There’s a reason that the Australian city of Melbourne held onto the mantle of the “World’s Most Liveable City” for so many years in a row, and this Melbourne itinerary has got it all covered.
In a short amount of time, you can be transported from one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Australia to some of the best coastlines. This Melbourne travel itinerary will go over everything you need to know and do to experience the best that this incredible Aussie destination has to offer.
The capital of the south-eastern Australian state of Victoria, the appeal of Melbourne doesn’t seem to be losing any steam. Each year, the city welcomes 12 million domestic and international visitors and is rapidly overtaking Sydney, Australia as a must-see Australian city. Whether you are spending 4 days in Melbourne or up to a week (or even more!), it’s a place you won’t want to leave in a hurry.
It’s one of my personal favorite cities in the world, and I’m always looking for a way to get back!
Melbourne Itinerary Overview
I’ve visited Melbourne on a couple of occasions now, and every time I visit I find myself thinking how much I would love to live there. It’s a city that will steal your heart and (despite its unpredictable weather), delivers the best food and coffee in the country and has a strange way of keeping you in its grasp for much longer than you ever thought.
There are so many incredible things to do to keep you busy during your time here that one week in Melbourne won’t ever feel like it’s enough.
I put together this Melbourne 7-day itinerary, but it’s also a helpful destination guide for if you only have 2 days, 4 days, or 6 days in the city – I know you’ll get some great ideas!
My 7-day Melbourne itinerary covers all of the major landmarks and day trip options that are highly recommended and even includes some insider tips that I picked up while there. These include the best places to eat, drink, and party!
I’ve also included some other helpful Melbourne travel tips to ensure your visit is a breeze!
What are the best things to do in Melbourne?
My Melbourne travel guide goes deep into all of the weird and wonderful things to do in the Victorian capital, but here’s a quick breakdown of what’s included.
- Eat up big in Melbourne’s famous laneway cafes and immerse yourself in the city’s hipster vibe.
- Sip on Melbourne’s world-famous coffee – it’s truly the best!
- Get involved in the sporting action that the city is renowned for.
- Shop up a storm at premier retailers across Melbourne.
- Win big at Crown Casino, one of the country’s best entertainment complexes.
- Travel down the coast to the majestic Great Ocean Road or into the mountains of the Dandenong Ranges.
- Cuddle up with cute Australian animals at Melbourne Zoo or Werribee Open Range Zoo.
- Enjoy the sunshine and take a dip at one of Melbourne’s many picturesque beaches.
Plus much more! Keep scrolling for an in-depth look at these Melbourne activities!
Where should I stay in Melbourne?
Melbourne is a cultural melting pot with distinctly different neighborhood aesthetics, reminiscent of eternal world favorites London and Paris. A far-reaching metropolis that is ever-expanding as more and more people lay roots here, Melbourne accommodation has something for everyone.
Here are just a few of my recommended picks of where to stay on your Melbourne itinerary.
Booking.com is always my favorite way of booking travel accommodation, and Melbourne is such a fantastic city to have your apartment to get a sense of local life. There are countless incredible apartments available all across the city and often work out cheaper than booking a hotel room!
Which Melbourne hotel should I stay at?
What if you want to stay at a hotel while enjoying a week in Melbourne? I have some incredible recommendations for that stay style too.
Park Hyatt Melbourne – One of my favorite hotels I’ve stayed at while exploring Melbourne. Great location, food, customer service, and overall amazing experience. While it’s on the luxury side of things, it’s absolutely worth it!
Selina Central Melbourne – If you’re looking to save a bit of money, then there’s no better place to stay than the iconic Selina Brand, which is known around the world for their amazing hostels and communities. It’s the BETS location right opposite the iconic Flinders Street Station in the heart of Melbourne, and
How many days should I spend in Melbourne?
Trying to decide how long to spend in Melbourne isn’t an easy choice. On the one hand, a visit to the city can be very expensive; but on the other, it’s a widespread city and needs more than just a few days to be fully experienced.
That’s why I created this guide. Technically, a 4-day Melbourne Itinerary would be enough, but I also stretched the itinerary below to 7 days, which gives you more time to explore. I would say between 4 and 7 days is ideal.
