Top places to visit in Melbourne

• Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)

  Heritage · 4.7 rating · about 2 h · entry AUD 32

  The spiritual home of Australian sport and cricket — a 100,000-seat arena with tours and the National Sports Museum.

• Flinders Street Station

  Heritage · 4.4 rating · about 0.5 h

  Melbourne's landmark Edwardian-baroque railway station under its famous yellow dome and row of clocks.

• Federation Square

  Cultural · 4.5 rating · about 1 h

  Melbourne's bold public plaza of angular architecture, hosting galleries, events and the ACMI screen museum.

• Queen Victoria Market

  Market · 4.5 rating · about 1.5 h

  A sprawling 1878 open-air market of fresh produce, deli halls, street food and crafts — a Melbourne institution.

• Melbourne Museum

  Museum · 4.6 rating · about 2 h · entry AUD 15

  A leading natural-history and cultural museum in Carlton Gardens with the Bunjilaka Aboriginal centre and IMAX.

• Brighton Bathing Boxes

  Heritage · 4.4 rating · about 0.8 h

  A colourful row of 82 heritage timber bathing boxes on Dendy Street Beach — one of Melbourne's most photographed spots.

• Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

  Nature · 4.8 rating · about 2 h

  38 hectares of lakes, lawns and themed gardens beside the Yarra — an oasis with the Aboriginal Heritage Walk.

• Hosier Lane

  Cultural · 4.2 rating · about 0.5 h

  Melbourne's most famous street-art laneway — ever-changing stencils and murals off Flinders Street.

• NGV International

  Museum · 4.7 rating · about 2 h

  The National Gallery of Victoria's flagship on St Kilda Road — vast international collection behind the water-wall facade, free entry.

• Melbourne Skydeck

  Viewpoint · 4.5 rating · about 1.3 h · entry AUD 32

  Southern Hemisphere's highest public viewing platform on level 88 of Eureka Tower, with the glass Edge cube.

• St Kilda Beach & Foreshore

  Beach · 4.6 rating · about 2 h

  A bayside beach with the historic Luna Park, Acland Street cakes, a pier and a little-penguin colony at dusk.

• Twelve Apostles, Great Ocean Road

  Viewpoint · 4.8 rating · about 1.5 h

  Towering limestone stacks rising from the Southern Ocean — the showpiece of a Great Ocean Road day trip from Melbourne.

Things to do

• Great Ocean Road Day Tour Tour · 11 h · from AUD 145 per person
• Melbourne Laneways Food & Coffee Walking Tour Food · 3 h · from AUD 130 per person
• Phillip Island Penguin Parade Tour Tour · 10 h · from AUD 155 per person
• Yarra Valley Wine & Produce Tour Tour · 9 h · from AUD 165 per person
• MCG Stadium Tour Tour · 1.5 h · from AUD 32 per person
• Melbourne Yarra River Cruise Cruise · 1 h · from AUD 39 per person

Day trips and tours

• Great Ocean Road Highlights 11 h · from AUD 145

Where to stay in Melbourne

• CBD about AUD 5,000 per night

  Central business district with luxury hotels

• Southbank about AUD 5,000 per night

  Cultural precinct with restaurants

• Fitzroy about AUD 210 per night

  Bohemian inner-north with Brunswick Street cafes, street art, vintage shops and live music.

• St Kilda about AUD 180 per night

  Bayside suburb with the beach, Luna Park, Acland Street cakes and a lively bar scene.

Hotels

• The Hotel Windsor 5-star · AUD 330 to AUD 900 per night
• Melbourne Central YHA 3-star · AUD 42 to AUD 170 per night
• Crown Metropol Melbourne 5-star · AUD 240 to AUD 600 per night
• Jasper Hotel 4-star · AUD 180 to AUD 320 per night
• Space Hotel 3-star · AUD 45 to AUD 180 per night

Where to eat

• Chin Chin Southeast Asian, Thai · about AUD 65 per person
• Vue de monde Modern Australian · about AUD 360 per person
• Flower Drum Cantonese, Chinese · about AUD 140 per person
• Pellegrini's Espresso Bar Italian · about AUD 30 per person
• MoVida Spanish, Tapas · about AUD 75 per person
• Cumulus Inc. Modern Australian · about AUD 80 per person
• Attica Modern Australian · about AUD 320 per person

Getting around

• Bus main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Train main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Tram main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Walking

  Every city has walking. 2.5 km ceiling is a placeholder default, not a researched per-city figure -- Singapore is sheltered and air-conditioned, Bangkok often has no pavement.

Safety and scams to avoid

• Backpacker job-deposit

  Major tourist zones

  Online "casual work" offer demands $50–200 deposit for "uniform/training"; job doesn't exist.

  How to avoid it: Never pay deposit for a job before starting. Use official jobactive portal.

More in Australia

• Sydney
• Brisbane
• Perth
• Adelaide
• Gold Coast
• Cairns