3 Days in Perth, Australia on a Budget

View From Kings Park

Perth is a bright sunny city on the coast of West Australia known for its sandy beaches and colorful sunsets. I started my backpacking journey in Perth where there are a number of hostels and university students. Like any city, food, accommodation and transportation seems more expensive than it should. It took me a few tries to find a low budget restaurant; however, the city had a lot of activities that were free of charge. The number of free things to do was my favorite thing about Perth.

Day 1: Explore the Central Business District (CBD) and stroll through the pedestrian mall. You can walk down to the Elizabeth Quay and catch a free CBD bus and go to Kings Park. I took the Green CAT bus which come about every 10 minutes. The park is very beautiful and overlooks the city. There is also a café, free botanical gardens and a WWII memorial. I would recommend grabbing dinner in Northbridge which is a neighborhood very close to the CBD and is filled with fun unique restaurants.

Fremantle Market

Day 2: Go to Fremantle. From the Perth central station, you can take a 30-minute train to Fremantle costing about $3 each way. Fremantle is cute district filled with historic buildings, museums and cafes. It’s also a working port. My visit to Fremantle included only free activities because I’m on a budget. I went to the Fremantle Market which is a large indoor market with vendors selling street food, art, fruits and vegetables and souvenirs.

Local baker selling cupcakes at the Fremantle Market

I also went to the WA Shipwreck Museum which wasn’t terribly interesting, but I did gain a better understanding of WA role in trading during the 1600-1800s and it didn’t cost me a thing. Lastly, I visited the Roundhouse which is the oldest building in WA, built in 1830. I had a wonderful lunch a rustic chic café called Moore & Moore, where I ate a chicken and roasted vegetable panini and sipped an iced latte in their pleasant shaded courtyard.

Lunch at Moore & Moore

Day 3: This was my hottest day hitting 102F so I decided to go to the museums which have very nice AC. The city is in the midst of building the grand Western Australian Museum which is supposed to open in 2020. Because of the construction most of the Perth Cultural Center was unfortunately not open but I was able to go to the WA Art Museum which had some fascinating pieces and an exhibit hosting aboriginal artwork. I’m not a huge art lover but admission was free, so I enjoyed my time.

Cottesloe Beach

I would then recommend a late afternoon at the beach and stay for sunset. From Perth Station you can take the Fremantle line to Cottesloe which is the most popular beach in Perth. There’s a few sidewalk cafes, ice creamery’s and a tea house.

Sunset at Cottesloe Beach

*If you have more time you can take a day trip or overnight trip to Rottnest Island, visit the Perth Mint or go to the Zoo.