The Spirit of Tasmania ferry docks at Devonport, 20 minutes east, and the Bass Highway runs straight through Penguin from there — most travellers reach the town by car as part of a north-coast circuit. Burnie airport at Wynyard, with daily flights from Melbourne, is 30 minutes west.
Tassielink coaches run along the coast from Hobart and Launceston via Devonport. The old Old Bass Highway hugs the coast through Penguin itself — slower than the new inland bypass but the only sensible choice if you want to see the town.