Degraves Street and Centre Place
CBD · 45 min
A flat white, or a magic (a double ristretto topped with milk, a Melbourne order), at a window counter in the lane. Around A$6; the cafés open at 7 a.m.
Melbourne · Australia · 3 days
3 days in Melbourne
Three days by neighborhood: the laneways, galleries and market of the CBD on foot, the inner north by tram from Carlton to Abbotsford, then the gardens and the NGV before the 96 to St Kilda for cake and penguins. Inside the CBD the trams are free; everywhere else you tap a bank card.
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Checked October 10, 2026. That’s the day we last confirmed the hours, prices and closed days.
- 3 days
- 23 stops
- 6 with a ticket
- from A$110 a day
When to go
March to May is the best of it: 64 to 77°F (18 to 25°C), still light until 7 p.m., the Comedy Festival in April. December to February is warm with sudden days over 95°F (35°C) and the Australian Open in January. June to August is gray, 43 to 57°F (6 to 14°C), with cheaper rooms; spring is windy and changes by the hour. Every month can give you all four seasons in a day.
Where to base yourself
The CBD's laneway end (around Flinders Lane) puts the galleries, trams and dinner on foot. Fitzroy or Collingwood for cafés, bars and the inner north by tram. Southbank for the river and the NGV. St Kilda if you want the beach and do not mind a 25-minute tram each morning.
Getting around
Trams are the point. The Free Tram Zone covers the CBD and Docklands; do not tap inside it. Beyond it, tap a Visa or Mastercard, phone or watch on trains, trams and buses (full fare only; concessions still need a myki) and tap off the same way. Fares are half price until January 1, 2027: A$2.85 for two hours and a A$5.70 daily cap on weekdays, A$4 at weekends. After that expect them to roughly double. Walk the CBD grid; it is about two kilometers across.
Day 1
The CBD on foot
- FromYour hotel in Fitzroy and Collingwood
- 1
- 5 min · walk
- 2
Hosier Lane
CBD · 30 min
The bluestone lane of street art off Flinders Street, repainted every few weeks. Five minutes' walk from Degraves, and empty before 10 a.m.
- Next door
- 3
The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia
Federation Square · 90 min
Australian art from the colonial painters to now, in Federation Square, free and open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Start on the top floor with the Indigenous galleries.
- 15 min · walk
- 4
State Library Victoria
CBD · 45 min
Ten minutes up Swanston Street. The octagonal La Trobe Reading Room under the dome is free and open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; the upper viewing balconies have been closed for works, so check on the day.
- 13 min · walk
- 5
Queen Victoria Market
North Melbourne edge · 75 min
Ten minutes' walk north. A bratwurst from the Bratwurst Shop in the deli hall and a hot jam doughnut from the van outside; it is closed Mondays and Wednesdays.
A$15
- 1.9 km · transit or taxi
- 6
The Yarra at Southbank
Southbank · 90 min
Walk down Elizabeth Street to Flinders Street Station, cross Princes Bridge and follow the promenade west past the Arts Centre spire. The riverside terraces are the place for a drink in the sun.
- 11 min · walk
- 7
Block Arcade and the lane shops
CBD · 75 min
Back over the bridge for the Block Arcade's mosaic floor and the Royal Arcade, then the shops along Flinders Lane. Most close by 6 p.m.
- 12 min · walk
- 8
Dinner on Flinders Lane or in Chinatown
CBD · 90 min
Chin Chin takes no bookings, so join the line or try Supernormal's bar. Otherwise dumplings on Little Bourke Street in Chinatown, where the old places stay open late and cost half as much.
Day 2
The inner north by tram
- FromYour hotel in Fitzroy and Collingwood
- 1
Lygon Street, Carlton
Carlton · 60 min
Tram 1 or 6 from Swanston Street runs straight up Lygon. Coffee and a cannolo at Brunetti Classico, then the Italian delis and bookshops along the street.
- 11 min · walk
- 2
Melbourne Museum or the Royal Exhibition Building
Carlton Gardens · 120 min
Ten minutes through the Carlton Gardens. The museum is open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and children 16 and under are free; the Bunjilaka and forest galleries are the ones to see.
around A$18
- 8 min · walk
- 3
Brunch on Brunswick Street
Fitzroy · 75 min
Fifteen minutes east along Gertrude Street. Marios for an all-day breakfast at the old tables, or Vegie Bar for a bowl; both take walk-ins.
A$25
- Next door
- 4
Fitzroy shops and records
Fitzroy · 60 min
Fitzroy's record shops, vintage racks and galleries along Gertrude and Brunswick Streets. Rose Street Artists' Market trades on weekends only.
- 7 min · walk
- 5
Smith Street, Collingwood
Collingwood · 60 min
Two blocks east, with the 86 tram running along it. Bakeries, outlet shops and the breweries in the side streets; the north end past Johnston Street is the quieter half.
- 1.8 km · transit or taxi
- 6
Abbotsford Convent and the river
Abbotsford · 90 min
Bus 200 or 207 east along Johnston Street to Clarke Street, or a 25-minute walk. Grounds are free and open 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.: the convent buildings, the Convent Bakery, the children's farm paddocks and the Yarra trail along the bend.
- 2.3 km · transit or taxi
- 7
Dinner on Gertrude Street
Fitzroy · 90 min
The 200 or 207 back to Smith Street. Marion for wine and small plates, Cutler and Co if you booked, or a chicken parma at the Napier Hotel around the corner.
