Melbourne is also known as Naarm, to recognise and remember its roots among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who were the first peoples of Australia thousands of years before its colonisation during the gold rush of the 1800s. Today, it’s one of Australia’s most prosperous and progressive cities. As the capital of the state of Victoria and a hub of commerce, Melbourne is an important place, but with an easy-going vibe. With an inherent charm, oodles of history, and a rich cultural palette, Melbourne promises a wide range of experiences and amazing must-visit places that promise a fulfilling time for every type of traveller.

Get started with our selection of the best things to do in Melbourne.

The best time to visit Melbourne

As Melbourne is in the southern hemisphere, the seasons are reversed. While spring is from September to November, summer is from December to February, autumn is between March and May, and winter is from June to August. Your choice of when to visit would depend on what type of weather you enjoy best. We recommend that you explore all the places to visit in Melbourne during the shoulder period of spring and also in December, when the temperatures aren’t too high and the crowds are not yet in. Even if you’re there at Christmas time and the climate is far from cold, the illuminations across the city, the fabulous projection mapping on the Town Hall, and the window displays in some iconic stores will be enough to put you in high spirits. You could also time your visit to coincide with one of the major events that are well-known Melbourne attractions themselves. Besides these, art shows, cricket matches, the Australian Open, Formula One races, there’s a lot to pull you to Melbourne and keep you Melbourning!

For more information, check out this detailed guide to the best time to visit Australia.

Reaching Melbourne and Australian biosecurity restrictions

• Most visitors fly into the island of Australia, although there are some magnificent cruise ships you can voyage on to get there. Tullamarine Airport, the second busiest airport in Australia, is about 20 km from Melbourne’s Central Business District (CBD). Depending on when your flight arrives, it should take 30 to 90 minutes to get to your hotel in or around the CBD.

• Do not carry any items not legally allowed into the country; otherwise, you may be held up at customs. Melbourne’s strict biosecurity restrictions require the declaration of all foodstuffs, clothing with fur or feathers, and shoes worn on a farm or in contact with a river. No fake designer goods are permitted, so you’d better leave that faux Vuitton at home. If you’re carrying wooden or leather items as gifts, they may need to be quarantined.

The best places to visit in Melbourne

The city is so rich in experience that there is much to do, no matter your interests. Of the many places to visit in Melbourne, here are some that we think will appeal to you…

• Southbank Promenade: It’s perfect for a relaxed stroll, thanks to its beautiful bridges and vibrant atmosphere. Grab a coffee or glass of wine en route and absorb the true Melbournian mood. On Sundays, an arts and crafts market adds to the charm.
• Queen Victoria Market: This historic market is a bustling beauty you mustn’t miss. The gourmet section has something for every palate (and dietary preference). Think the freshest produce, cheese, and meat, and even a chance for seafood lovers to shuck the freshest oysters off the shell like we did!

• Flinders Street Train Station: Trains have been plying from this spot since the 1850s. The splendid Edwardian Baroque building, influenced by the French Renaissance, with its golden façade, banded red brick, and green copper dome, was completed in 1910. One of the world’s busiest train stations, it’s worth a visit just for its grand architecture and a great photo op.
• St Kilda: This is a delightful seaside suburb with a colourful history that ranges from a residential area for the rich to an excitingly bohemian hub. Most of the streets of St Kilda and the affluent areas around it are lined with grand 19th-century Victorian mansions and terraces that are a treat to view. Spend a pleasant afternoon at the Acland Street Village, shopping for vintage fashion, relishing Polish cake from Monarch Cakes, a St Kilda institution, and washing it down with beer, wine, or a green smoothie from one of the many hipster cafes on the stretch of Fitzroy Street. Visit the iconic amusement park, Luna Park, which has been a hit since its opening in 1912.

