Twenty minutes down the train line from Perth is a city that never got the memo about hurrying, and is much the better for it. Fremantle works best as a full weekend — here's the shape of it.

Friday: arrive hungry

The Fremantle Markets open Friday and run through the weekend, and the food hall is the correct first stop: turkish gozleme, fresh juice, a coffee from a stall that's been pulling shots since before flat whites had a name. Wander the craft side afterwards while the buskers warm up outside.

Saturday: the long way round

Start on the Cappuccino Strip while the limestone is still golden and the tables are quiet. Then do the heritage loop: the Roundhouse (the state's oldest public building, 1831), down the Whalers Tunnel to Bathers Beach, and along the timber decks of Fishing Boat Harbour. Fish and chips on the boardwalk at lunch is not optional. Spend the afternoon in the honeycomb of West End streets — every second doorway is a gallery, a record store or a bar that used to be a warehouse.

Sunday: salt water and slow exits

South Beach in the morning is Fremantle at its most local: flat water, Norfolk pines, dogs living their best lives at the off-leash end. Work backwards through town for a last coffee, and if the day is clear, finish on South Mole watching the ferries and pilot boats thread the harbour mouth.

The whole weekend runs on foot plus the free CAT bus. Leave the car at home; Freo's parking inspectors are the most efficient thing in the state.

Photo: Calistemon via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).