Melbourne is a lovely city that is well worth a visit. Back in February, I visited Melbourne for three days, packing in as much as I could into my itinerary! With only three days in Melbourne, you can certainly fit in the majority of the highlights and also include one day trip. If you’re planning a trip to Australia, definitely don’t miss out on spending some time in Melbourne! In this Melbourne Travel Guide, I will share where to stay, what to do, and suggestions of how to extend your trip to ensure you have the best time in Melbourne!
Melbourne Travel Guide
Where to Stay:
While in Melbourne, we stayed at the Pullman Melbourne on Swanston, which is located in the heart of the city. The location is ideal – within walking distance to all of the main sights – and the hotel itself is lovely! It’s also located close to many of the laneways and to public transit, which was especially convenient!
For some other options around this area, also see The Westin Melbourne, Sofitel Melbourne on Collins, Sheraton Melbourne Hotel, Park Hyatt Melbourne, and InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto.
Tips for Visiting Melbourne:
The first tip for visiting Melbourne is to use the public transportation! It is very convenient and the best way to get around the city. The sights can be quite spread out (such as St. Kilda and Brighton), so you may need to take an Uber/taxi or use public transit. We found the tram to be easy to use; however, buses were a bit more challenging as they don’t announce the stops. Make sure to pay attention so you don’t miss your stop! I used Google Maps quite a bit to track our location.
Also, if you will be taking public transportation, make sure to get a myki card ahead of time! You can buy a card from 7-Eleven for $6 and then can top it up as necessary.
In terms of the weather, Melbourne is known for having four seasons in one day, and they aren’t kidding! While we were there, we experienced high temperatures and humidity at one moment and then crazy wind and torrential downpours shortly thereafter. Pack accordingly and be prepared!
Lastly, we had brought power adaptors with us from the US to Australia and they did not fit into the sockets in Australia! Instead, we had to purchase an adaptor from the convenience store to use throughout our trip. Just keep this in mind if you’re coming from the US!
Day 1
For your first day in Melbourne, spend the day exploring the Royal Botanic Garden, Brighton Beach, and St. Kilda!
Start your day by walking over to Federation Square and exploring the surrounding area and walking along the riverfront. Then, grab lunch at Riverland Bar. The location next to the Yarra River is lovely and the food and ambiance are great! I would highly recommend the Caribbean super salad – so fresh and tasty! After lunch, it’s time to head over to the Royal Botanic Garden. It’s a short walk from the riverfront and an ideal place to spend a few hours.
The Royal Botanic Garden is free to enter and is quite large, with many paths to choose from. You can also bring a towel/blanket and picnic to enjoy at the gardens. It’s very peaceful in the garden and a nice place to relax while taking in the wildlife and greenery.
After exploring the Royal Botanic Garden, hop on the tram to St. Kilda. When you’ve arrived in St. Kilda, spend some time walking down the beach boardwalk. If it’s nice out, you may want to take some time lounging on the beach. Or you can head directly to the next destination – Brighton Beach! You can’t visit Melbourne and not visit the famous Brighton Bathing Boxes! They are so colorful, cute, and cheery!
If you’d like, you can walk along the water from St. Kilda to Brighton – it takes about an hour. Otherwise, you can call an Uber (which is what we did!) and it’s a short 10 minute drive.
Note: as the Brighton Bathing Boxes are so iconic, it can get very crowded! We stayed for about an hour and had no problems snapping pictures without people, but you do have to be patient! If you’d like to minimize the crowds, I would recommend going early in the morning.
After visiting Brighton, take the bus (or an Uber) back to St. Kilda. From here, walk around the town before grabbing dinner. There are many restaurant options along the beachfront, such as Republica and Beachcomber Cafe. Then, it’s time for the main event – the little penguins!
Around sunset, head over to the pier and snag a seat to watch for the little penguins! Each night, they come to the pier to their nests among the rocks of the breakwater. This is a great experience (and it’s free!), but remember to be respectful! Stay out of the way of the penguins and don’t use flash! For more information on viewing the penguins, see this site.
While you can see the penguins every night, certain months are better than others! Unfortunately, we were there during their moulting season and so they weren’t coming in in the numbers they usually do. We learned that when they moult, they don’t go out into the ocean as they lose their “water proofing” and aren’t as protected from the cold.
We were able to spot a couple on the beach and in the rocks, but it definitely wasn’t the masses of penguins that we were hoping to see! I’ve heard it’s normally pretty phenomenal! We also didn’t stay too late as it got quite chilly, so more might have come in later. Bring a jacket with you – even if it’s hot during the day, it definitely cools down at night at the beach!
