From 75 minutes
The one-way cruise
A day in port
- DirectionEither way
- SeatingInside or on deck
- BackTrain or boat
See your group's price
Swan River cruise Perth to Fremantle: one way, round trip, or both
From Perth or Fremantle: Swan River One-Way or Return Cruise
★ 4.5 · 311 written reviews
Side-by-side: 3 options
Price the river leg for your group
Choose how many are coming to compare one way, return and lunch.
- One wayFrom 75 minutes · per visitor from $32
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View - Round trip2.5 hours · per visitor from $42
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View - Lunch cruiseTo Fremantle and back · per visitor from $91
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View
Starting prices as on the booking platform, converted at the ECB reference rate. You see the exact price at booking.
The river is the slow, scenic road between the city and the port. Here is how the one-way and round-trip cruises compare, which way to sail, and how to fill the hours in Fremantle.
Editorial team, swanrivercruise.click · Updated November 8, 2026 · 6 min of reading
Quick look
- One wayFrom $32, with a shortest leg of 75 minutes in either direction.
- Round tripFrom $42 for 2.5 hours, boarding in Perth or in Fremantle.
- Train backAbout 25 minutes from Fremantle to central Perth.1
- Train fareGo Anywhere: AUD 3.50 cash; on Sundays a tapped card rides free.2,3
- TimetableDeparture times vary by date: the listings show them when you check availability.
Cruising between the city and the port
There are two cruise products on this stretch of river, and they suit different days. The one-way cruise carries you between Perth and Fremantle and leaves you there; its shortest leg takes 75 minutes and it starts from $32. Its listing also sells return versions that run up to 5.5 hours in total.
The round trip on this site is a 2.5-hour cruise from Perth to Fremantle and back, which you can also join at the Fremantle end. It starts from $42 and holds 553 reviews averaging 4.4. Think of it as a tour of the river rather than a way to reach the port: you see the whole route twice, in different light, and step off where you started.
Both carry a live commentary from the captain, and both run in either direction. Tourism Western Australia lists a separate Fremantle to Perth service too, with the same promise of commentary and a free afternoon in the city at the end.4 So the real choice is not the boat; it is how you mean to spend the hours after you land. A traveller with one free morning wants the round trip, a traveller with a free day wants the one-way run and an afternoon in port, and a traveller staying in Fremantle can reverse either plan.
Your options
One way, round trip or the train
| Option | Time | From | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way cruise | 75 minutes | $32 | Yes |
| Round-trip cruise | 2.5 hours | $42 | Yes |
| Train | 25 minutes1 | AUD 3.50 cash2 | No |
| Car | Half an hour1 | Fuel and parking | No |
Boat fares shown are opening prices on each listing; the rail figure is a Transperth Go Anywhere ticket paid in cash.2
What you pass on the way down to Fremantle
Leaving the city, the skyline slides away behind you, and the river widens into a broad, open reach lined with parkland and moored yachts. Tourism Western Australia's description of the one-way run lists the downtown towers, wealthy riverside suburbs and yacht clubs, the cliffs of Blackwall Reach, the sandy Point Walter Spit and the Crawley Edge Boatshed, the little blue boatshed that locals photograph.9
Further names come from the round trip's listing, such as the brewery, the yacht club, Kings Park and the busy harbour at the river mouth. Kings Park sits high on Mount Eliza, so from the water you look up at it rather than out from it.10 The river then narrows toward the port, where the scenery turns from villas to cranes and ships.
Sit on the side that faces the shore you care about. The northern bank holds the boatshed, the brewery and the park, and the cliffs come later in the run; on the way back the view flips. The what-you-see page of this guide puts every sight on a map, and it is worth a look before you board so you know what the captain is pointing at.
Swan River cruise Fremantle to Perth, or the other way round
Sailing downstream from Perth suits most visitors. You board in the city in the morning, arrive in Fremantle for lunch, and keep the afternoon for the markets and the harbour before a short train ride home. Tourism Western Australia describes the one-way run in exactly that spirit: get off in Fremantle and explore the port city at your own pace.11
A Swan River cruise Fremantle to Perth makes more sense when you are staying in Fremantle, or arriving there by sea. The Tourism Western Australia listing for that direction ends with a free afternoon in Perth.4 It is also worth knowing that Fremantle sees cruise ships in the summer months, November to February, and passengers with a day in port can use the river to reach the city.12
Whichever way you go, the one-way listing lets you choose the start at booking, and its free cancellation runs up to 24 hours before. If the weather turns, you can switch the day without losing the fare. The only fixed point is the train: plan the land leg first and the river leg falls into place.
Which run
One way or round trip for your day
Pick the line that fits your plans and see which run to book.
If I want an afternoon in Fremantle
One way from Perth
The cruise ends in Fremantle, and the train home takes about 25 minutes.1
If I am staying in Fremantle
One way to Perth
The one-way cruise also sails from Fremantle into the city.
If I only want the river
The round trip
It shows the whole route in 2.5 hours and returns you to your start.
If I want lunch on the way
The lunch cruise
Lunch is served from a buffet during a 2.5-hour run down to Fremantle and back.
