How to spend a vibrant weekend in Melbourne
Along with its position at the very bottom of the continent – only Hobart beats it for southerly latitude and Southern Ocean chill – Melbourne might have been purpose built to challenge accepted notions of Australian city life. Topographically bland, prone to capricious cold and hot snaps, and, if blessed by a sandy fringed bay, it's far from what you'd call a beach destination.
What Melbourne offers instead of sun and surf is a slowness and intent around everything culinary, plentiful museums and contemporary galleries, and a late night culture that’s the country’s most varied and vibrant. It's fashion conscious and trendsetting, defiantly intellectual, and a champion of diversity and multiculturalism. Its city centre is a joy to traverse by foot or tram and just beyond lie some delightfully intact Victorian streetscapes. Outdoorsy action comes in the form of an enviable sporting calendar and miles of gorgeous parkland. It’s a subtle, intriguing, enveloping mix – Melburnians wouldn’t have it any other way.
For further Melbourne inspiration, see our guides to the city's best hotels, restaurants, bars, cafés, beaches, attractions and things to do for free. For further inspiration plan the ultimate road trip from Melbourne down Australia's Great Ocean Road.
In this guide
How to spend your weekend
Day one: morning
This being Melbourne, wake up and smell the coffee, so grab a takeaway three-quarter flat white at smart laneway hangout, Dukes. Fitzroy’s croissant phenomena Lune now has a city outpost just up the road, join the queue for a Vegemite béchamel and gruyère escargot to go.
Breakfast in hand, wander down the city's street art hub, the technicolour Hosier Lane – being first thing in the morning, you’ll miss the perpetual photoshoot – then head to the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia. There’s everything from the sublime, mysterious colonial landscapes of John Glover and splendid works from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities to Australian Modernists from Grace Coddington Smith to John Brack, and highlights of Melbourne’s thriving contemporary scene.
Afterwards, browse the shops of Flinders Lane: Alpha60 does wearable Melbourne edge in an Anglican chapel, there’s a beautiful hometown Aesop and makers’ hub Craft. and makers’ hub Craft. On Collins Street’s ‘Paris End’, eschew the designer flagships and instead swing by Christine, for a finely honed collection from one of the city’s best fashion eyes. Both Curtain House and the Nicholas Building have a range of independent shops and contemporary art spaces hidden above street level in their historic vertical villages. Search for designer vintage rarities at dot.Comme and Reina, street wear at PAM or for art and design books, Metropolis and World Food Books. Find more of the best things to do in the city in our guide.
Afternoon
You’ve not yet ventured far, but Movida, will transport you far away indeed, to Spain. This is Iberian eating that’s as innovative as it is earthy: think air-dried Wagyu with poached eggs and truffle foam and Milawa duck with local shitake.
The Victorian-era Fitzroy Gardens with its leafy avenues of European trees will lead you to the home of Australian Rules Football, the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Take a tour and clock the city skyline from one of the lofty terraces.
Before it gets dark, bus or Uber it to St Kilda; legendary local singer-songwriter Paul Kelly once name-checked the Esplanade’s 'sweet promenade' and sunset from the historic pier, and it's a view certainly worth taking in yourself. At the very least, the Esplanade’s namesake pub, aka the Espy, is a sweet sight indeed. After a sunset ‘pot’ – a small beer – and a peek at its rambling, if recently refurbished, interiors, it’s only a short stroll to Bar di Stasio, where the smartly uniformed bar staff will have aperitivo ready for you. Snack on a cone of fritto misto or wild greens frittelle and savour what might be the city’s best Negroni. Find more of the best bars in the city in our guide.
Late
Continuing the Italian culinary theme after a short tram ride back into the city to at Tipo 00, have a late dinner of pappardelle with Gippsland rabbit, hazelnut & marjoram. Or, from May until August, feast on risotto or linguine with local truffles (make sure to book ahead during the winter truffle season). Find more of the best restaurants in the city in our guide.
If you’re craving a some lowkey glamour, finish your evening at the deliciously moody Apollo Inn with a nostalgic nightcap, otherwise vie for a seat at the bar at Caretakers Cottage for a similarly intimate space and equally well-crafted cocktails but with a house party vibe and tunes. For late night stalwarts, live gigs – always jazz on Tuesdays – can be found at the Toff.
Day two: morning
After an early morning run along the Yarra or ‘the Tan’, head to a quiet Collingwood backstreet you’ll find Cibi, an all-in-one café, produce store and Japanese homewares emporium. The coffee is excellent, but it’s the delicately plated, deeply satisfying signature breakfast – miso, grilled salmon, tamagoyaki (a rolled omelette), greens, rice and grains locals choose over the usual avo smash. Find more of the best coffee in the city in our guide.
