Peninsula Hot Springs: Entry Ticket with Bath House
Bath House entry and up to five hours in the pools, with no transport or guide: you make your own way to Fingal and hire a towel, robe or locker at reception.
From $56 per person
Check AvailabilityWhere to Stay on the Mornington Peninsula
Where you sleep decides how your day starts. Most tours collect you in Melbourne, so a bed on the peninsula helps only if your Mornington Peninsula tours starts there too, or if you drive.
Stay in Melbourne or on the peninsula? The pickup decides
The guided days from Melbourne leave the city in the morning and bring you back in the evening. If you stay on the peninsula, you are an hour and a half from those kerbs. Here is the choice in three lines:
- No car, one day: stay in Melbourne and take a day tour. All the day tours from the city collect there.
- A car and two days or more: stay on the peninsula and book the things that start there.
- A wine day and a bed on the peninsula: pick a day that collects from peninsula addresses.
| Base | Suits you if | Starts close by |
|---|---|---|
| Sorrento and Portsea | You arrive by ferry, or want the forts and back beaches | The cruise, the park bike, the last stops of bus 788 |
| Mornington, Mount Martha, Dromana | You want the bay beaches and the gondola | The bathing boxes, the ridge and the gondola |
| Red Hill and Main Ridge | You are here for the cellar doors | The cellar doors and their lunches |
| Fingal | The hot springs are the reason for the trip | The springs, the paddle-and-hike day |
| Melbourne | You have no car, or one day only | Every day tour's pickup |
Sorrento and Portsea: the ferry end
Sorrento and Portsea sit at the western end, near the tip. The Searoad ferry from Queenscliff lands at Sorrento, and bus 788 runs on to the park gate at Portsea. Stay here for the forts, the back beaches and London Bridge.
Starts near you: the 90-minute cruise from Sorrento Pier, and the self-guided bike at the national park.
Watch for: the hot springs and the cellar doors are a drive inland.
Mornington, Mount Martha and Dromana: the bay towns
These towns line the bay side on the way down from Melbourne. Mornington town has a harbour and a main street; Mount Martha and Dromana have bathing boxes on the sand. Dromana sits under Arthurs Seat, where the gondola climbs to the summit.
Closest to the city: Mornington is the first of these towns you reach on the way down, so a drive back to a Melbourne kerb is shortest from here.
Watch for: bus 788 serves the bay side only, so the ocean beaches and the springs need a car.
Red Hill and Main Ridge: among the cellar doors
Red Hill and Main Ridge sit on the high ground behind Arthurs Seat, among the vineyards. Stay here if tastings and long lunches are the point of your trip. T'Gallant and Green Olive take walk-ins, but someone still has to drive between them.
Starts near you: no tour starts here, but the small-group wine day collects from selected peninsula addresses, so you can hand over the keys.
Watch for: bus 788 keeps to the bay and does not climb the ridge.
Sleeping at the hot springs, or in a tent at the tip
At the springs: Peninsula Hot Springs has 20 rooms on site at Fingal, split between eco lodges and glamping. Room bookings carry a 7-day cancellation policy, longer than the 24 hours for bathing. In the Bath House you hire a towel, robe or locker (towel A$6, robe A$15, locker A$12); the Spa Dreaming Centre includes towels and robes.
At the tip: Parks Victoria runs the Point Nepean Discovery Tents, a campground of pre-pitched canvas tents inside the national park. The tents come pitched, so you bring no tent. Book through Parks Victoria, which publishes the dates and prices.
Which tours collect from peninsula addresses
If you stay on the peninsula, these are the options that start where you are, or near it:
| Tour | Where it collects you | Staying on the peninsula? |
|---|---|---|
| Ultimate Mornington Peninsula Food and Wine Small Group Tour | Melbourne hotels and selected peninsula addresses, 10 am | Ask at booking whether your address is on its list |
| Ultimate Peninsula Adventure: Stand Up Paddle, Hot Springs, Hike, Lunch & Winery | The hot springs car park, Fingal, 8 am | Pickup on request |
| From Melbourne: Hop On Hop Off Mornington Peninsula | Any stop on its route, first run 9:45 am | Walk to the nearest stop |
| 90 minute wildlife and scenic cruise | Sorrento Pier | No pickup: walk or drive to the pier |
| Mornington Peninsula: Self-Guided Bike Tour w E-Bike Option | The bike shop at the information centre | No pickup: drive or bus |
| Peninsula Hot Springs: Entry Ticket with Bath House | The hot springs reception, Fingal | No transport: make your own way |
Staying in Melbourne instead?
Every guided day collects you in the city. Compare the kerbs, times and what each fare buys.
Questions about where to stay
Where is the best place to stay on the Mornington Peninsula?
It depends on your day. Sorrento suits the ferry, the forts and the back beaches; Red Hill suits the wineries; Fingal suits the hot springs. Without a car, Melbourne is simpler.
Do tours pick up from accommodation on the peninsula?
A few do. The small-group wine day collects from selected peninsula addresses, and the paddle-and-hike day picks up on request. Most day tours collect only in Melbourne.
Can you stay at the hot springs?
Yes. The springs have 20 rooms across eco lodges and glamping, on a 7-day cancellation policy. Towels and robes come with the Spa Dreaming Centre, not the Bath House.
Is it worth staying a night on the peninsula?
If you want more than one of the soak, the wine and the coast, yes. A day from Melbourne spends about three hours on the road and fits one of them well.
Can you camp at Point Nepean?
Yes: Parks Victoria runs pre-pitched canvas tents in the park, so you bring no tent. Book them through Parks Victoria, which sets the dates and prices.
Where these facts come from
The rooms at the springs are from the springs' own site, and the tents from Parks Victoria, checked 29 September 2026. Pickups are each tour's own listing. See also how to get there.
- Bathing, hours and the 2026 price list (the hot springs' own site)
- The national park at the tip: hours, getting there, bikes (Parks Victoria)
- Queenscliff to Sorrento crossings (the ferry operator)
Tours that start on the peninsula
From Melbourne: Hop On Hop Off Mornington Peninsula
A hop-on bus that starts on the peninsula, not in Melbourne: choose up to four stops on its route across a seven-hour day. Tastings are booked and paid by you, and riders must be 18 or over.
From $66 per person
Check Availability
90 minute wildlife and scenic cruise
Ninety minutes from Sorrento Pier on a purpose-built boat, with a guide's commentary, snacks and hot drinks. Seals and dolphins are often seen but never promised.
From $53 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: plan the trip down, see where each town sits, or compare every tour on Mornington Tours.