Melbourne travel tips

Melbourne is the cultural capital of Australia. While it doesn’t meet the Aussie archetype of sunny beaches with great surf, it does feature the best dining, arts, and culture on the continent. Anyone headed to Australia needs to spend a week exploring Melbourne.

General advice

• Melbourne is a city of suburbs. While the central business district is relatively large and action packed, some of the best coffee, bar, and dining experiences are in the suburbs. The biggest mistake travellers make is neglecting the suburbs.
  • Visit Fitzroy, Collingwood, Clifton Hill, Northcote, Carlton, Brunswick, St Kilda, South Yarra, and Prahan.
• Melbourne is surrounded by some beautiful towns and scenery.
  • The Mornington Peninsula is a great destination with wineries and beaches. Dining in small-town Australia can be underwhelming — Mornington is the exception to this rule.
  • Grampians and Dandenong. I’m not into hiking or outdoor activities, but many who are swear by these areas, so look into them if you’re so inclined.
  • Hobart, the capital of the state and island of Tasmania, is a short flight away. It’s a beautiful small European-style city with fantastic dining and easy access to nature.
• While Australia has a reputation for hot summers and beach bums, Melbourne bucks this stereotype with mild summers and relatively cold winters. For a more “authentic” Australian climate, head north to Sydney or Brisbane.
• Bring warm clothes if you’re visiting in winter.

Recommendations

Coffee and baked goods

Melbourne is the coffee capital of the world. Even if you don’t like coffee, the vibes and baked goods on offer are a must.

• Proud Mary, in my opinion the best coffee in Melbourne.
• ACoffee.
• Standing Room.
• Sonido, which features great Columbian food.
• Market Lane.
• Everyday.
• Northcote Bakeshop.
• Brother Baba Budan.
• All Are Welcome.
• Traveller.
• Aunty Peg’s.
• Cibi, which also offers a great Japanese-style breakfast and lunch.
• To Be Frank, also the best bakery in Melbourne.
• Mile End, featuring phenomenal bagels.
• INI Studio.

Pubs

Great pubs are a key feature of Melbourne, most of which have stayed independently owned and operated, unlike in the rest of Australia. Alcohol-free beer is common in Melbourne, and pub food is great, so even teetotallers should check a few out.

• Goldy’s, the best (albeit expensive) pub in Melbourne.
• The Union Club Hotel.
• The Standard Hotel
• The Napier Hotel.
• Curtin Hotel.
• Park Hotel.
• Caretakers Cottage.
• Royston Hotel.
• The Gem, where you can catch a great gig most weeks.
• Labour in Vain, a no-frills, good-vibes pub.
• The Brunswick Green.

Dining

Melbourne is a world-class hospitality city, so centre your trip around dining. Outside of the recommendations here, locals rely on sites like Broadsheet for fresh recommendations.

• Rita’s for the best pizza.
• Taquito.
• Rocco’s Bologna.
• Tamura, Melbourne’s best izakaya.
• Curry Cafe.
• Butcher’s Diner for burgers.
• Tino.
• Deep End Pizza for deep-dish pizza.
• Freya.
• Clover.
• Rosella.
• 1800lasagna.
• Bar Idda.
• Yakimono.
• Waygood.
• Frankie’s Tortas and Tacos.
• Poodle.
• Shop Ramen.
• Maha.
• Shanghai Street.
• Future Future.
• Waxflower.
• La Tortilleria.
• MONO-XO.
• Old Raffles Place.
• New Jaffa.

While some places may require bookings, Melbourne is a very walk-in friendly city and most venues are surrounded by other great options.

Miscellaneous bars

• Bar Bellamy.
• Bar Margaux.
• Above Board is the best cocktail bar in Melbourne. There are only sixteen seats, and they don’t take bookings, so small groups only.
• Milney’s.
• Joanie’s.
• Music Room.
• Molly Rose Brewing.
• Chotto Motto — technically a restaurant, but the vibes and drinks are better than the food.
• Hope St Radio, a primarily outdoor venue with great DJs (who stream live to an actual digital radio station).
• Nighthawks.
• Gum.
• Low Key Bar.

Accommodation

• Most people stay in Melbourne’s central business district, which is great, but Melbourne is at its best in the suburbs.
  • If you’re willing to give the suburbs a go, aim for accomodation with very easy access to the Route 86, 11, 96, 1, or 19 tram lines. Each of these trams flow through multiple fantastic suburbs in the inner north, with plenty of diverse dining and entertainment options.
  • Suburbs to target include Fitzroy, Collingwood, Clifton Hill, Northcote, Carlton, and Brunswick. If you stay close to the tram lines, you’ll have very easy access to the CBD and other suburbs.
• Otherwise, you can’t really go wrong by staying in the central business district. From the CBD, you can easily access every corner of the city via tram or train.