The best option to travel around Tasmania is by car. Transport infrastructure is limited across the island.

For most visitors, that’s a hire car. Unless of course you’re arriving on the Spirit of Tasmania and bringing a car with you. 

There are inter-city buses / coaches to travel people around the island. These will take you to the main cities and towns, but not to the tourist attractions or site seeing.  Kinetic (Redline) is one such bus service.

There are no passenger rail services in Tasmania.

There are taxis in larger towns and the two main cities – Hobart and Launceston. You’ll find Uber in these same locations. Taxis need to be booked ahead of time – you won’t find them walking around town centres.

August and September.

August has the most rainfall across much of Tasmania and it’s also the end of winter, so still quite cold. Not great conditions for outdoor activities like walking, hiking, kayaking, or cruising/boating.

In September and early October wild winds and wet weather can put a real dampener on your travel plans, particularly as they bring down trees and cause power outages.

Absolutely! It snows every year in Tasmania and the island state has even been known to get snow in the highlands and Cradle Mountain in the middle of summer!

Snow has also blanketed most of the island before – most recently in the winter of 2020.

The Central Highlands is your best chance of seeing snow in Tasmania. It snows regularly around the Great Lakes on Tasmania’s Central Plateau in winter, so much so that roads can be closed to all but 4WDs. Villages like Breona and Miena can be a great place to base yourself, if you want to snuggle up inside in some snowy winter weather.

If you’re in Hobart, you may see snow on Kunanyi (Mt Wellington) during winter. 

In the North West, Cradle Mountain snows often in winter, but can really get snow any time of year. We’ve been in blizzard conditions on Cradle Mt in October

You can also see snow and even go skiing at Mt Mawson (Mt Field National Park) and Ben Lamond.

Almost the entire of Tasmania has been blanket in snow before, but that’s a very rare event. 

Layers are best if you’re packing clothes for Tasmania because the weather is so changeable, from hour to hour, day to day and even region to region. 

Especially if you’re planning on travelling around the island, bring cold weather gear in all seasons. A jumper or pullover, a jacket and a raincoat are standard items for your suitcase. 

Covered shoes are also really important – to keep out the cold and the creepy crawlies. Tasmania has ferocious giant ants that can cause serious pain and discomfort for days if you get bitten (I know this from personal experience!). You’ll also find at least 2 of the world’s deadliest snakes here.

Prepare to really rug up if you’re coming in winter. You’ll need a bean, gloves, warm socks and a scarf in some areas., as well as a padded jacket.

It doesn’t get hot here in summer but the UV is intense and damaging. Be sure to cover up with a hat, sunnies and some sunscreen. 

Tasmanian’s generally dress smart casual to outings and events, especially outdoor events. Hiking brands are worn commonly here for their function and practicality in all weather and landscapes.

If you want to drive the loop around Tasmania, we recommend at least 10 days.

You could drive the loop around the outside of Tassie 15 hours straight to give you an idea of how far it is. But you wouldn’t see much.

Even in 10 days you won’t get to see all of the big sights. And you’ll miss swathes of Tasmania’s stunning interior – the Central Highlands especially. 

But 10 days on the Tasmania loop will give you highlights of the island. You’ll get to see a snapshot of Hobart and surrounds, main East Coast attractions like Wineglass Bay and the Bay of Fires and Launceston. You’ll also see parts of the West Coast, Cradle Mountain, and some attractions in the North West. 

2 weeks will let you explore at a more leisurely pace, and take you to some of more ‘off trail’ destinations inland.