The answer to this question will be based on your preferences and available time for your trip in Australia, but make sure you start every morning with a cup of delicious Melbourne coffee or two!
What is the best time to visit Melbourne?
Now that you’ve figured out how long you want to stay, it’s time to decide when should you visit Melbourne! While the summer season is between December and March and these months are more expensive than others, I’d recommend coming here during the shoulder seasons between March and May (autumn) and September and November (spring).
During these two periods, the temperature is mild enough for you to enjoy some of this week-long Melbourne itinerary on foot, and it also won’t hurt your wallet too much.
If you’re heading to Melbourne on a budget, head down during the low season between June and August. This is winter in Melbourne, but winters here aren’t as cold as winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and the sun often comes out! Winter in Melbourne is the cheapest time to visit the city, but you’ll have to be content with the somewhat chilly weather and occasional rainfall. But this is also a great time to visit for winter lovers as you can go ice skating and skiing just outside the city, amongst other activities!
How do I get around Melbourne?
Melbourne is famous for having one of the most extensive and well-serviced public transport networks in Australia, and getting around the city is relatively easy. Either way, there’s always a friendly local to ask for directions! It is Australia, after all.
First things first. To use Melbourne public transport you need a Myki card, which is an easy-to-use tap-on/tap-off card, just like other world cities have in place. The card itself is cheap and sold at most premium stations, and you just top it up with money as needed. Myki covers not just Melbourne City but regional Victoria as well, and only recently, the government has made travelling across Melbourne or into the countryside even cheaper, with a capped per-day rate regardless of how far you travel on Myki. How cool is that!
Melbourne public transport options
Melbourne has a detailed rail network, which services not just the CBD (including the underground portion known as “The Loop”), but the outer suburbs and beyond too. They also have a ton of bus lines that criss-cross the city, and they have one little other things that sets them apart from the rest of Australia… trams! Melbourne’s famous tram system is smooth and streamlined and services the inner city and city fringe, passing through some of the coolest and most sought-after suburbs. One of the best things about Melbourne trams? The city also offers a “Free Tram Zone”, which means you don’t have to pay to cruise on Melbourne trams within the city centre! In addition, Melbourne has a handy “Night Network”, which runs all-night train, bus and tram services on weekends. This is fantastic if you’re planning a big weekend hitting Melbourne’s many bars and clubs!
Public Transport Victoria is your one-stop site for all Melbourne public transport timetables, routes, fare estimates and any other information you may need.
Other ways to get around Melbourne
If you’re eager to get where you’re going without trying to make sense of a Melbourne public transport map, the city is saturated by ride share options, including Uber Melbourne and Lyft, which can be a fair bit less expensive than Melbourne’s 13 CABS, which can cost a pretty penny, especially at peak periods or on holidays. There’s ferries that service the seaside locales of the city, and you can even rent a Lime Bike, an electric bike share service offered by the City of Melbourne. Just scan the QR code on a bike through the Lime or Uber app, and away you go!
Finally, if you want to have the freedom of coming and going where you want, when you want, you can easily hire a car in Melbourne. Hertz and Budget are major car rental companies available across Melbourne, and offer flexible pick-up and drop-off locations and times. Uber now offers a cost-effective carshare service as well!
You’ll have zero issue getting around Melbourne, thanks to its extensive public transport service and other travel offerings. The city is so well covered that getting from A to B is a breeze.
Melbourne Itinerary Breakdown:
Okay, I’ve rambled enough. It’s now time to get into the best itinerary Melbourne has to offer! Keep reading to learn more, but here’s a great starting point to get a basic idea of how to make the most of your time here!
- Day 1: Laneway Eateries & All The Coffee
- Day 2: Sporting Tours & A Culture In Spades
- Day 3: World-Class Shopping & High Rolling
- Day 4: Day Trip To The Coast – Or The Mountains!
- Day 5: Seaside Fun In St Kilda
- Day 6: Hang out with Australian furry friends
- Day 7: Explore hipster inner-city hangouts
Melbourne Itinerary Day 1: Laneway Eateries & All The Coffee
If you’ve traveled from abroad, the long flight to Melbourne might have left you feeling a little jetlagged. Take this opportunity to decompress and fuel up your energy levels with the coffee that Melbourne is world famous for. During your Melbourne trip, you’ll likely be enjoying many great coffees. Make sure to order an Aussie icon, the flat white.
