creamiest mushroom quiche and slices of cheddar. A bit unconventional, but it’s all perfect, and I’m convinced this is the best breakfast I’ve ever had. I finish with a pear and lemon pastry, which is on par with the baked goods I savoured on a recent trip to France.

Peppina restaurant at The Tasman — Peppina celebrates seasonal Tasmanian produce.

I spend the rest of the morning and afternoon walking around Salamanca Markets and the waterfront areas in the historic Sullivans Cove precinct, enjoying 12 Bruny Island oysters for just $20 – a steal! Back at the hotel, I squeeze in a quick gym session. It’s small, but the preserved sandstone walls give it a unique charm that makes the workout feel more like a novelty rather than a chore.

There’s no spa or swimming pool onsite – a disappointment I have to admit – but what it does have is a wine cellar and that might excite me even more. The cellar is stocked with Tassie drops as well as notable international bottles. During my tasting I decide to stick with local sips, which will be paired with a charcuterie plate, and to my delight, another cheese plate. Our sommelier Adrian guides us through eight different wines, including a very tasty 2023 Syrah, Bubb + Pooley and a 2024 Pinot Noir, Stoney Rise. The region is known for its cool-climate wines, especially sparkling wine and Pinot Noir, and Adrian’s animated commentary on each pour transforms the tasting into a performance. That or the wine is just working its magic…

A cheese plate and wine glasses lined up in a wine cellar at The Tasman — Sample Tassie drops in the wine cellar. (Image: Rachael Thompson)

I make the tipsy pilgrimage back to Peppina to try their dinner offering. I dive into a memorable line-up of kingfish ceviche, Bruschetta al Tonno, and gnocchi with pink oyster, nameko mushrooms, mushroom-celeriac broth and parmesan cream. Retreating to my ultra-comfy bed and almost eerily quiet room, the blend of character and comfort makes me feel like there’s nowhere I’d rather be after a full day of eating and exploring.

Although part of the Marriott family, The Tasman’s respect and celebration of its location allows it to exude personality and charm, making it feel worlds away from the impersonal atmosphere often found in large hotels. Where many hotel kitchens are fine but forgettable, The Tasman stands out for its dedication to great produce. And with rooms starting from $300 per night, it offers luxury at a more attainable price.

Details

Address: 12 Murray St, Hobart TAS 7000

Best for: Couples, foodies and design-savvy travellers.

Family-friendly?: Yes

Accessibility: The Tasman has a number of accessible rooms for each room type.

Parking: Paid parking is available.