• Brighton Beach: Not far away is this beautiful beach, which boasts 82 colourful bathing boxes. Built for changing into swimwear in Victorian times, today they are an expression of their respective owners’ artistic tastes, each one painted with bright hues and cheerful designs. An Instagrammer’s dream, the spot is predictably very popular. Find more sun, sand, sea, and surf with our selection of some of the best beaches in Australia.
• Royal Botanic Gardens: Explore over 38 hectares of diverse plant collections featuring 8,500+ species from around the world in these gorgeous gardens, which have been the pride of Melbourne for more than 170 years. Expect everything from camellias to cacti, succulents to herbs to roses, Californian species to plants from Southern China, and even a rare and threatened species collection.

• Shrine of Remembrance: This national war memorial is an impressive structure honouring the service and sacrifice of Australians in war and peacekeeping. They have special Last Post Services at 4.45 pm every Sunday, each one dedicated to a different event from Australia’s military history. Locals and tourists are invited to witness the poignant moments with bugle calls, wreath-laying, and flag lowering.
• Rod Laver Arena: Melbourne Park, also known as the National Tennis Centre, is the main venue for the Australian Open. You can see it outside, book seats, or a swish Superbox for an event here.
• Albert Park Circuit: If you’re into F1, this is a must-visit place in Melbourne. It is used annually as a circuit for the Formula One Australian Grand Prix and other races.

• Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG): Located on Brunton Avenue in East Melbourne, the MCG is a compulsory pilgrimage for sports fans and a must-see for any visitor to the city. Sign up for their tour… not only will you get to visit their wonderful Australian Sports Museum; see the actual stands (and perhaps kiss the ground?); get the best view from the leather couches of the historic members only Long Room; proudly pose with Sachin Tendulkar’s framed photograph; but you can even participate in a mock post-game analysis in the media centre with one of their legendary guides!

Also read | The 10 Best And Largest Cricket Stadiums In The World

• Melbourne Skydeck: You get to travel up 88 floors in only 38 seconds and take 360-degree views of Melbourne from almost 300 metres up in the air! The adventurous can step out on the Edge and be suspended over transparent glass or, if you like to play it safer, go for the virtual reality experience in the Melbourne Skydeck Voyager Theatre, where you can experience 16 Melbourne locations in Super 8K high definition, along with sounds, scent, and movements.

• Melbourne Town Hall: Designed by local architect Joseph Reed and Barnes in 1887, the building and portico boast a Venetian Renaissance façade. The Town Hall, a heritage building with its own clock tower, is also used as a venue for numerous cultural events. At Christmas time, it’s customary for locals and tourists to come and appreciate the beautiful illuminations and projection mapping on its exterior walls.

Also read | Summer Sky, Beach Barbeque, Surfboard Santa: How Christmas Is Done In Australia

• Parliament House: With its grand, collonaded front and vestibules with ornate tiling, it’s a building worthy of parliamentary meetings. You may not be able to enter and explore it, but it is worth seeing from the outside. The steps on its western side often see protestors and activists practising free speech.
• Hotel Windsor: If you don’t visit this magnificent 19th-century hotel for its iconic and lavish afternoon tea served in silver, stop by to admire its High Victorian architecture.

• Princess Theatre: Extremely elegant, this stunning building that embodies all that’s best of ‘Second Empire’ architecture, has undergone several refurbishments and restorations to become the home of musical theatre in Australia. You could catch a production of Jesus Christ Superstar if you visit soon, while from July 2025, you can watch Annie.
• Royal Exhibition Building: This UNESCO World Heritage Site (the first in Australia) is a must-visit place in Melbourne. Built exclusively as a space to host international exhibitions in the 1880s, it boasts an eclectic design, inspired by many architectural styles. You can sign up for a tour of the dome, which was modelled on the dome of the Florence Cathedral.