Melbourne is famous for its artistic, often grungy laneways, and these hip walkways are packed with some of the best cafes and eateries the city has to offer. Centre Place is a standout. Even if you are only doing a Melbourne 4-day itinerary, this is one of the must-visits.
Where is the best coffee in Melbourne?
My top five recommendations for central Melbourne cafes or coffee shops that serve up a roast you will want to write home about are…
Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar – “Pellegrini’s is all about character, honest Italian fare and coffee. In fact, it is said (by Pellegrini’s themselves) that the first espresso machine to arrive in Melbourne was delivered here in 1954 – opening the gates to a city-wide obsession.”
Proud Mary – “We take great pride in supporting and representing coffee producers and communities. We visit our producers each year and venture into their farms, homes and families. This is a relationship. We discover who they are, what motivates them and how we can support one another. Through this tangible form, we generate mutual understanding and appreciation. These are the true rock stars of coffee, the story starts with the producer.”
Axil Coffee Roasters – “Our aim has always been simple; to source, roast and produce the best cup of coffee. We have a passionate and enthusiastic team who travel the globe to find the best specialty coffee available. We are continuously building relationships with coffee producers to ensure we are getting the highest quality.”
Dukes Coffee Roasters – “We are an Australian specialty coffee roasting company whose focus is the craft of carefully roasting the best coffees in the world using innovative and methodic roasting practices. We are committed to bringing the best selection of exceptionally grown, amazing tasting, and in-season specialty coffees to cafes and consumers in Australia.”
Auction Rooms – “We believe in quality, detail, great food, and good vibes. Combine that with a backdrop that will take your breath away and we are well on the way to hosting the most memorable of events for you.”
Where should I eat in Melbourne?
After inflight “food” from hell, I’m sure you’ve got a raging appetite too, and you’ve touched down in the right city to satisfy any palate. Melbourne has been a cultural melting pot of international influences since its earliest days, and that has spilled over into not only coffee, but food as well. Culinary delights can be found on every corner of this beautiful city. But tonight, I recommend heading straight for the center of epic Asian food in Melbourne, Chinatown! Melbourne’s Chinatown is located in the heart of the CBD.
Once you’ve found your way there, make a beeline for the locally-loved Shanghai Dumpling House. This rickety old building is always heaving with visitors and locals filling up on their share of pork dumplings, Shanghai fried noodles, and Chinese broccoli. You won’t regret it.
“Looking for a “cheap & cheerful”? Tight budgets are never a problem here, with meals from around $10, served with complimentary Chinese tea.
Melbourne Itinerary Day 2: Sporting Tours & A Culture In Spades
Today you’re hopefully feeling fresher and with endless energy to make the most of your time in this vibrant city tackling this 4-day Melbourne itinerary. You’ve sampled some gold-star food and coffee, but now it’s time for sports lovers to get excited.
Melbourne is often referred to as the “sporting capital of Australia” – and for good reason. A year-round sporting schedule sees globally-recognized events hit town, with cricket, AFL (Australian Football or “footy”), and tennis being the main players that locals can’t get enough of.
The MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) runs tours of the holy grail of Aussie cricket, where you’ll get to walk on the very turf legends of the game have played on. You can also enjoy a tour of the various rooms, including player changing rooms.
If tennis is more your style and you don’t miss a minute of the Australian Open Grand Slam each year, you’ll have a blast on the Australian Open Tour, which takes you around the major arenas of the tournament, including Rod Laver Arena. There’s a range of Melbourne Park tours available, where you’ll be treated like a top seed yourself.
Melbourne Itinerary Day 3: World-Class Shopping & High Rolling
Day three in Melbourne has to be spent blowing some cold hard cash. After all, it’s just another reason visitors flock here throughout the year. Melbourne is a shopper’s paradise, with a long list of shopping centers, laneways, and city streets selling all the wares you could ever dream of.
Chadstone Shopping Centre referred to as “The Fashion Capital”, is located in suburban Melbourne, approximately 20 minutes from the city center. It is the biggest shopping center in Australia. A free shuttle bus service for tourists runs to and from Melbourne Central to Chadstone each hour, so there’s no reason not to check it out while you visit Melbourne.
