Tasmania is a small island, an unless you're planning on doing some seriously epic trekking, the…read morebest way to see it is by renting *sorry, hiring* a car. While I don't have any particular allegiance to one rental car company, I must say, the experience at Budget was top notch. Hobart's airport is tiny, so it made the entire process painfully simple: grab your luggage, walk across the street, get your keys from the desk, grab your car from the lot, and you're on your way. It couldn't have been more than 10 minutes from when we landed to when we were driving off the lot, and there are few things I love more than ease of travel. So the star-deducting issues? It did seem that our car had been previously driven quite hard. While everything was fine cosmetically, the shocks were a bit squeaky, and the hub cab continually fell off. (Luckily it was the only one of the original four left, so when we finally lost it for good, we weren't too upset.) $100 for 3-days through Tassie was totally worth it. Plus, I felt dead sexy in my bright blue Nissan Pulsar 1.6. Yeow!

At Rent For Less, Amy helped us on 2 occasions in Hobart, Tasmania. She is friendly, helpful and…read morerented us a great little car each time. She gave us directions and loaned us a map book to use. It was a lovely drive to Bicheno where we spent the night to see the penguins. The second rental we drove to Port Arthur which was another beautiful drive, only wish we started earlier to have more time there; the next day we drove out to Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary and the Cadbury Factory. I'm glad we hired a car as we would have missed these places (unless we booked a coach tour). The advantage with our own car, we stopped along the way to walk along the beach, take photos or drive a different route if we wished. I would get a car from Rent For Less again. It would be great if all employees were as terrific as Amy!

Hobart Airporter is an airport shuttle service that travels between Hobart International Airport…read moreand lodging accommodations in Hobart. You can pre-book online on their website, but it is not necessary. The airport shuttle is parked right outside the baggage claim area of the airport. The shuttles are timed with the arrival times of every flight. If you haven't pre-booked, you can walk curbside to the shuttle and purchase a seat. The rates are $18 for one-way and $32 for a round trip. If you buy the round trip, you either call the number on the ticket or go online to the website to enter the date and time you will be returning to the airport. This should be done at least a day in advance. I tried to use the online site at first, but I had trouble with it so I had to call the number instead. This was a bit difficult as well as I didn't know how to dial the number using my American cell phone, so it may be best to use the hotel telephone to call. The online website for this service shows a picture of a tour size shuttle bus, but the shuttle bus that I took was smaller with no room on board for luggage. Instead, the shuttle bus is connected to a luggage trailer in back. The shuttle has a list of stop locations that you can view on their online website. The hotel I stayed at in Hobart was not on the list due to its mid-street location, but there was a hotel across the street in which there was a stop. When you return to the airport, you should wait at the same stop that you get off at. Make sure to be at the stop 15 minutes before the time they provide. Though I was a little uneasy about taking the shuttle at first, I found it to be pretty straightforward way to get from the airport to Hobart CBD. I would use this airport shuttle service if I ever visit Hobart again.

$19 one way, $35 return. Essentially curbside service to your hotel. Easy and fast.read more

Grays buses Hobart. I went on two in my recent visit to Hobart, Two tours…read more in all honesty, a bit outdated I thought. The sears were close to each other too. Ny knee was touching the seat in front of me, and I noticed someone else had the same issues. the seats were worn with one of the bench seats seat belts broken. no usb to charge my iPhone so asked the driver if he had one I could use. I noticed that tge dash looked worn out too, with the usb a loose fit, and not convinced it charged very much at all. what really bothered me though was the seat belts broken situation. the motor sounded a bit tough too. a couple of days later, I was on tour with another of their buses. still no usb. my seat belts broken situation was okay this time. I'd also like to say that in the first bus I went on, the drive, although friendly enough , told us the rules including about using seat belts, also told us he was passing on what we should be doing but he wasn't the police of them, so if we didn't, then he wasn't going to horse us. I told him about my seat belt too. he said he'd have to look at it, but no more was said. I sat somewhere else, at the next stop.

Qantas is Australia's flagship carrier as well as its largest airline. While visiting Australia, I…read moretook a side trip to Hobart on Tasmania. I took Virgin Australia to Hobart, but wanted to try Qantas on the return back to Sydney. On this route, QantasLink operates flights rather than the mainline. Of the three airlines (Jetstar/Qantas/VA) that fly this route, Qantas seems to have the highest fares. But I found a decent fare online on the flight I was looking at, so I decided to book it. If possible, try to book your flight on an online travel site rather than through Qantas. Buying the ticket on the airline's website will incur a credit card surcharge fee. Though I avoided this surcharge when booking through Qantas by buying an airline voucher and using it for part of the fare with the remaining amount paid on my credit card. At Hobart Airport, all of the airlines have check-in counters next to each other here since the airport is small. Check-in was quick and easy as there was no line. Once through security, you wait for your flight in a large waiting hall. There are a few restaurants and shops here, as well as a Qantas lounge to the right side of the departures area. Since the airport is small, you need to walk to the airport tarmac to board your flight. The QantasLink planes used on this route are Boeing 717 planes with a 2-3 configuration. I got an A window seat on the left side. While I like that there are only 2 seats on the left side, the A seat has less room in the carry-on baggage space below the seat. I would recommend stowing your carry-on above if the aisle seat next to you is occupied instead. As for in-flight service, I feel that Qantas offers a better product. Unlike VA which only gives you a snack, I got a meal on this hour and a half flight. The meal was a meatball panini which was decent. The meat did seem reminiscent to the filling in a Hot Pocket, but it was a nice to get a hot meal. And unlike VA which offers up entertainment through an app you need to download before your flight, Qantas offers an iPad entertainment tablet in every seat. The entertainment options on the tablet is good with a selection of movies, music and TV shows that are current. Though the short flight time makes it impossible to watch a movie in its entirety. While I enjoyed both of my flights to and from Hobart, I prefer Qantas over Virgin Australia based on their in-flight experience and service being a bit better. Though I am not sure I would fly Qantas if there is a huge price difference between the two. I would probably use VA if that were the case. If you can find good one way fares, I would suggest trying out both and seeing which airline you prefer. For me, Qantas is the best airline in Australia.

