You’ve travelled all the way down to the metropolis of Melbourne, Victoria, and have realised upon arriving that you should’ve allocated more time to explore the incredibly culture-rich city. It may seem impossible, but you might still be able to tick of all the tourist and local hot-spots within Melbourne CBD in just 1 day. We’ve created an itinerary of some of Melbourne’s best bits. Be ready for LOTS of walking, eating and photo-taking!
PS. Don’t be alarmed if you find yourself walking down alleyways and turning corners of cobblestone streets to find hidden cafes and local gems.
Step-by-step guide of how to do Melbourne CBD in 1 day
Start your day eating breakfast at an iconic cafe in Melbourne CBD. The breakfast/brunch/coffee scene in Melbourne is probably one of it’s best scenes – cafe food in Melbourne is of extremely high calibre with some of the most beautifully presented and mouth watering dishes you’ll ever have. Avocado on toast with or without poached eggs is most Melbournian’s go to digh, so we’d suggest to follow suit and do what the locals do- it’s impossible to go to a cafe that doesn’t offer it! If you’re a sweet tooth, the waffles, pancakes and hotcake scene are also popular options! Popular cafes to try in Melbourne CBD are Rustica, Hardware Societe, Higher Ground, White Mojo Specialty Coffee & Roasters and Manchester Press.
Local tip: find Captains of Industry – a hidden cafe with an inconspicuous entrance in a small side-street that sits in a barber and boot making factory.
After breakfast, find the State Library of Victoria and start your day exploring that. Enter the La Trobe Reading room for one of the most beautiful study spaces you’ll see and make sure to visit the gallery! You can enter the archives room and see if you can find the newspaper from the day of your birthday!
Local tip: you can’t actually borrow books here
Next, head down the main street of Melbourne CBD, Swanston St and find Bourke Street Mall. Some of the most incredibly buskers can be found on Bourke Street- make sure to sit down for a show and enjoy the Melbourne sounds. Furthermore, enjoy shopping along the mall or enter the 6 level high-end shopping space, Emporium.
Local tip: this is a good place to use the public toilets.
Continue on to find Degraves Street for lunch. Sit on the outside sits and order from of the side cafes- you can’t really go wrong!
Local tip: find Waffle On for some warming, delicious and hearty waffles.
Walk off lunch with a stroll to Hosier Lane and get ready to take LOTS of photos of the infamous ‘graffiti street’. To get here, you will walk past the iconic Flinders Street Station.
Local tip: for the best photo of Flinders street station, stand outside St Paul’s Cathedral, directly opposite the main entrance of Flinders Street Station.
From Hosier Lane, walk along Swanston street, towards the Yarra River and walk across the bridge (you can take some pretty amazing shots of Melbourne from here!). Continue to walk down this street towards the Shrine of Remembrance. Walk up the steps of the explore the shrine which commemorates all those who have served in war for Australia.
Local tip: Walk upstairs and get a 360 view of Melbourne CBD and surroundings.
Next, enter the Botanical Gardens (also known as ‘The Tan’ by locals), directly adjacent the Shrine. Get lost in the gardens for an hour or so and enjoy the serenity and peacefulness that nature has to give. Use the maps within the gardens to decide where you’d like to go. You can get some amazing views of Melbourne from within the gardens too!
Local tip: the bamboo tree walk and the Australian Forest Walk are beautiful experiences within the Botanical Gardens.
When you’re ready to exit, take the exit to the Pillars of Wisdom. Cross the road here towards the Yarra Riverand take the path along the river back into the city. Use the city skyline to guide you. Take some photos here too because Melbourne looks pretty good along the river- but beware of cyclist as this is a shared footpath! Continue walking until you reach St Kilda Road (follow the signs to get there or ask the locals- they’re all very friendly).
Local tip: doing this walk at night time when the city lights are at it’s fullest is a beautiful sight!
Get on the tram at Flinders Street station and take the tram back into the city to Bourke Street Mall – this will be the tram platform on the same side of the train station (any tram number will get you there). From here, find the Rooftop Bar – take the elevator to the very top floor and walk up the final set of stairs. Enjoy sunset with a few drinks and food on the roof top bar and spend the rest of your night here!
Local tip: if you go in the summer, the Rooftop Bar turns into an outdoor, moonlight cinema so make sure you get to see a movie here if you get the chance.
Need some inspiration about where to travel next? Have a read of our hot tips of where to go in Jordan!
