Travel for Food Hub The Food Blog for Travel Lovers
Last Updated on March 15, 2023
Melbourne, the cultural capital of Australia, is home to historical building and landmarks, museums, art galleries, rooftop bars, designer boutiques, street arts and little hideouts. Every corner of this city and its surrounding area will be fascinating the first time you visit Melbourne. And if you are coming back, you will always find great to discover.
With the passing years, every city develops much better attractions for city dwellers to engage with. Some of these fade out with the passing of time and some become even better. The same case stands for Melbourne too. The city evolved much during 2018 and has come up with new absolute thrilling activities for its fun-loving residents and tourists.
Here are some of the best things that Melbourne has to offer for you in 2019. Some of them have been great hits over the years but some others are relatively newer and we have included these as well into the mix:
1. Plan your visit to overlap a festival
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Melbourne is a vibrant and dynamic city and home to a wide range of festivals. There are always festivals going on in Melbourne devoted to comedy, film, arts, music, food and wine, beer and theatre throughout the year. Select the festival that you want to attend and plan the visit at the time when the festival takes place. Some of the best festivals in Melbourne are:
White Night in winter
Fashion Festival in March
Comedy Festival in April
Good Beer Week in May
Melbourne Fringe Festival in October
2. Myki Travel Smartcard
Myki is a contact-less ticketing system that is used to pay for travel on trains, trams and buses. You can easily purchase this reloadable smartcard at machines and booths around train stations, but you can’t buy them on the train, bus or trams.
It’s easy to use, when you get on to a tram or train, ‘touch on’ your Myki by tapping against the reader at the entry of the train. And don’t forget to ‘touch off’ by tapping it again after you get off. If you have problem operation these, take help from locals, they are happy to help you.
3. Don’t Miss Melbourne’s Wineries
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Of the 65 wines regions, Melbourne is at the heart of the Victorian wineries. The splendid view of wineries and the pleasure to taste some of the best wines in the world is by far the best thing to do while in Melbourne. So if you share the passion of wine tasting, you must go for some wine tours in Melbourne, and explore the beauty of vines and enjoy their taste.
Of the several wineries around Melbourne that I have visited, one thing is common is that all of them are splendid. But for your convenience the must visit in order of MY personal preferences are:
Yarra Valley Wine Tours
Mornington Peninsula Winery Tours
Geelong Wine Tours
Macedon Ranges Wine Tours
4. Melbourne is famous for its nightlife, don’t miss out
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Melbourne is famous for nightlife, food and beverages. There are a lot of nightclubs for party animals, but not all are open till sunrise. Many bars close are 1 am and other shuts at 3 am. However, there are some places in Melbourne to enjoy beverages the whole night. Thankfully, with the 24-hour Public Transport operating on weekends, you can enjoy your night to the fullest.
Some of the coziest places to hang out are:
Billboard Saturdays
Robot Bar
Union Electric Bar
Lucky Thursdays (On Thursdays)
Enjoy wide range of cuisines at better prices (won’t say cheap)
Melbourne loves food and you can find affordable meals everywhere in the city. Some of the cheap eats in Melbourne are:
Half Moon Café
Chinatown
Purple Peanuts
Butcher’s Diner
Ippudo
And did you know about the best mini desserts in Melbourne? The city is home to some of the best desserts in the world with some of the top chefs in the city. So try the desserts.
You may also want to check out: How to Celebrate Your Birthday on a Cruise in Melbourne
5. Party in Yarra River Cruise
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Melbourne’s beauty would not have been the same, if the smooth and ever-flowing Yarra River did not grace it. Of all the recreational activities organised in Melbourne, there are plenty that are done on the Yarra River. The Yarra River boat cruise in Melbourne is a fascinating way of experiencing the beautiful Melbourne skyline and rich cultural and natural heritage of the city while drifting over the ancient river.
6. Go on a walking tour
Melbourne has beautiful street art in every nook and corner. Lace up your shoes and explore Melbourne on foot, this is the best way to explore the beauty of the city. Discover the restaurants and cafes hidden in the city; these are the hidden gems. Walking tour is the best way to learn the history of the town.
7. Shop late on Fridays (For Queen Victoria Market – Wednesdays)
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Shopping in Melbourne is always exciting; you can get the loot from the local designers and the best of international brands.
The shops often are open from 10 am to 6 pm on Mondays to Saturdays, if you love shopping at evening, go on Fridays, the shops are open till 9 pm or later. And if you are willing to visit Queen Victoria Market, Wednesdays is the best day to shop on the night market.
Some of the best places to shop in Melbourne are:
Bourke Street Mall
Queen Victoria Market
Collins Street
South Melbourne Market
Chapel Street
8. Pack for all seasons
The weather in Melbourne is ‘four seasons in one day’, changes throughout the day. So while packing brings clothes fit for all the season, coat, boots and layers. Opt for all kind of patterns, bright floral for a sunny day and dark attire for rain.
TAKEAWAY: You can experience cold and rain as well as 24 degrees sunny days in winter. In summer, the temperature can be 40 degrees. However, it may rain, and the temperature may decrease to 14 degrees. Be ready for the changeable weather of Melbourne.
Once you are here, hire a tour organizer in Melbourne to explore the Wineries, Boat Cruise and Philip Island and make the most of your visit.
As you can see, Melbourne is a great city to visit with friends or family and there are also brilliant romantic things to do in Melbourne. The city has remained one of the three best cities in the world for over a decade now after remaining the best city in the world for seven consecutive years. But the point here is to enjoy the best of it within as little time as possible. So make the best of it, while you are here. And if you have some activities that you feel are great but I have not included here, go ahead share them with us in the comments below!
