Melbourne and surrounds

Why come here

• A centre built for walking and trams: inside the Free Tram Zone the trams are free, and the laneways off Flinders Lane and Hosier Lane are full of street art and cafés.
• Galleries and stages close together: NGV International, Arts Centre Melbourne, the Melbourne Recital Centre and ACCA all sit in the Southbank arts precinct.
• Inner suburbs with their own character: Fitzroy and Collingwood for bars, music and shops; Lygon Street in Carlton for Italian cafés; St Kilda for the pier, the sea baths and Luna Park.
• A sporting city, with Australian rules football matches and the Melbourne Cup at Flemington each November.
• Day trips in every direction: the Twelve Apostles on the Great Ocean Road, Yarra Valley wineries, the Dandenong Ranges and Puffing Billy, the Mornington Peninsula and the Phillip Island penguins.

Melbourne and surrounds

Everything on this map is a day trip or a short hop from Melbourne — the way Tourism Australia itself organises the country, around a gateway city and the destinations it opens up.

Things to do

1. Walk the laneways

   Start at Hosier Lane opposite Federation Square for the street art, then wander Flinders Lane and the arcades for coffee and small bars. It is all inside the Free Tram Zone.

2. Queen Victoria Market

   The city's big produce and general market, open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On very hot days (36°C or more) traders may close from 1pm.

3. The Southbank arts precinct

   NGV International's European, Asian, Oceanic and American collections, then a show at Arts Centre Melbourne or the Melbourne Recital Centre. Parts of the precinct are under redevelopment, so we check what is open.

4. Learn about Kulin Country

   The Koorie Heritage Trust at Federation Square and Bunjilaka at Melbourne Museum are the places to start, a short walk or tram ride from the river the Wurundjeri call Birrarung.

5. St Kilda by the sea

   Swim at the sea baths, walk the pier and ride the old rides at Luna Park; tram or the SkyBus Peninsula Express from the airport gets you there.

6. The Great Ocean Road and the Twelve Apostles

   The Twelve Apostles are about 275 km west of Melbourne, roughly four hours' drive along the Great Ocean Road via Torquay. It is a long day trip; one night on the coast is more relaxed.

7. Phillip Island Penguin Parade

   Little penguins come ashore at Summerland Beach at sunset every evening. It is 90 minutes to two hours' drive; booking is essential and there is no public transport back after the parade.

8. Yarra Valley, Dandenongs or the Mornington Peninsula

   About an hour away each: Yarra Valley cellar doors and Healesville Sanctuary; Puffing Billy's steam train from Belgrave in the Dandenong Ranges; or the Mornington Peninsula's beaches and hot springs.

Local attractions & tours

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Where to base yourself

• CBD & the laneways

  The first-time base: free trams, Flinders Lane and Hosier Lane, Queen Victoria Market and Federation Square on the doorstep.

• Southbank

  Across the river: the arts precinct, NGV International, Arts Centre Melbourne and a riverside walk back into town.

• Fitzroy & Collingwood

  Brunswick, Gertrude, Smith and Johnston streets: bars, live music, vintage shops and cafés in old bluestone buildings.

• Carlton

  Lygon Street's Italian cafés and restaurants, a short walk from Melbourne Museum.

• St Kilda

  The seaside suburb: the pier, the sea baths, Luna Park and live-music venues, linked to the airport by SkyBus.

• South Yarra & Prahran

  Chapel Street fashion and food, with Prahran Market for produce.

4 days in Melbourne

1. Day 1

   The city centre

   Federation Square and Hosier Lane, the laneways and arcades for lunch, Queen Victoria Market if it is a market day, then the City Circle tram to see the centre without paying a fare.

2. Day 2

   Southbank and Carlton

   NGV International and a walk along the river in the morning; Melbourne Museum and Bunjilaka in the afternoon; dinner on Lygon Street.

3. Day 3

   Fitzroy and St Kilda

   Coffee and shops on Gertrude and Smith streets, then down to St Kilda for the pier and the sea baths at sunset.

4. Day 4

   A day out of town

   Either the Great Ocean Road to the Twelve Apostles (a long day), or Phillip Island for the Penguin Parade at dusk, or the Yarra Valley for wineries and Healesville Sanctuary.