• Melbourne Museum: Located in Carlton Gardens, opposite the Royal Exhibition Building, the museum is great for adults and children. Its galleries are dedicated to everything from dinosaurs to nature and culture. Start with the Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre’s First Peoples exhibition, a celebration of the history, cultures, achievements, and survival of the First Peoples of southeastern Australia. Head to the Melbourne Story gallery upstairs to get a peek into early urban life in the city’s most notorious neighbourhoods.
• Fitzroy Gardens: Stroll under the elms in these beautifully landscaped Victorian-era gardens or book a luxury picnic here. Look at Cook’s Cottage here, an interesting memorial to Captain James Cook, the first European to land on the east coast of Australia. While the cottage was originally in Yorkshire, UK, it was later purchased, dismantled, and reconstructed as closely as possible to its mid-18th-century avatar in the Fitzroy Gardens in Melbourne.

Unique things to do in Melbourne

• Understand the Indigenous culture: While a lot of the most obvious landmarks are colonial, the city of Melbourne acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land they govern, the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong/Boon Wurrung peoples of the Kulin and pays respect to their Elders past and present. As it honours the unbroken spiritual, cultural, and political connection they have maintained to this unique place for more than 2000 generations, visitors must understand and do it too. A visit to The Koorie Heritage Trust in The Yarra Building on Federation Square will give an insight into the living culture of Indigenous peoples from Australia’s southeast. See their extensive collection of Koorie artworks, objects, and art exhibitions. You can also take part in the Birrarung Wilam (River Camp) Walk to learn about Aboriginal culture against a backdrop of Melbourne’s most iconic landmarks. The Yalinguth app offers a fantastic self-guided walking tour of Birrarung/Yarra River.
• Be entertained, everywhere: Attend Rising, a festival of new art, music and performance, in the heart of Melbourne. Emerging from the city’s roots, the annual festival spills onto the city streets, car parks, churches, town square, and other venues.

• Take to the streets: Some unmissable Melbourne attractions are the city’s modern graffiti and street murals, which manifest in a unique ‘laneway’ art scene across the CBD, with stencils, tags, and some creative work to be seen everywhere, and especially in lanes like Hosier. Do an art walk with Melbourne Street Art Tours, which street artists conduct in the know of the best and latest of Melbourne’s hidden treasures.
• Get sporty: Take a three-to four-hour walking tour with Sporting Capital Tours through Melbourne’s sports precinct. You can even combine this with the MCG Tour and unique and immersive experiences like playing tennis on the Grand Slam courts of the AO!

• Laugh out loud: The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is one of the three largest comedy festivals in the world, alongside the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Montreal’s Just for Laughs. It’s Australia’s largest ticketed cultural event, which offers a rich mix of local and international stand-up comedy, cabaret, theatre, street performances, and more, for three and a half weeks every autumn at the Melbourne Town Hall and surrounding precincts.

• Wine and dine: At the 10-day-long Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in March, the World’s Longest Brunch and World’s Longest Lunch are among the many exciting ways to eat and drink your way to happiness.
• Let theatre thrill you: In 2025, Beetlejuice, the eight-time Tony Award-nominated musical, with an original score by Melbourne’s own Eddie Perfect and story based on the beloved 1988 comedy-horror film by Tim Burton, will play a limited season at Melbourne’s grand Regent Theatre.
• Soar over the city: Hop into a hot-air balloon to see the sights differently. Sunrise flights are especially popular.

Also read | Exploring Christmas Island – All You Need To Know About This Australian Natural Wonder

Shopping in Melbourne

If shopping is your sport of choice, head to Bourke Street Mall, a pedestrian-only thoroughfare packed with high street brands and interesting stores. Collins Street has luxury labels, Block Arcade is best for gourmet goodies, Brunswick Street offers some unique but trendy merch, and Chapel Street is filled with more affordable shops.

