The Mornington Peninsula makes an easy day trip from Melbourne, with the drive from the CBD to towns like Sorrento or Rosebud taking a little over an hour. The hard part is deciding what to actually do once you’re there. Here are four simple itineraries depending on what your day is built around, with rough timings so you can see how a day fits together.

Itinerary 1: Wineries and Lunch

Start with the drive from Melbourne CBD to Red Hill, about 1 hour 6 minutes, and spend the late morning and early afternoon moving between 2 to 3 cellar doors in the Red Hill, Merricks and Moorooduc area. Many, like Montalto, Polperro and Pt. Leo Estate, have restaurants on site, so lunch can be built straight into the loop. Book a private taxi or Maxi Taxi for the day so nobody has to stay sober to drive.

  • 9:00am: pickup in Melbourne or on the Peninsula
  • 10:30am: first tasting around Moorooduc or Red Hill
  • 12:30pm: lunch at a winery restaurant
  • 2:30pm: one or two more cellar doors
  • 4:30pm: head home

Book lunch first, since the winery restaurants fill quickly on weekends. Our guide to the best Mornington Peninsula wineries has more on which cellar doors to group together.

Itinerary 2: Beaches and Peninsula Hot Springs

Head toward Rosebud or Sorrento, both around 1 hour 10 to 1 hour 30 minutes from Melbourne CBD, for a morning at the beach, then finish the day at Peninsula Hot Springs near Fingal, about 1 hour 17 minutes from the city. The Hot Springs are a relaxed way to end a beach day, especially outside peak summer weekends when it’s less crowded.

The bay beaches at Rosebud, Rye and Sorrento are calm and good for swimming, while the ocean beaches on the other side are wilder and better for a walk than a swim. Book your Hot Springs session ahead, especially on weekends, and book the return trip at the same time so your driver is waiting when you finish. From Rye the Hot Springs are only 15 to 20 minutes away, so the two halves of the day fit together easily.

Itinerary 3: Lighthouse and Coastal Walks

For a more scenic, less food and wine focused day, head to Cape Schanck to see the 1859 lighthouse and walk the Bushrangers Bay track, then loop back through Sorrento or Portsea, both around 1 hour 30 minutes from Melbourne, for a coastal lunch before heading home.

The boardwalk down to Pulpit Rock at Cape Schanck is short but steep in places, so wear proper shoes. The Bushrangers Bay track is a longer walk through coastal scrub to a sheltered bay, so allow a couple of hours return. Our post on Cape Schanck transport options compares the ways of getting there.

Itinerary 4: Sorrento, Portsea and Point Nepean

Spend the morning in Sorrento’s main street and along the foreshore, then continue to Point Nepean National Park at the tip of the Peninsula. The old fort and the former quarantine station tell the story of the bay’s entrance, and the walks out toward the point have views across the heads to Queenscliff. Finish with lunch or an early dinner in Sorrento or Portsea before the drive home.

If you’d like to add a view from up high, the Arthurs Seat lookout above Dromana is an easy stop on the way down or back.

Getting There Without Driving Yourself

All four itineraries cover real distance, and none of them are practical by public transport alone. A private taxi or day tour lets you cover multiple stops on one booking, with a driver who already knows the roads and the best order to see everything in, rather than juggling a rental car and directions all day. A half day tour runs around 4 to 5 hours and a full day 7 to 9 hours, and we can pick up from Melbourne CBD hotels as well as anywhere on the Peninsula. Groups of up to 11 travel together in one Maxi Taxi.

Tips for Any Peninsula Day Trip

  • Start early in summer, as the roads into Sorrento get busy by late morning
  • Book restaurants and the Hot Springs ahead on weekends and public holidays
  • Pack layers, as the ocean side can be much cooler and windier than the bay
  • Agree your return pickup time before you set off

See our Mornington Peninsula day tours to book a full day itinerary with pickup from Melbourne or the Peninsula, or check individual services like Winery Tours and Peninsula Hot Springs Transfers for a single destination trip.