Eat & drink

Tourism Australia calls Melbourne Australia's coffee capital, and food is a large part of why people come. The centre's laneways are cafés by day and small bars by night; each inner suburb has its own eat street, from Lygon Street's Italian strip in Carlton to Chapel Street in Prahran; and the markets, Queen Victoria, Prahran and South Melbourne, are where we shop for picnics.

• Flinders Lane & the CBD laneways — Cafés, restaurants and small bars on and off Flinders Lane, all inside the Free Tram Zone.
• Lygon Street, Carlton — The Italian strip: cafés, trattorias and gelato.
• Smith & Gertrude streets, Fitzroy and Collingwood — Bars, live music and the inner north's restaurants.
• Chapel Street & Prahran Market — Patisseries and Asian eateries along Chapel Street, and the market for produce.
• Queen Victoria Market — Market days only (closed Monday and Wednesday): delis, food stalls and fresh produce.

Getting there & around

Getting there. There are no non-stop flights from the UK. One-stop routes from London to Melbourne Airport (MEL, Tullamarine, 22 km from the city) include Singapore Airlines via Singapore and Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad via the Gulf; Qantas flies London–Perth non-stop with onward flights to Melbourne, and British Airways plans a daily Heathrow–Kuala Lumpur–Melbourne service from January 2027. Gulf routes were disrupted earlier in 2026 (Melbourne Airport keeps a Middle East travel information page), so we check the airline and FCDO advice before booking. From the airport, SkyBus City Express runs to the city every 10 minutes between 4am and 1am, and its Peninsula Express serves St Kilda; taxis and rideshare are also available. Avalon Airport (AVV), 55 km away, is the city's second airport.

Getting around. Trams, trains and buses cover the city. Inside the Free Tram Zone (the CBD and Docklands, from Queen Victoria Market and Spring Street to Flinders Street Station and Federation Square) trams are free and we do not tap on at all; the City Circle tram runs within it. Beyond the zone we tap on and off with a myki card or, now, a contactless Visa or Mastercard, phone or watch, using the same card or device each time so the daily fare cap applies. V/Line regional trains and coaches leave from Southern Cross Station, including a coach to Cowes on Phillip Island; for the Great Ocean Road and the Penguin Parade most visitors hire a car or join a tour.

Culture

Melbourne stands on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong / Boon Wurrung peoples, part of the Kulin Nation (City of Melbourne). The Wurundjeri are recognised in Victorian law as Traditional Owners and custodians of the Birrarung (Yarra River). To learn more we start at the Koorie Heritage Trust at Federation Square and Bunjilaka, the Aboriginal cultural centre at Melbourne Museum. The city's other big cultural draws are its galleries and theatres in Southbank, live music in the inner north, and sport: Australian rules football and the Melbourne Cup Carnival at Flemington in November.

Practical tips

• Entry: British citizens need a visa before travelling, either a free eVisitor (subclass 651, applied for online with the Department of Home Affairs) or an ETA (subclass 601, through the official Australian ETA app; a service fee may apply). An ETA allows stays of up to 3 months each visit within 12 months. Check FCDO entry requirements before booking.
• Biosecurity: declare food, plant and animal products on the Incoming Passenger Card, or bin them at the airport.
• Melbourne Cup Day (Tuesday 3 November 2026) is a Victorian public holiday: trams and V/Line run to a Saturday timetable and many businesses close.
• Heat and bushfires: risk is highest November–February. On extreme heat days we plan indoor afternoons and follow Bureau of Meteorology and local emergency warnings, especially on day trips.
• Transport: within the Free Tram Zone don't tap on; elsewhere tap on and off with myki or the same contactless card or device every time.
• Money: the currency is the Australian dollar; notes are polymer and issued by the Reserve Bank of Australia. Cards and contactless payment are widely accepted.

Plan it

• Search flights to Melbourne →
• Melbourne cup →

Before you go

Entry rules, safety and health for Australia: the UK government's FCDO travel advice for Australia (the definitive source), summarised with visas, currency and plugs on our Australia guide.