If you’re looking for other ideal shopping locations and love authentic markets, The QV Market and South Melbourne Market are other great options in Melbourne. If you happen to be in Melbourne on Sunday morning, get down to the hipster paradise of the Camberwell Market, on the city centre fringe bright and early and find a one-off treasure. It’s a huge flea market and wildly popular, and there’s hot jam donut and coffee stands to fuel you, if that tempts you. It tempts me!
Other top Melbourne shopping spots include DFO South Wharf for heavily discounted bargains and the famous Bourke Street Mall smack bang in the center of the city.
Now that you’ve picked up a knockout outfit on your Melbourne shopping free, wear it somewhere deserving tonight and head to Crown Casino, located on Southbank. This huge, glittering casino runs alongside the Yarra River, and you can’t miss the riverside fire display each night. Inside, try your hand at blackjack or attempt to talk your way into the VIP high rollers area.
On your way home, if you’ve enjoyed a few drinks (or “bevvies”, as the Aussie say) you definitely need a good meal to put some pep in your step. Head over to one of Melbourne’s only 24-hour eateries, Stalactites, on Lonsdale Street. This Greek restaurant is a dining institution, and they won’t judge you for eating a souvlaki at 6am (that’s a Greek-style Aussie gyros). My kind of place!
Melbourne Itinerary Day 4: Day Trip To The Coast – Or The Mountains!
You’ve spent a few days exploring the incredible city limits of Melbourne, so now is the perfect time to pack your bag and head off on a day trip to experience a little of what Greater Melbourne has to offer.
Melbourne has so many doable day trips that it’s hard to pick the best, but the iconic Great Ocean Road has to be ticked off any bucket list.
Drive Along The Majestic Great Ocean Road
Whether you’re renting a car and doing it yourself, or taking advantage of the endless number of tour companies that run trips down this stunning slice of Aussie coastline, the Great Ocean Road is really deserving of a few days if you have it to spare.
Starting on the outskirts of Geelong, approximately 40 minutes from Melbourne CBD, this long and winding coastal road takes you through an array of gorgeous Victorian towns with crashing ocean views. Don’t miss world-famous surfing and swimming destinations like Bells Beach, Lorne, Torquay, Apollo Bay, Port Campbell, and Port Fairy.
Like every other visitor who has ever found themselves on the Great Ocean Road, you have to stop off at the natural formation that is the 12 Apostles, and take a snap to upload to the socials and make everyone back home green with envy. To do the entire Great Ocean Road right down to the Twelve Apostles and Port Fairy and back again, you’ll need about 10 hours at an absolute minimum. That’s taking into consideration stopping off at major lookouts and for a bite to eat along the way. It’s 275 km one way, after all.
For more information, check out this awesome Great Ocean Road Trip Itinerary for everything you need to know! Looking for other outdoor activities but closer to the city? Head down to the Mornington Peninsula or stick around the city centre and wander through the lush landscape that is the Royal Botanic Gardens.
Immerse Yourself In The Dandenong Ranges
If you’d choose the mountains over the beach any day of the week, another popular day trip that’s a lot more manageable time-wise than the Great Ocean Road is the Dandenong Ranges, a breathtaking natural landscape and less than an hour from the city.
This mountain range is located to the east of Melbourne, with their peak, Mount Dandenong, topping the range. The Dandenong Range are full of charming small towns, gardens, restaurants, cafes, hotels, and hikes. The 1000 Steps (official name the Kokoda Track Memorial Walk) is an uphill trek that is absolutely packed with visitors most days but worth it to say you made it! It’s a serious test of your fitness, but you can go at any pace you want.
While you’re touring around the Ranges, enjoy a ride on the Victorian institution, Puffing Billy. This historic steam train winds its way from Belgrave to Gembrook through lush Australian bush.
If you still have the energy upon your return to Melbourne, head to inner-city Carlton – specifically Lygon Street. This is a street name everyone in Melbourne knows – for a lot of reasons. Not only is it the unofficial home of Italian influence in Melbourne, but it serves up some of the best Italian food you’ll get your hands on in Australia. Melbourne’s answer to “Little Italy” is also a location where a lot of the well-documented Gangland Wars of the 1990s and 2000s took place. Culturally enriched, Lygon is where it’s at.
