Wineglass Bay Cruise from Hobart
The Wineglass Bay cruise leaves Coles Bay, 193 km by road from Hobart and 176 km from Launceston. Driving there for 9:30 am, staying nearby, buses, and the Hobart day tours.
The Wineglass Bay cruise leaves from Coles Bay, on Tasmania’s east coast, not from Hobart: the Wineglass Bay Cruises Booking Office at 61 Jetty Road is 193 km by road from Franklin Wharf in Hobart, about 2 hours 40 minutes, and 176 km from the centre of Launceston, about 2 hours 15 minutes. Check-in is by 9:30 am, so most people stay the night before in Coles Bay, Swansea or Bicheno, or leave Hobart before 6:30 am. The cruise, listed as From Coles Bay: Wineglass Bay Cruise with Lunch, is from US$148 a person (checked November 2026).
The calendar above is the cruise from Coles Bay, with 587 reviews (checked November 2026).
The short answer
Drive, and stay nearby. No bus is timed for the 9:30 am check-in, and none of the day tours from Hobart or Launceston includes the cruise: they drive up the coast and walk to the Wineglass Bay Lookout instead. With a car, the easy plan is a night in Coles Bay, Swansea or Bicheno, the cruise from 9:45 am to 2:30 pm, then the lookout walk or the drive on. Doing it as a day trip from Hobart means about 5 hours 20 minutes of driving around a 4½-hour cruise.
The drive
| From | By road to the booking office, 61 Jetty Road | Time, without stops |
|---|---|---|
| Hobart (Franklin Wharf) | 193 km | about 2 hours 40 minutes |
| Launceston (city centre) | 176 km | about 2 hours 15 minutes |
| Swansea | 59 km | about 50 minutes |
| Bicheno | 38 km | about 35 minutes |
Distances and times routed by road, without traffic or stops. From Hobart the road is the Tasman Highway (A3) north along the coast by Orford and Swansea, then the Coles Bay Road into Coles Bay; Tourism Tasmania puts the drive at about 2 hours 30 minutes. From Launceston it runs south on the Midland Highway and across to the coast on the Lake Leake Highway. The booking office has free parking near the jetty. For the boat itself you buy no parks pass, because the Parks and Wildlife Service requires commercial tour operators to cover their guests’ park entry; you need your own only for the lookout walk or any stop inside Freycinet National Park: A$49.15 a vehicle for a day (Parks and Wildlife Service, November 2026).
Staying nearby
Coles Bay itself is the closest: the booking office is in the village, and the Wineglass Bay Walking Tracks Car Park is 5 km on by road, about 12 minutes. Swansea, 59 km away on the Tasman Highway, is on the way from Hobart. Bicheno, 38 km to the north, has the evening penguin tours, so a night there pairs the cruise with the penguins at dusk; bichenopenguintour.com covers the Bicheno penguin tour.
By bus
Coles Bay has bus services to Hobart (routes 736, 737, 744 and 745) and to Launceston (routes 740, 744, 745 and 746) on the Transport Services Tasmania east coast timetable, and from 17 May 2026 routes 743, 744 and 745 run via Swanwick. There is no published connection timed for the 9:30 am check-in, so by bus plan on a night in Coles Bay before the cruise.
The day tours from Hobart and Launceston: no cruise
The guided days from Hobart and Launceston are good days in Freycinet, but they walk to the lookout; none includes the cruise. They suit you if you have no car and want the view from above more than the water:
| Day tour | What it does at Wineglass Bay | From |
|---|---|---|
| Wineglass Bay Discovery Tours, via Richmond (GetYourGuide) | A guided walk of about 1½ hours return to the lookout, Honeymoon Bay, Cape Tourville | US$111 in current promotion (usually US$123) |
| The same day, booked on Viator | The same day, in a 13-seat bus | US$125 |
| Tours Tasmania active day (GetYourGuide) | About 45 minutes up to the lookout, or on down to the beach | US$119 |
| Wineglass Bay Tours, 10 hours (GetYourGuide) | The lookout walk and short walks in the park | US$120 |
| Tours Tasmania from Launceston (GetYourGuide) | The lookout, or on down to the beach, and Cape Tourville | US$123 |
Prices per person from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026; Viator checked November 2026).
From Coles Bay: Wineglass Bay Cruise with Lunch
Drive to Coles Bay, check in at 61 Jetty Road by 9:30 am, and spend 4½ hours on the water with lunch. Back at 2:30 pm.
Check dates →Hobart: Wineglass Bay, Freycinet Park, and Richmond Tour
A small-group day from Hobart with a guided walk to the Wineglass Bay Lookout and the parks pass included. No cruise.
See the Hobart day →Hobart: Wineglass Bay & Freycinet National Park Active Tour
Tours Tasmania's active day from Hobart: up to the lookout, with the option of walking on down to the beach. No cruise.
See the active day →Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
More in Freycinet
Cruises, Kayaks and Freycinet Days with Open Dates
Boat trips from Coles Bay, kayak tours and days from Hobart with live availability. Times, what is included and cancellation terms are on each listing.
The Cruise from Coles Bay
Check in at 61 Jetty Road by 9:30 am; the boat is back at 2:30 pm, in time for the drive home or the lookout walk.
Check dates