From here take a rideshare service or cycle out to the Heide Museum of Modern Art, set in a suburban bush valley. The Heide II gallery is a beautiful example of Australian mid-century architecture, while Heide I is set in the bucolic 19th-century farmhouse of legendary art patrons, John and Sunday Reed. On the way back into town, stop in to see the fascinating, Melbourne-focussed contemporary art collection at Lyon Housemuseum, not to mention its similarly thoughtful architecture.
Afternoon
Back in the Uber to Fitzroy and another backstreet beauty for lunch. Napier Quarter’s bluestone bones once housed a corner shop. You can now lunch on fig and goat curd tart or a bowl of kale and buffalo yoghurt soup in lieu of meat pies and mixed sweets, and there’s coffee, cakes and natural wine all day every day.
Take Fitzroy’s pretty back streets to Brunswick Street to browse at Brunswick Street Bookstore and then stop for an espresso at Industry Beans.
Then take your time winding your way up through the pretty Fitzroy back streets for a pandan iced vovo gelato or mango sorbetto at Piccolina, then to shop-lined Gertrude Street: Bruce, Megan Park and Standard Store, Mondopiero and other fashion and homewares boutiques here are worth a long, leisurely browse. There’s also a number of small galleries to discover, including contemporary and emerging focussed Gertrude Glasshouse, FUTURES, Mary Cherry and the more traditional Australian Galleries and Nicholas Thompson.
Late
Take a seat at the bar for an aperitivo house martini at Carnation Canteen, then back to Gertrude Street for dinner. Cutler & Co is considered one of Melbourne’s best restaurants. Book ahead and you can head out to the low-lit back room for some thoughtful, laid-back fine dining surrounded by contemporary art and a crowd of locals. A casual bar stool is no second prize here, with a glass of Duval-Leroy Brut in hand and elegant snacking to be had (say warm donuts with sour cream and salmon roe or zucchini flowers stuffed with local scallops and crab).
Live music is alive and well in the southern capital, as is staying out late: catch an underground band or DJ playing at the nearby Grace Darling Hotel, or head over to Corner Hotel for international indie acts (and a suitably louche band room) or to Brunswick’s Jazzlab for serious improvised tunes. If you’d prefer a nightcap sans discernable soundtrack, intimate Everleigh is a short stroll, and they’re all about artisan booze and murmured conversation.
Insider tips
City hack
If you miss out on a place or don't have time to do a full tour of Melbourne's much revered street art sites, the City of Melbourne council has a very easy to use downloadable map. Walk the four-mile, two-hour route or just use it to find key sites. It also has details of the city's wonderful public art works.
Attractions
The NGV International’s blockbuster shows often attract huge crowds. Book ahead for the NGV Friday Night sessions though and you’ll skip the long queues and also get talks, live bands and DJs for a price not much higher than the usual entrance ticket. And on the dance floor, the crowds are a bonus, not a curse.
Hotels
Melbournians love a rooftop rendezvous, and Mid Air atop Melbourne Place makes that a dawn to supper proposition, be that for breakfast and a ‘Bloody Good Mary’, long boozy weekend brunches, an easy snacking and skewers pan-Mediterranean lunch or dinner menu, or late night drinks at the lofty bar. Skyscraper views are sweeping, punctuated by monumental oculus vignettes – the hotel’s signature ‘eyes’ – with a broad terrace that’s open to the breeze in summer or cosied up with a retractable roof and crackling open fire in winter.
Did you know?
Think Aussie Rules football is an Antipodean upstart? The ‘Melbourne Rules’ codification in 1859 predates that of soccer, rugby union and Gaelic football (respectively codified in 1863, 1871 and 1885). The still-going-strong Melbourne Football Club, whose first games happened on the scrubby parkland by the Melbourne Cricket Club, is also one of the world’s oldest football associations.
Neighbourhood watch
One of the last inner neighbourhoods to gentrify, Collingwood’s booming wine bars (The Cordial Club, The Moon, Commis and Above Board are good places to start), cafés and bakeries (Terror Twilight, Aunty Peg’s, Chiaki and Falco), artisan delis and wine stores (such as Meatsmith, Blackheart and Sparrow) and contemporary galleries still share real estate with Vietnamese bakers and $2 shops. Explore on and off Smith Street, take in Collingwood Yards, a bustling new arts precinct, then take time to discover a fascinating mix of refurbed industrial sites – it was once known as ‘little Manchester – workers’ cottages and grand 19th-century shopfronts, from Smith Street and down into Perry, Oxford, Cambridge and Peel Streets.
Map of Melbourne
When to go
Melbourne's jam-packed events calendar, and Victoria's geographic diversity, makes this corner of Australia a year-round destination.
Summer is the most popular season with visitors, with the longest days and good beach weather (especially from January to mid-March). The Australian Open (January) draws huge crowds to Melbourne, as does LGBT+ cultural festival Midsumma (January-February) and White Night (February).
