Melbourne city guide: Best things to do and where to stay in Australia’s free-spirited capital of cool

Stylish, cosmopolitan and fabulously eclectic, Melbourne is urban Australia at its most inspiring. Forget glittering surf and endless sunshine: this moody, bluestone city is a well-read, macchiato-guzzling beast more akin to Berlin than Bondi. Down here, gritty, art-strewn alleys (known as laneways) harbour maverick cafés and restaurants, while unmarked stairwells lead to avant-garde ateliers, sharply curated bookshops and buzzing rooftop bars.

In a few short decades, the feverish Victorian gold rush of the 1850s transformed Melbourne – Naarm to its traditional owners, the Wurundjeri and Bunurong people – from a dusty settlement into a wealthy, worldly metropolis. This gilded period lives on in the city’s prolific heritage architecture, from rows of ornately decorated Victorian terraced houses to cathedral-esque banks. In sharp contrast is contemporary Melbourne – an edgy, ever-evolving hotbed of creativity, where boundaries are constantly pushed, from couture to cocktails and cuisine.

Best time to visit

March and April see Melbourne at its meteorological best. Daytime temperatures are generally warm and stable, and evenings are cool. The wintry chill of low season (June to August) is countered by Australian Rules Football mania (a veritable religion) and major cultural events, including Melbourne Winter Masterpieces and arts festival Rising. Summer (December to February) is peak season, with music festivals, tennis at the Australian Open and expensive accommodation along Victoria’s beautiful coastline.

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Best things to do

Seek out hidden treasures

Much of central Melbourne’s treasure is hidden off its tram-graced thoroughfares, in laneways, arcades and behind carved stone facades. Slip into AC/DC Lane, Croft Alley and Hosier Lane to savour world-renowned street art, or dig deeper with Melbourne Street Tours. For a classic Instagram shot, don’t miss Centre Place, a densely packed laneway of tiny cafes, bars and Art Nouveau street lamps. The passageway runs off Flinders Lane, once the heart of Melbourne’s rag trade and home to the 1920s Nicholas Building, a multi-level hive of artists, artisans and galleries. Among the latter is artist-run Blindside, championing emerging and cutting-edge creatives.