Amazing tour with great prices! Paul was so knowledgeable and made us feel like a local. Not only…read moredid he take us to some really unique and fun destinations but he provided tips to maximize our experience and would follow up to make sure we had a great time. I highly recommend that you leverage a full 7 hour tour with him and provide some conceptual ideas of what you want to see. Paul will take care of the rest. At one point Paul walked us into the animal reserve, checked the pricing to make sure we got a group deal, and then gave us the lay of the land before we started our walking tour. He was so kind and helpful. Also, make sure you don't miss the mountain. It's worth the trip up and the pictures are fantastic! We bonded with Paul by the end of our time together and from both his perspective and ours, it was the best experience of our trip and of his season. He was such a pleasure! FYI the prices were more than fair, especially compared to the other vendors. We came in on a cruise and this was 1/3 the price for half the tour.

One of the most relaxing and engaging tours I've been on! The price was great. The experience was…read moreamazing. The tour guide, Paul M...I can't say enough about. The banter, information, and kindness Paul shared sets him apart. An all around delightful and truly amazing person. The story...if you're so inclined: A group of us (about 17) were embarking on a 12 day cruise. Hobart was port three of five and about eight days into our journey. We had just spent three days at sea due to Cyclone Gita interrupting our final port call (Christchurch) in New Zealand. In case you haven't been on a cruise, three days in mild to rough seas will leave you irritable and exhausted. I got off the ship early, breezed through customs, and began searching for a tour guide. I noticed a sole gentleman, Paul, setting up for the morning and approached him. He was kind, inviting, and extremely knowledgeable. We quickly worked out a deal that would include a private guide (Paul) and van accommodating up to ten to anywhere we would like to go. We could leave immediately (8:30/9am) and would be back by 3:30pm...just in time to be back on board by 4:30pm. The van was clean, well maintained, comfortable, and spacious. Bless. Eight of us joined the excursion with promise to also cover the remaining two slots (so worth it). Paul waited patiently with me while our crew gathered themselves and made it off the ship. At this point, other tour guides were setting up as well. I realized how fortunate I was to have met Paul as I overheard insane price gouging and confusing tour schedules being offered to my fellow cruise members...almost double the price for half the excursion! Booking through the cruise was near triple the cost! The tour began. First stop, breakfast. Paul took us to a lovely bakery in town. Gorgeous food and friendly staff...most welcome after three days of the buffet line. Second stop, Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. A five star experience and the chance to feed/pet numerous kangaroos! Third stop, a quick pint and nosh at a local pub. Fourth stop, Festa Italia in North Hobart. An Italian food and wine street festival set in quaint part of town. Fifth stop, breathtaking views of the bay and surrounding area atop Mount Wellington. We made it back on time, without issue, and feeling very relaxed. We are a boisterous but prompt and compliant group. =) Thank you again to Paul and the Let's Show You Tasmania tour company. You guys were awesome! Cheers!

Segways Tours Awesome experience a must do in Hobart…read moreFriendly first class service Fun Easy Worth every cent

Visited Tasmania last year and one of the attractions that I wanted to see was Mount Wellington…read more Public transportation wasn't an option since the buses won't take you to the top. They will drop you off at a lower level and you need to trek up.the mountain. My only options were to rent a car or book a tour. I decided on the latter since it was easier and saved me the trouble of driving in Australia. I looked through tours available on Viator and decided to book a package consisted of a tour of Mount Wellington and admission to Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. The Viator site doesn't specify the tour operator until you make your purchase and the tour is confirmed. After a couple days, I received a tour confirmation e-mail and learned the tour operator was Adventure Island Tours. I was given the start time of the tour and was picked up outside of my hotel. Adventure Island is a Tasmanian owned and operated tour business. They use 13 passenger tour vans so the number of people on the tour is smaller than if you book with a large company like Gray Line. They have a number of Hobart tours, but their most popular tours are the ones to Port Arthur. On my tour, it was just me and an Indonesian family so I learned plenty of tidbits about Tasmania. My tour guide was very knowledgeable about world affairs (ex. US election) which was impressive and even talked about his travels to Seattle. Mount Wellington was definitely worth the visit. My guide made stops at the summit as well as down the mountain, so I could get views of the area at different altitudes. After the visit to Mount Wellington, we headed over to Bonorong. The tour guide checked us in to the sanctuary and then picked us up to drive back to Hobart to conclude the tour. I would recommend this itinerary if you are interested. Though make sure to bring a jacket or windbreaker as it is cold on Mount Wellington, particularly during the winter. Also I would pack a lunch and bring some water since the tour is all day. My tour guide did make a pit stop so I could pick up a couple meat pies at a bakery for lunch on our way to Bonorong. For the price, I was very satisfied with the tour. Primarily attribute this to my tour guide who was very knowledgeable about the area. This is something that you wouldn't get if you decide to do the journey on your own.