Restaurants/cafes & places to eat in Melbourne

Top choices: For a modern Aussie multi-course seasonal degustation menu, you can’t go wrong at Amaru. Enjoy Japanese kaiseki at Ishizuka or omakase at Minamishima, traditional Italian at Tipo 00, Turkish at Tulum, modern Chinese at Lee Ho Fook, quirky, inventive fare at the cool Reed House, hip creations cooked only over fire or charcoal at Flint. Twenty years and more, and the much-acclaimed Attica is still a cutting-edge fine dining restaurant using authentic Australian ingredients to perfection. Another oldie but goodie is Stokehouse at St Kilda, with a fab view of Port Phillip Bay and legendary seafood. Check out the progressive produce-first Greasy Zoe’s on the outskirts of Melbourne for a distinctly Australian dining experience.

Neighbourhood watch: Coffee is akin to a religion in Melbourne, and you’ll find great little cafés just about everywhere, especially in the CBD and around the Southbank Promenade. You can discover some great spots in food-forward neighbourhoods, Little Italy (mainly Lygon Street, although Bourke Street and Little Bourke have some of the best Italian restaurants) and Chinatown (which has famous chains like Hawker Chan and Tim Ho Wan apart from the local lights).

Luxe it up: Indulge with an amazing Aussie high tea, be it a full-on traditional one at The Hotel Windsor, which has been serving up its signature selection of delicious scones, dainty sandwiches, and tea since 1883, or sign up for a two-hour high tea cruise on the Yarra River that glides you past Victoria Harbour, Williamstown, and Hobson Bay. The experience is sure to be a highlight of your Melbourne trip.

Nail it: These are some of the top new F&B spots to hit among Melbourne’s best places to visit. A cool cocktail bar and dining room called Gimlet in the landmark 1920s building called Cavendish House on leafy Russell Street brings classic European charm and nostalgic glamour. Go full-on Italian at Il Mercato Centrale on Collins Street, with culinary creations crafted by 23 Italian artisans across the three-storey, 3,500-square-metre venue, which features an immersive market square with open kitchens, casual and fine dining options. Farmer’s Daughters on Exhibition Street takes you on an elegant and delicious farm-to-table journey through regional Victoria’s Gippsland region. Recently reopening after refurbishment, the sky-high degustation at Melbourne’s fine-dining institution, Vue de Monde at Rialto Towers, has changed from its European-leaning beginnings towards a menu more informed by native Australian ingredients and techniques. Housed in what used to be Melbourne’s stock exchange, Reine & La Rue is a stylish restaurant and cocktail bar specialising in French fare. And then there’s the four-storey mega dining destination on Bourke Street that still manages to ooze oodles of Parisian oomph with its late-night supper club in the basement, elegant rooftop terrace, and a showstopper called Restaurant Batard, with a French-inspired menu, complete with a caviar and oyster bar!

Outside Melbourne: If you’re driving down the Great Ocean Road, a detour to dine at one of Australia’s most awarded restaurants is necessary. Brae on Cape Otway Road is a unique, high-end, nature-based dining experience that has garnered national and international acclaim for more than 10 years.

Also read | Beaches, Mountains and Outback Adventures – Australia Has Something for Everyone

Hotels, resorts and places to stay in Melbourne

While you’re readying yourself to enjoy all the attractions, you’ll be spoilt for choice between all the luxury hotels in Melbourne, top among which are The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne, InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto by IHG, The Westin Melbourne, the Grand Hyatt Melbourne, Hyatt Centric Melbourne, Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street, The Hotel Windsor, Sofitel Melbourne On Collins, W Melbourne, Pullman Melbourrne City Centre, etc, all in Melbourne CBD, with the likes of The Langham and Crown Towers Melbourne at Southbank.

Tips for people visiting Melbourne

• With famously variable weather, it’s best to pack clothing that can be layered comfortably.
• Make sure you have comfortable footwear, as you’ll love walking around Melbourne.
• Time your trip around a festival. The city has a fun vibe, but it shines during mega events.
• While you can have some top-of-the-line, super expensive experiences, you can also do a lot for free or on a modest budget. Plan and book in advance for the best deals. Make good use of public transport like trams, which offer wonderful connectivity at a very affordable price.

(Feature image credit: Mitchell Luo/Unsplash)

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The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
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