Things to do in Perth For Free

Some of the best days I’ve had in Perth haven’t cost a cent. The city is built around a river, a coastline and a 400-hectare park, and all three are free. These guides cover the free things to do in Perth that I genuinely rate, not padding to make a list look longer.

Kings Park is where locals send every visitor first, Matilda Bay is my pick for a riverside picnic, and Bold Park is the bushland walk that feels like leaving the city. Over summer the Christmas lights, twilight markets and New Year’s Eve fireworks are all free too, and better from the foreshore than a paid rooftop.

Latest guides

The coastline at Burns Beach, start of the coastal walk to Mindarie

The coastal walk I do when I need to clear my head

The Omeo shipwreck at Coogee, the start of the Coogee Maritime Trail

Snorkelling a shipwreck trail without getting on a boat

Mullaloo Beach, a calm family beach in Perth's north

The calmest beach in Perth’s north for a lazy family swim

The Crawley Edge Boatshed, Perth's famous blue boat house, on the Swan River

Matilda Bay picnic and river walk guide

View from the top of Reabold Hill in Bold Park towards the Perth CBD

Bold Park and Reabold Hill: Perth’s best coastal bushland walks

Cottesloe Beach in the early evening light

Free things to do in Cottesloe

Water play fountains at the Elizabeth Quay water park in Perth

Perth’s best free water playgrounds and splash pads

Fresh fruit and vegetable stalls inside Fremantle Markets

Perth’s best twilight and Christmas markets this summer

Fireworks bursting over the Swan River in Perth

New Year’s Eve in Perth: The best free spots to watch the fireworks

View west to the Perth city skyline from the Zig Zag Scenic Drive, Gooseberry Hill

Kalamunda and the Perth Hills: Zig Zag Scenic Drive and lookouts

The heritage-listed Guildford Hotel in Guildford

Guildford heritage walk and antiques: A day in historic Guildford

Christmas light displays in the Perth CBD in December 2025

Christmas lights in Perth 2026: The best displays and light trails