Melbourne in 4 days
Melbourne is best seen at laneway level: a grid of wide streets threaded with narrow lanes full of coffee roasters, unsigned bars and murals repainted all the time. Five million people, a large share of them born overseas, and a calendar that runs on sport and festivals.
The plan, day by day
Day 1
- Morning
Hosier Lane and the city lanewaysfree · about 30 minA 150-metre bluestone lane opposite Federation Square where walls, doors and drainpipes vanish under layers of spray paint that change almost weekly.
- Afternoon
National Gallery of Victoriafree · about 2 hAustralia's oldest public gallery, entered through a water wall, with Leonard French's stained-glass ceiling in the Great Hall, best seen lying on the carpet.
Day 2
- Morning
Melbourne Skydeckabout 1 hThe 88th floor of the Eureka Tower, 285 metres up, looking out to Port Phillip Bay and the Dandenongs on a clear day.
- Afternoon
Royal Botanic Gardensfree · about 1 h 30Thirty-eight hectares laid out from 1846 on a bend of the Yarra, with some 8,500 plant species and a lake of black swans and eels.
Day 3
- Morning
Queen Victoria Marketfree · about 1 h 30Seven hectares of sheds open since 1878, some 600 stalls, with cheese and charcuterie in the Dairy Hall and produce outside.
- Afternoon
Melbourne Cricket Groundabout 1 h 30A 100,000-seat ground from 1853, home of the AFL Grand Final and the Boxing Day Test, and host of the 1956 Olympics.
Day 4
- Evening
St Kilda and its little penguinsfree · an eveningAt dusk, around 1,400 little penguins, the world's smallest at about 30 cm, come ashore among the rocks of the St Kilda breakwater.
Further afield (over 130 km from the base hotel), best as a separate stop: The Twelve Apostles on the Great Ocean Road.
Where to sleep in Melbourne
- Space Hotel · €65 a night
- ibis budget Melbourne CBD · €75 a night
- Melbourne Central YHA · €45 a night
- Novotel Melbourne on Collins · €145 a night
- Vibe Hotel Melbourne · €130 a night
- Rydges Melbourne · €120 a night
- Park Hyatt Melbourne · €320 a night
- Crown Towers Melbourne · €260 a night
- Grand Hyatt Melbourne · €250 a night
Plan this trip
Hotel prices per room per night, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.