Autumn is arguably the best season: days are warm to mild; blazing foliage graces Victoria's parks; and Melbourne's festival season revs up with the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (February-March), International Flower and Garden Show (March), and International Comedy Festival (March-April).
Winters are grey and chilly, but always atmospheric. The AFL (Australian Rules Football) season is in full swing, the ski slopes are open for business, and the major cultural events continue, among them the Melbourne International Film Festival (July-August) and the National Gallery of Victoria's Winter Masterpieces exhibition (months vary).
Spring offers spring blooms and sporadic weather. Winter is over and there's a celebratory feeling in air, with big-scale events including the AFL Grand Final (September), Fringe Festival (September-October), Melbourne Festival (October), and all the millinery, glamour and galloping of the Melbourne Cup Carnival (November).
Where to stay
Luxury Living
Australia’s highest hotel is unabashedly glamorous with all the amenities you’d expect from a Ritz-Carlton that has a ‘sky lobby’ on the 80th floor. This includes a stunning infinity pool, a ‘hotel within a hotel’ private club and spa, Calcutta marble bathrooms with Diptyque products and a fine dining restaurant with a 19-mentre bar. With rooms spread over 17 floors below, you’re guaranteed knockout views, not to mention a window-side chaise lounge to enjoy them from. The west side location may put you well out of the action, but it’s the type of place you’ll not want to leave anyway.
Double rooms from AUD 635 (£330)
Designer Digs
Despite being a new-build 14-story development, thanks to thoughtful design it’s like Melbourne Place has always been part of the urban fabric. Fittingly for a city that’s joys are often of the interior kind, rooms are immediate sanctuaries, utilising various jewel tones that work with their individual aspects, warm jarrah wood, terrazzo and lush-under-foot rugs. Contemporary art and complimentary minibars welcome you to your (gently luxurious) home from home, while there’s rooftop dining, a Portuguese restaurant and basement bar to explore too.
Double rooms from AUD 450 (£235)
Budget Bolthole
Perforated, blonde-wood wall panels and space-age edges set a millennial tone in The Larwill Studio's expansive lobby. Dramatic black text runs across mirrored wall panels, floor-to-ceiling windows frame the Melbourne skyline and the spaces are energised by original, soul-lifting artworks by the late Australian artist David Larwill – this is where Scandi-style aesthetics meet homegrown creativity.
Double rooms from AUD 159 (£87)
What to bring home
Instantly recognisable to savvy Melburnians around the globe, Brunswick’s Dejour Jeans are not only cheap, they’re custom fitted for you on site, making this shop worth the tram ride.
Looking for luxury leather goods that don’t scream designer bling? A–ESQUE’s elegant, easygoing (and absolutely logo-less) totes, crossbodies and clutches are made right in their Richmond atelier from sustainably sourced leather. If you’re not in town for one of their ‘meet the maker’ nights, you can still make an appointment to see your bag being made.
Know before you go
Essential information
British Consulate-General: 00 61 3 6270 6666; Level 17, 90 Collins Street, Melbourne, 3000.
Emergency services: Dial 000
Tourist office and information: The Melbourne Visitor Hub (visitmelbourne.com) is on the ground floor of the Town Hall, not far from Flinders Street Station. Open daily, 9am-6pm. A smaller information booth is located in the Bourke Street Mall, between Swanston and Elizabeth Streets and at the Town Hall on Swanston Street. Open daily, 9am-5pm. Tourist information is also available in the Arrivals Hall at Melbourne International Airport
Currency: Australian dollar. Prices are rounded off to the nearest 5c (1c and 2c coins are not used in Australia)
Time: +10 hours (+11 hours during daylight savings Oct-Mar)
Travel times: Flying time from London to Melbourne is around 21.5 to 23 hours. Flying time from Sydney to Melbourne is around 1 hour and 15 minutes
Local laws and etiquette
In the Central Business District (City Centre), many intersections require you to make a right turn from the left lane in order to keep tram tracks clear. This is called a hook turn, marked with a 'Right Turn From Left Only' sign, either overhead or to the side of the road. Approach and enter the intersection from the left lane and indicate that you are turning right. Move forward to the far left of the intersection, keeping clear of pedestrian crossings and remain stationary until the traffic lights on the road you are turning into have gone green, then turn right.
Tipping: As in the UK, tipping in restaurants and cafes is customary not compulsory. If you receive good service, 10 per cent of the bill would be reasonable. If you wish to tip your hotel porter, AU$2 (£1) to AU$5 (£3) per bag is a suitable amount. In taxis, you may choose to round up the payment to the nearest dollar
About our expert
Donna Wheeler is Telegraph Travel’s Melbourne expert. She was lured south from Sydney by the city’s moody streets and booming arts scene. Donna lived in the city’s inner north for two decades, where she was never more than a block away from a strong flat white and a glass of small producer wine.
