Penguin tours from Melbourne

What are the best Penguin Parade tours from Melbourne?

The Eco Tour for most people, the Koalas tour for wild koalas and a Penguins Plus option, and the afternoon tour for a shorter, cheaper day.

Every tour below includes the Penguin Parade entry and The Nobbies or a stop near it. Prices are GetYourGuide from-prices in US dollars, per adult.

How much does a one-day Phillip Island tour cost?

From about $95 to $233 per person in 2026. Most full-day tours with hotel pickup and a wildlife park cost $107 to $125.

The ticket itself is a small part of it: General Viewing costs A$34 at the gate. The rest pays for a driver-guide and a vehicle for 9 to 12 hours, plus entry to the extras. The Eco Tour includes Moonlit Sanctuary; the Koalas tour includes the Koala Conservation Reserve; the Puffing Billy tour includes the train.

What none of them include: dinner. Food is extra on the tours here, and the Eco Tour itinerary marks dinner at the parade as optional at extra cost. Bring snacks, or eat at the visitor centre's Chicks Café or Shearwater Restaurant before the penguins come in. The wine tour is the exception for lunch, with a wood-fired meal and a tasting at a winery.

Can you get to the Penguin Parade by public transport?

No. V/Line connections reach Cowes, but nothing goes to the Penguin Parade, and there are no return buses to Melbourne after it.

The V/Line route to Cowes takes 2.5 to 3.5 hours, changing at Dandenong (train, then coach) or Koo Wee Rup (coach, then bus). From Cowes you would need a taxi to the parade, and after dark you would be stuck on the island overnight. Nature Parks says it outright in its FAQ: without a car, take a coach tour.

If you are staying on the island, Phillip Island Taxis (03 5952 2200) can do the short run from Cowes and back. For a day trip from the city, a tour costs less than the hassle.

Is it better to drive or take a tour?

Drive if you are confident on dark country roads and want to stay on the island. Take a tour if you'd rather not drive two hours home after 9 pm.

Driving is cheaper for a family: a family General Viewing ticket is A$85, and parking at the parade is free. You can stop where you like and stay overnight in Cowes. The cost is the drive home. One guest who drove summed it up: "Super cute penguins, we loved everything although the drive back to Melbourne in the foggy dark was rather hairy :)"

A tour takes that off your hands and adds a guide. You lose control of the timing, and you share the evening with up to 24 people on the bigger tours. If you drive, book the General Viewing ticket with free cancellation, and read the arrival times before planning your departure.

Driving yourself? The official General Viewing seat, sold by Nature Parks, with free cancellation up to 2 days before.

★ 4.2 · 2 hours · from $24

Explore the General Viewing ticket → Tour details

Which Penguin Parade tours include Penguins Plus?

Two let you choose it at booking: the Penguins & Koalas tour and the small-group tour. The seal cruise tour lists it as an optional extra. All the others include General Viewing.

On the Penguins & Koalas tour, Penguins Plus is an upgrade you select when you book. The small-group tour asks you to pick General Viewing or Penguins Plus at booking, at different prices, subject to the operator's confirmation. The seal cruise tour lists the Penguins Plus platform among its exclusions, as an option. No tour on this site includes Underground Viewing or a ranger-guided tour.

Is the upgrade worth it on a tour? On the official price list Penguins Plus costs A$59 more than General Viewing. If you are going once, in summer, with kids, we'd pay it: the Plus stand is closer, and General Viewing seats are not guaranteed in December and January.

Which tour is best for families with kids?

The Penguins & Wildlife tour for younger kids who want animals all day; the Penguins & Koalas tour for a shorter day with child prices up to age 12.

• Penguins & Wildlife: two hours at Moonlit Sanctuary with a wallaby feed, then The Nobbies and the parade. Strollers are not allowed on the coach.
• Penguins & Koalas: child prices up to 12, free child seats on request (infants can't sit on laps), and the Koala Reserve boardwalks. Not suitable for babies under 1; no prams.
• The small-group tour: a van of 11 at most, pickup at your hotel, and the Penguins Plus option. One guest wrote: "The smaller size groups are better than tour buses as you don't get people lagging behind." Only a couple of dozen reviews so far.

Every tour is a long day for a child, finishing late. In summer that can mean midnight. For under-5s, a winter date with a 5 pm penguin arrival is kinder.

Which tour is best for a shorter day?

The afternoon tour: it leaves central Melbourne at 1:45 pm (2:45 pm in daylight saving) and lasts about 9 hours.

The afternoon tour skips the wildlife park and drives straight to The Nobbies, then the parade. It is the cheapest tour here at $95 and suits anyone who wants a morning in the city first. The meeting point is the corner of Flinders and Market Streets next to the Immigration Museum, not the museum's front door.

The Penguins & Koalas tour is the other short option at 9.5 hours, with return times of about 8:30 to 9:30 pm in winter and 11 pm to midnight in summer. The 12-hour tours start earlier rather than finishing later.

Can you combine the penguins with Puffing Billy, wine or the seals?

Yes. One tour adds the Puffing Billy steam train, one a winery lunch, and one a two-hour cruise to the fur seals of Seal Rocks.

• Puffing Billy & penguins ($144): an hour on the steam train in the Dandenong Ranges, a break, then The Nobbies and the parade. Twelve hours.
• Wine, dine & penguins ($170): barista coffee at the Arts Centre, San Remo, a winery lunch with a tasting, free time in Cowes (or the Koala Reserve for $15 extra per person, paid on the day), sparkling wine at The Nobbies and the parade. Max 15.
• Seal cruise & penguins ($233): a two-hour wildlife cruise from Cowes to Seal Rocks, home to Australia's largest fur seal colony, then the parade. Max 15, and only a few dozen reviews so far.

Planning a second day out? The Great Ocean Road tour runs west instead of south. Book it for a different day: both are long.

An hour on the Puffing Billy steam train through the Dandenong Ranges, then the penguins at sunset.

★ 4.8 · 12 hours · from $144

Explore Puffing Billy and the penguins → Tour details

Frequently asked questions