If It is a Sunday
One way plus the train
Transperth travel is free on Sundays by SmartRider or card.3
Pick your run
Ways between Perth and Fremantle
Our pick
The round trip
The whole river
- Time2.5 hours
- Board atPerth or Fremantle
- CommentaryLive, in English
Buffet aboard
The lunch cruise
Eat on the way
- Time2.5 hours
- RouteTo Fremantle and back
- TableReserved
Getting back by train, and what it costs
The train is the natural partner of a one-way cruise. Tourism Western Australia puts central Perth 25 minutes from Fremantle by train, or half an hour by car along Stirling Highway.1 From Fremantle station it is a five-minute stroll to the cafes of the Cappuccino Strip, so you can stay in town until the last coffee.5
Transperth tickets are not tied to one mode: change from train to bus or ferry and the same fare carries on until it expires.14 For the ride home, AUD 3.50 in cash gets a Go Anywhere ticket good for three hours, while AUD 7.00 gets a DayRider that lasts until the last service of the day.15,2,16 A SmartRider card cuts 10 or 20 percent off the cash fare, while a tapped bank card pays the cash rate.2,17
Families can do better still. One AUD 7.00 FamilyRider in cash takes a whole family of up to seven back to Perth, if the group includes no more than a pair of full-fare adults.18,2 Better still on a Sunday: from first service to last, tapping a SmartRider or bank card costs nothing on any Transperth train, bus or ferry.3,19 A Sunday one-way cruise with a free train home is the cheapest version of this day.
A one-way day
Down by river, back by train
Morning
Board in Perth
Choose a sailing when you check availability for your date.
On the river
Cruise downstream
The shortest one-way leg takes 75 minutes, with commentary.
Midday
Land in Fremantle
The Cappuccino Strip is a short walk from the station.5
Afternoon
Explore the port
Evening
Train to Perth
What to do in the Fremantle gap
Fremantle rewards a few unhurried hours. Its markets have filled limestone halls with small stalls since 1897, and Tourism Western Australia notes the heritage-listed West End with its grand former pubs, shipping offices and warehouses.6,20 Walking is the easiest way around: the centre is compact, and the streets are made for slow browsing.
History is close at hand. Fremantle Prison was built by convicts in the 1850s and held prisoners for 136 years before it closed in 1991; its tours now run above and below ground.7 The Fishing Boat Harbour has been a working port since the early 1900s and is the place for fish and chips by the water.8 Between them sit cafes, breweries and small galleries, so even a gap of a few hours fills itself without much planning.
Give yourself at least an afternoon if you sail one way, and longer if the prison is on your list. The Fremantle page of this guide covers the walk from the wharf, the main sights and the ferry link to Rottnest Island. The takeaway here: the river delivers you to a port town worth staying in, and the train collects you whenever you are ready.
Video
By boat from Perth to Fremantle
Kamran Travel Videos on YouTube · The video stays unloaded until you press play.
It can be reached from central Perth via a 25-minute train ride, or half hour drive along Stirling Highway.
Before you sail
Plan the land leg too
Timetable, tickets and the small print
The cruise operators publish timetables on their own sites, and sailing times shift from season to season and from weekday to weekend. On GetYourGuide, both the one-way and the round-trip listings show starting times only when you check availability for a date. Pick the date first, then the sailing, and leave slack at the Fremantle end for the train.
Both records carry the same practical notes. The records advise against driving to the pier, where only a handful of paid bays exist. Boats and routes are swapped at the operator's discretion. Guests using a wheelchair, walking frame or pram should contact the operator, as each vessel differs and toilets may be downstairs.
Booking is flexible on both. Both let you hold seats now with payment later, and both return the full fare if you cancel at least 24 hours out. On the single-direction boats you can retreat from the open deck to a cooled cabin, a relief on a summer afternoon facing the sun. Keep your booking on your phone, arrive at the jetty early enough to find the right pier, and check the sailing time again the evening before, since the operator can change it.
FAQ
Brief questions, brief answers.
How long is the cruise from Perth to Fremantle?
From 75 minutes one way.
The one-way listing's shortest leg is 75 minutes; the round trip takes 2.5 hours.
Can I cruise one way and take the train back?
Yes.
The one-way cruise ends in Fremantle, and the train to central Perth takes about 25 minutes.1
Is there a cruise from Fremantle to Perth?
Yes, in that direction too.
The one-way listing runs both ways, and Tourism WA lists a Fremantle to Perth service.4
How much is the train back from Fremantle?
Where can I find the cruise timetable?
In the booking box for your date.
Both listings show starting times when you check availability.
Can I board the round trip in Fremantle?
Yes.
The round trip can be joined at either end, so a Fremantle stay is no obstacle to booking it.
Sources
- Tourism Western Australia (westernaustralia.com) · Fremantle ↩
- Transperth (Public Transport Authority of Western Australia) · Transperth Fares ↩
- Transperth (Public Transport Authority of Western Australia) · Transperth Free Travel ↩
- Tourism Western Australia (westernaustralia.com) · One Way Cruise Fremantle to Perth ↩
- Tourism Western Australia (westernaustralia.com) · Fremantle ↩
- Tourism Western Australia (westernaustralia.com) · Fremantle ↩
- Tourism Western Australia (westernaustralia.com) · Fremantle ↩
- Tourism Western Australia (westernaustralia.com) · Fremantle ↩
- Tourism Western Australia (westernaustralia.com) · One Way Cruise from Perth to Fremantle ↩
- Tourism Western Australia (westernaustralia.com) · Perth ↩
- Tourism Western Australia (westernaustralia.com) · One Way Cruise from Perth to Fremantle ↩
- Tourism Western Australia (westernaustralia.com) · Travel to and around Perth ↩
- NOAA · Global Summary of the Month, Station Perth Metro (NOAA GHCN ASN00009225), 1991 to 2020 ↩
- Transperth (Public Transport Authority of Western Australia) · Transperth Fares ↩
- Transperth (Public Transport Authority of Western Australia) · Transperth Fares ↩
- Transperth (Public Transport Authority of Western Australia) · Transperth Fares ↩
- Transperth (Public Transport Authority of Western Australia) · Transperth Fares ↩
- Transperth (Public Transport Authority of Western Australia) · Transperth Fares ↩
- Transperth (Public Transport Authority of Western Australia) · Transperth Free Travel ↩
- Tourism Western Australia (westernaustralia.com) · Fremantle ↩