Outfit Details:
It was really warm on this day so I wore a denim skirt from Free People (similar) and a basic cropped t-shirt from Target. As we were doing a lot of walking on this day, I wore my favorite Nike running shoes! I also wore these Ray Ban sunglasses! I picked up my rust-colored hat from a Target in the city center – they had so many cute things! This summer hat from Brixton is similar.
Day 2
The next day, take a day trip to Phillip Island! Phillip Island is located nearby Melbourne and is known for the Penguin Parade, which should not be missed! You can visit Phillip Island on your own if you rent a car. However, we opted to take a day tour with AAT Kings. We loved our guide and had a great experience!
If you have some time before your tour, start with breakfast at Amble Cafe. It’s a cute cafe in the city center and their avocado toast and French omelettes are really good!
The first stop of our tour was to Maru Wildlife Park where we were able to get up close and personal with kangaroos and wallabies. Unfortunately, we arrived to an absolute torrential downpour which made the experience a little less enjoyable, but we made the most of it! You have to embrace the unpredictable weather of Victoria!
After that, we continued to Woolamai Beach where the skies cleared. We spent some time walking around the beach and watching the surfers ride the impressive waves.
Our next destination was Cowes – a small beachside town – where we spent about an hour. We walked along the pier and the beach enjoying the mild temperature and sunshine.
Then, we headed to the Nobbies where we walked along the pathway checking out the penguin nesting boxes. We were able to spot a few young penguins resting in the boxes while waiting for their parents to return with food. We also spotted many wallabies and geese in this area, which was cool to see the native wildlife!
Our final stop of the day was to the Penguin Parade! At the Penguin Parade, you get to sit and watch the little penguins make the journey from the water to their nests for the night.
The weather did not cooperate this night AT ALL and a thunderstorm passed above the beach right before we were scheduled to go out to watch the penguins. This meant we had to wait inside until the storm passed by. We waited inside for about an hour before we got to see the penguins. It was very disappointing but it was still an amazing experience to get to watch all of the little penguins make the dangerous journey back to their nests. They are so incredibly cute and it was so captivating to watch them!
Outfit Details:
As there were thunderstorms in the forecast for this day, I dressed accordingly. I wore a white thermal top (similar) and the comfiest leggings from Zella. As an additional layer, I also wore a denim jacket from H&M and packed a lightweight raincoat (which came in handy!). For shoes, I wore my favorite Blondo booties, which are also waterproof! It can get really chilly in Phillip Island at night, so I would pack an additional jacket for when you’re watching the little penguins!
Day 3
On your last day in Melbourne, spend the day exploring the city center!
Start the day with a delicious brunch at Higher Ground – I would highly recommend the ricotta hotcake (omg so good!)! Then, wander around the nearby laneways enjoying the creative street art. There are many popular ones in the city center, including Hosier Lane, AC/DC Lane, and Union Lane (where these photos were taken).
Afterwards, make your way to the Carlton Gardens and then over to Fitzroy and Collingwood. This is a trendy area with plenty of restaurants and shops to browse. Spend some time exploring the neighborhood as you walk off brunch! You can also visit the Melbourne Museum, which is located in the Carlton Gardens.
If you have some time, you can also visit the Parliament Building and the Fitzroy Gardens. Then, fit in one more stroll along the Yarra River. If you’d like, you can also grab a drink at one of the bars/restaurants along the river, such as Ponyfish Island or Arbory Afloat.
After exploring the city center, head to Tipo 00 for dinner! It gets very crowded so head over early and put your name on the list. You can pop over to next door Osteria Ilaria (which is its sister restaurant!) for a drink as you wait.
Outfit Details:
On our last day in Melbourne, I wore this beautiful white blouse from American Eagle that I’ve been loving this spring and summer! It’s such a pretty feminine piece! On the bottom, I wore my favorite high waisted jeans also from American Eagle and the best Blondo booties!
Day 4-5
If you have more time to spend in Melbourne, I would recommend taking a few more day trips to see the nearby sights! If we had more time, we wanted to see the Great Ocean Road and Twelve Apostles and also go wine tasting in the Yarra Valley. Both sound like amazing experiences!
That’s it for this Melbourne Travel Guide! I hope you find this helpful if you’re planning your own visit to lovely Melbourne!
1 Comments
Comments are closed.