With that, you’d have been about done with what to do in Melbourne for 4 days, but I have a few more ways to spend days 5 to 7 in the city, if you’re sticking around. I’d recommend it!
Melbourne Itinerary Day 5: Seaside Fun In St Kilda
You’re still here! Awesome. That means that you’re planning on spending a little more time in the city of Melbourne. Great choice! 5 days in Melbourne gives you an extra day to explore.
After a day like yesterday, that no doubt involved a lot of walking (did you manage the 1000 Steps?), your fifth day in beautiful Melbourne is going to be a little slower, with lots of time allocated for R&R. If you’ve come to Melbourne during spring or summer, you’re in luck, as heading to the beach here is a popular pastime that you should reserve some time for.
Head down to iconic St Kilda, a beachside suburb of Melbourne a short distance from the city. You can get there from the CBD on one of the city’s iconic trams and tick that off your list as well.
The St Kilda Esplanade stretches along the coast, from Fitzroy Street, a hub for eating and partying, to Acland Street, where achingly trendy bars and pubs exist alongside the landmark amusement park, Luna Park.
If you are lucky enough to visit St Kilda on a Sunday, the Esplanade Market stretches the length of the road and overlooks the sea, selling everything you could imagine. Other than that, you can visit the South Melbourne Market just up the road, which opens between Wednesday and Sunday with traders ranging from food stalls to florists.
Take a dip in Port Philip Bay, soak up some of that (really strong) Aussie sun, walk along St Kilda Pier, and visit the penguins. About five minutes from St Kilda Beach is Brighton Beach, which I recommend for a photo op in front of its unique Bathing Boxes. From a ginger to you, I recommend packing some sunscreen for your day on the beach.
Back to St Kilda, the area is filled to the brim with incredible bars and clubs, and a night out here is like no other. If it’s a summer night, there’s a unique hippy vibe to it that’s indescribable.
What are the best bars in St Kilda, Melbourne?
After a sunny day on the beach or jumping off St Kilda Pier, it’s time to enjoy a refreshing Aussie ale at one of the burb’s best bars and live music venues, which the neighborhood is positively packed with. A few St Kilda bars I recommend are…
If your day/night out in St Kilda gets particularly messy, head back to your hotel via Chapel Street in Windsor and experience the grungiest, dirtiest and potentially the most fun time of your life at Revolver. With tons of dark rooms pumping everything from hip-hop to electronic and techno, it’s a night you won’t forget. Or may actually, forget. I can speak to that.
Melbourne Itinerary Day 6: Hang out with Australian furry friends
No trip to Melbourne, or Australia as a whole, is complete without a visit with some of the country’s native animals. And no, I don’t mean those animals that are popular for terrorizing Australians. I mean those cute, fluffy, and friendly critters. Your friends expect a picture of you cuddling a koala, so make it happen.
Which Melbourne zoos should I visit?
Luckily for those visiting Melbourne, there are a number of zoos and sanctuaries you can get to that are a stone’s throw from the city. Melbourne Zoo, probably the most heavily trafficked, is a short train ride from the CBD and is home to over 5,000 Aussie and international animals. If checking out some of Australia’s (often bizarre-looking) furry inhabitants is on your agenda, head to the koala, kangaroo, platypus, Tasmanian Devil, and wombat enclosures.
Werribee Open Range Zoo is slightly further afield but can be reached by car in about 40 minutes. A more interactive, natural environment than Melbourne Zoo, Werribee Zoo lets you get up close and personal with some majestic beasts in a safari-style habitat. You can even do a “Slumber Safari”, where you sleep amongst the lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!) under the stars in a luxury camp.
Finally, Healesville Sanctuary, nestled the picturesque Yarra Valley and just an hour from Melbourne, is another natural bush haven for native wildlife. Wandering around Healesville Sanctuary is a joy, as the location has conservation and care for the animals foremost in its mind.
Hot tip: A day at these wildlife parks involves a lot of walking, so wear sensible footwear.
Melbourne Itinerary Day 7: Explore hipster inner-city hangouts & Night Tour
It’s your final day in Melbourne, and I bet you’ve had an absolute blast and are devastated (“devo”, to Aussie) to leave. Don’t worry, I’ve got a final treat in store for you to cap off your trip. Get your skinny jeans and your fedora on because the most hipster suburbs of Melbourne await you.