Day 3
South of the river, then St Kilda
- FromYour hotel in Fitzroy and Collingwood
- 1
Royal Botanic Gardens
South Yarra · 90 min
Free and open daily 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; any St Kilda Road tram to stop 19, or a 20-minute walk from Flinders Street Station. Loop the lake, Guilfoyle's Volcano and the fern gully before the heat.
- 10 min · walk
- 2
Shrine of Remembrance
Kings Domain · 60 min
Across the road at the top of the gardens. Free, open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; the galleries under the monument and the balcony view back up Swanston Street.
- 16 min · walk
- 3
NGV International
Southbank · 120 min
Ten minutes down St Kilda Road. The water wall, the Great Hall's stained-glass ceiling (lie on the floor) and the free collection, daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- 7 min · walk
- 4
Southbank promenade
Southbank · 75 min
Five minutes back to the river. Ponyfish Island, the bar on the pontoon under the footbridge, for fish and chips, or any terrace on the promenade.
A$30
- 11 min · walk
- 5
Tram 96 to St Kilda
St Kilda · 60 min
The 96 from Bourke Street, or the 16 straight down St Kilda Road from outside the NGV; about 25 minutes either way. Get off at Luna Park for the clown-mouth gate and the foreshore walk.
A$2.85
- 6.2 km · transit or taxi
- 6
Acland Street cake shops
St Kilda · 60 min
Monarch Cakes and Europa have sold Polish and Hungarian cakes here since the 1930s. Take a slice of kugelhopf or cheesecake at the window seat; most close around 6 p.m.
A$10
- Next door
- 7
Cicciolina, Acland Street
St Kilda · 90 min
Thirty years of Italian-leaning plates; the back bar takes walk-ins. Eat early in winter so you are at the pier for dusk, or swap the order in summer when sunset is after 8:30 p.m.
- 22 min · walk
- 8
Little penguins at St Kilda Pier
St Kilda · 75 min
A wild colony lives in the breakwater, watched from a boardwalk opened in 2025. No flash photography and no flashlights.
Loading the map…
Pins are approximate. Tap one for the stop; the directions links open Google Maps.
The practical bits
From the airport
From Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) the SkyBus runs to Southern Cross Station in about 30 minutes, 4 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily, A$25.90 one way or A$43.40 round trip bought online. A taxi or rideshare takes 30 to 45 minutes and costs a good deal more. Avalon is an hour away and has its own SkyBus.
What a day costs
About A$110 to A$160 a day per person for meals, coffee, a museum ticket and trams at today's half-price fares (until January 1, 2027). The galleries, gardens and library are free and the penguin viewing costs nothing; a café lunch is A$20 to A$30 and dinner with a drink A$50 to A$70. Melbourne Museum is around A$18 and the Royal Exhibition Building dome tour about A$29.
Where to stay
Got a day to spare?
Worth knowing
- Tap the same bank card, phone or watch on and off every time; a card on and a phone off counts as two journeys and costs more.
- Trams inside the Free Tram Zone are free and you must not tap. If your ride starts or ends outside it, tap as normal.
- Carry a layer and a small umbrella whatever the forecast says: 95°F (35°C) one day and 64°F (18°C) with rain the next is normal.
- Coffee is serious and finishes early. Order a flat white, a long black or a magic, and expect cafés to close by mid-afternoon.
- Penguin viewing is free but ticketed: two sessions a night of 150 people, the first about 30 minutes after sunset, with tickets released every Tuesday at 10 a.m. for the following week through Phillip Island Nature Parks. Queen Victoria Market is closed Mondays and Wednesdays, which Waystop's hours check flags if you place it there.
Things you can ask once it’s in the app
Plans change. Ask Chat and it proposes a reshuffled day you can apply, or just answers the question.
We land on a Wednesday, which day should the market go on instead?Which day should I book the penguin session for, given we land on Wednesday?Swap day 3 for the Great Ocean Road but keep the penguinsFind a vegan dinner in Fitzroy near Gertrude StreetDoes the 96 to St Kilda cost extra, and do I tap on and off?
Questions
Do I need a myki card?
Not for full fares. A Visa or Mastercard, phone or watch taps on trains, trams and buses at the same fares; trains took contactless in June 2026 and trams and buses followed. Concessions still need a myki (A$6 at stations and newsagents; the phone version is Android only).
Which day works in the rain?
Day 1: the two NGVs, the library and the market hall are all under cover, and the laneways are built for it. Ask Waystop for a rain plan and Chat builds a second version of the day that you switch to from the day's menu, with the river walk left out.
Can I see the penguins without a ticket?
No. Since the boardwalk opened in late 2025 the sessions are capped at 150 and book out quickly; set an alarm for Tuesday 10 a.m. and book the week ahead.
Is the Great Ocean Road doable in a day?
Only as a long one: about three hours each way to the Twelve Apostles and 12 hours door to door on a tour. Two days with a night in Apollo Bay is the better trip.
Before you go
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Your version
Now make it fit your trip.
Add your dates, your hotel and who’s coming, then ask Chat to change anything: it proposes the edit and you tap Apply. Want a long lunch instead of a museum? Just ask. Every place is checked against Google Maps before it lands on your day, and Chat can tell you when to leave for the next stop. Going on to another city? Build a multi-city trip.