Discover Melbourne

Melbourne brings together impressive cultural venues, street art, gardens and a lively market. You can choose the focus of your stay: art and city history, plants and birds, or food and urban discoveries. Families can also enjoy a range of experiences, from looking up at the dome of a reading room to an interactive exhibition with playable video games.

Culture across libraries, prisons and art

State Library Victoria was founded as Melbourne Public Library in 1854 and is Australia’s oldest public library. The impressive octagonal dome ceiling stands out in the La Trobe Reading Room. Various galleries present permanent and temporary exhibitions, and free guided tours are also available. Anyone interested in architecture, books and exhibitions will find several ways to make this part of a culture-focused day.

Old Melbourne Gaol has been Melbourne’s oldest and most feared prison since 1845. With a Gaol Day Pass, visitors can explore the three levels of the original prison. Guided tours and immersive experiences add to the visit. The site’s history and levels offer a different way to engage with the city than a library’s or art gallery’s collections.

NGV International displays the National Gallery of Victoria’s European, Asian, Oceanic and American art collections. The Story of the Moving Image offers another, more playful cultural perspective: this free interactive exhibition features playable video games, film sets, and iconic costumes and props. This makes it possible to accommodate different interests during a trip without centring the stay on a single museum theme.

Laneways and street art

Melbourne’s laneways are filled with colourful murals, stencil art, paste-ups and mixed-media art. The Melbourne Street Art Walk passes through Hosier Lane, AC/DC Lane, Blender Lane, Flinders Way and the Upper West Side Arts Precinct. A separate walk, Iconic laneways and arcades walk, is about 2.4 km long and takes around 2 hours. You can factor these approximate figures into your day’s plans; the two offerings have different focuses, on street art and on laneways and arcades, respectively.

Gardens, plants and birds

Melbourne Gardens covers 38 hectares and is home to more than 8,500 plant species from around the world. The gardens are open every day of the year. Those who want to focus on plants and nature can also discover the Aboriginal Heritage Walk at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne: on this multisensory journey, a First Peoples guide identifies significant native plants. The guided Secret Life of Birds tour focuses on waterbirds nesting around the Ornamental Lake. This offers a choice between a plant-focused experience and a dedicated look at waterbirds.

Market life and getting your bearings in the city

Queen Vic Market is home to hundreds of small businesses and is the largest open-air market in the Southern Hemisphere. Visitors can buy specialty cheese in the Dairy Hall, eat at cafés, or pick up coffee and a croissant to go. This makes the market a good spot for travellers who also want to explore local shopping and dining options during their stay.

Fed Square is a modern piazza and public square in the city centre, directly opposite Flinders Street Station. It is home to cultural attractions as well as numerous restaurants, bars and specialty shops. When choosing a holiday rental in Melbourne, it helps to first sort out your priorities: should your stay focus mainly on art and city history, street art, gardens or market visits? Then assess your preferred accommodation location in relation to the places that matter to you on your trip, rather than starting from a single neighbourhood.

More location pages

Coldstream, Eden Park, Keilor, Caulfield North, Heidelberg, Ferntree Gully, Heatherton, Hawthorn, Kensington, Eumemmerring, Brighton, Williamstown, Wantirna South, South Yarra, Essendon, Oakleigh, Emerald, Brunswick, Yering, Dandenong, Wheelers Hill, Glen Waverley, Clayton, Olinda, Noble Park, Sassafras, Yarra Glen, Fawkner, Healesville, Wonga Park, Point Cook, Doncaster East, Aspendale, Forest Hill, Footscray, St Albans, Flemington, Parkdale, Narre Warren, Warburton, Seville, Monbulk, Yarra Junction, Attwood, Gisborne, Mitcham, Kew, Mt Dandenong, Lilydale, Moorabbin, Box Hill, Fairfield, Highett, Braybrook, Beaumaris, Mont Albert, Caroline Springs, Doveton, Mt Waverley, Belgrave, Kalorama, Frankston, Preston, Cranbourne, Taylors Lakes, Eltham and Carnegie.

For the overarching travel overview: Victoria.