Perth in 2 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs)
Two days: the free transit core, then Kings Park and a beach
Two days is enough to cover Perth’s paid highlights, the Bell Tower (about $18) and WA Museum Boola Bardip ($15), plus its best free ones, Kings Park and a beach, without ever needing a car. This is the tight version; add a third day for Scarborough Beach and the Swan River ferry (see the 3-day plan), or go longer with the 4-day and 5-day versions.
Book these before you go
- Check Perth CBD or Northbridge hotel rates on Booking.com , inside the Free Transit Zone if you can.
- Browse Perth city tours on GetYourGuide if you’d rather have a guide for day one.
- Check Swan River cruise options on Viator as an alternative to the $3.50 Transperth ferry.
| Day | Focus | Getting there | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Free Transit Zone, Elizabeth Quay, Bell Tower, WA Museum | Airport Line + free CAT bus | about $18 + $15 (Bell Tower + Museum) |
| Day 2 | Kings Park, Cottesloe Beach sunset | Free CAT + bus to the coast | Free |
Day 1: Free transit, Elizabeth Quay and the Bell Tower
Land, then don’t spend a cent getting into the city: the Airport Line reaches Perth Station in about 18 minutes, and the moment you step off, you’re inside the CBD Free Transit Zone, where every train between City West and Claisebrook and every bus within the City of Perth boundary costs nothing. Walk or free-CAT-bus to Elizabeth Quay, the redeveloped Swan River waterfront, and spend an hour just wandering the promenade before climbing the Bell Tower (about $18 adult; concessions and family cheaper; 10am-4pm daily, last entry 3:45pm) for the best free-to-paid ratio view in the city. From there it’s a short walk or free Blue CAT ride to the Perth Cultural Centre in Northbridge, where the WA Museum Boola Bardip ($15 adult / $10 concession, free under 15) and the Art Gallery of Western Australia (free, Wed-Mon) sit across the same plaza. Have dinner in Northbridge, where the small-bar scene born out of WA’s 2006-07 liquor reform means a laneway bar and a cheap noodle place are usually next door to each other.
Day 2: Kings Park, free all day, then Cottesloe at sunset
Kings Park and Botanic Garden costs nothing to enter and never closes: 400 hectares of bushland and manicured garden on Mount Eliza, about 60 hectares bigger than New York’s Central Park, with the Lotterywest Federation Walkway treetop walk, the State War Memorial and 3,000-plus native WA plant species in the Botanic Garden section. Free guided walks leave daily from Aspects of Kings Park; budget at least half a day, more if the wildflowers are out (roughly September-November). In the evening, take a bus or short taxi to Cottesloe Beach, Perth’s calmer, more family-oriented swimming beach, lined with Norfolk pines and best known locally for the sunset crowd outside the Indiana Tea House. Swim between the flags; rips exist even on a calm-looking day.
Is 2 days enough to see Perth?
Enough for the highlights, not the whole city. Two days covers both paid sights (Bell Tower, WA Museum) and the single best free attraction (Kings Park), plus one beach. It skips Scarborough, the Swan River ferry, and the inner-suburb cafe strips, all of which fit into the 3-day and longer versions of this plan.
Do you need a car for this itinerary?
No. Everything in this 2-day plan sits inside or a short free-CAT ride from the CBD Free Transit Zone; the only paid transit is the standard Transperth fare to reach Cottesloe Beach on day two, which costs $3.50 cash or $2.80 with an Autoload SmartRider.
Do the free things first on both days, Kings Park especially, and treat the Bell Tower and Museum tickets, about $18 and $15, as the only fixed costs on the schedule.