How Many Days Do You Need in Margaret River?

Two to three days is the right length for Margaret River: one for the wineries, and one or two for the coast, the caves and the forest. One day is enough for a wine tour and not much else. If you are coming from Perth, add the three hours or more each way on the road.

One day: the wine, nothing else

A full-day wine tour fills a day on its own: six to seven hours, three cellar doors, lunch and a food stop. You arrive back in the late afternoon, and nobody wants to drive after it anyway. If one day is all you have, make it a tour with pickup from where you are staying. The hidden-gems full day picks up in Margaret River town; for Busselton and Dunsborough, the Bushtucker all-inclusive tour and the Wine for Dudes Busselton tour collect from there.

From Perth as a day trip, the wine gets the middle of the day and the highway gets the rest. The day trip guide sets out what that looks like.

Two days: wine and the coast

The second day is for the coastline the region is just as known for: surf beaches, limestone cliffs and the walking track between the two capes, Cape Naturaliste in the north and Cape Leeuwin in the south. A simple split:

• Day 1: a full-day wine tour with lunch.
• Day 2: the coast and the forest. If you want it guided, Margaret River Discovery Co’s canoe and 4x4 tour paddles the Margaret River, walks the Wilyabrup cliffs on the Cape to Cape track and ends with a winery lunch, from US$160.

If you are staying in Busselton, the 1,841 m Busselton Jetty, the longest timber-piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere, with its jetty train and underwater observatory, is the easy half-day near your bed.

Check dates for day 1: the full-day wine tour

Three days: room to slow down

A third day lets you add a second, different kind of tasting without doubling up on the same thing. Some ideas that use the region’s range:

• A half day: South West Eco Discoveries’ wine and sights tour from Busselton, two wineries and Cape Naturaliste in four hours, from US$98.
• A single cellar door: Bettenay’s wine, nougat and charcuterie tasting, 90 minutes, from US$28, if somebody in the group can drive.
• The founders: a day with lunch at Vasse Felix, the region’s first vineyard, on the Harvest Tours premium day, from US$256.

Prices as listed on GetYourGuide in October 2026, in US dollars.

Is it worth staying in Margaret River?

Yes, if the wine is a main reason for the trip. Staying in the region turns a day trip with six hours on the road into a wine day with a few minutes of pickup. Margaret River town, Cowaramup and Dunsborough are all within reach of the tours; check that the tour you want collects from where you book. The best time to visit guide covers which season suits the coast as well as the wine.