Exploding in popularity in recent decades, the urban, inner-city hubs of Fitzroy, Brunswick, and Northcote have transformed themselves from some of the least-coveted suburbs to topping the list of the most in-demand real estate in the city. The hippest of Melbourne’s cool crowd either live in or flock to these neighborhoods to be seen at the unique bars, clubs, thrift stores and cafes that cram the streets.
What are the coolest suburbs in Melbourne?
In trendy inner-city Fitzroy, I recommend The Rum Diary for a well-earnt drink or Naked for Satan for a wild night out with a superior view of the Melbourne skyline. Always buzzing, Brunswick is packed with bars, coffee shops, and unique shopping along Sydney Road, so pick up a strong espresso at warehouse cafe Lux Foundry and rub shoulders with the in-crowd.
For a few bevvies, don’t miss Howler. Northcote is a suburb close to Melbourne CBD that is so damn hip it makes you instantly feel inferior. The entire city knows the institution, Northcote Social Club, a popular venue for regular live entertainment, gigs, and a great outdoor deck where you can smash some of the best eats and drinks in Melbourne.
While you’re exploring the inner-city suburbs of Melbourne, take a leaf out of the local’s book and be sure to spend some time wandering around the many “op shops” (thrift stores, as we Americans say) and vintage stores. You are sure to pick up a one-off treasure that will remind you fondly of your time in Melbourne.
Where can I see art in Melbourne?
After spending a couple of hours in the inner-city, Melbourne’s famous street art won’t go unnoticed. Its famous laneways are often heaving with budding photographers, taking snaps of its street art. For the best street art in Melbourne, head to AC/DC Lane (yep!), Caledonian Lane, Hosier Lane and Degraves St, just for starters.
If you’re in the mood for taking in some classic art, be sure to pop into the National Gallery of Victoria. One of Australia’s best museums, the NGV is home to thousands of pieces of both Australian and foreign art, and regularly host exciting events or nighttime shindigs.
What’s a fun Melbourne night tour to do?
Tonight, do something a little different and sign up for a spooky nighttime Melbourne tour. There’s a range of tours that takes you on foot through the darkened streets of this awesome city, telling you twisted, scary stories of Melbourne of the past and the ghosts that lurk down its eerie laneways. Or head to the eerie Old Melbourne Gaol for a frighteningly good time on the “Hangman’s Night Tour“.
Melbourne Itinerary Tours and Experiences
Tackling Melbourne on your own is pretty easy, but I definitely recommend using tours to see more of the city with a local guide. There are a number of you can look at during this Melbourne 1 week itinerary, including the following:
And there you have it.
My tips for the best week-long Melbourne tour itinerary. I hope you find it as diverse and enjoyable as this world-class city.
Don’t forget to purchase travel insurance!
Whether you are heading to Melbourne for just a few days or embarking on a lengthy trip around Australia, travel insurance is absolutely essential. Have you seen some of the crazy animals they have Down Under, or indeed, how expensive some things can be in Australia?
Getting sick or having items stolen while traveling is rare, but when it does happen, it can be an absolute nightmare. Having insurance (which is essential for visas in some countries) will give you the peace of mind that if anything terrible does happen, you are covered.
I highly recommend HeyMondo due to their extensive range of cover for all situations and trip lengths, their fair pricing, and their handy app, which allows you to not only manage any claims within the app but also access free assistance online, so you don’t need to rack up an expensive phone bill while abroad!
So, whether you need a single trip cover or an affordable annual cover for multiple trips worldwide, be sure to buy your travel insurance before you travel and relax during your trip, knowing that HeyMondo has your back. Nowadays I would never travel without insurance again, especially after hearing so many (expensive and dangerous) horror stories from other travelers I’ve met!
Still planning your trip? Get a no-obligation travel insurance quote now, so you have an idea of how much extra to budget for your vacation.
Planning a trip to Australia?
I’ve got so much love for this country, and I think everyone needs to visit down under at least once in their life. I actually lived and worked in Sydney for a year, and I miss it so damn much. I’ve written a lot about Australia, so check out some of my other top articles!
Thanks so much for reading my Melbourne Itinerary!
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