5 Days in Melbourne, Australia: Things To Do, See & Eat
Melbourne is such a fun city, especially if you’re a foodie and a coffee lover! This city must be the capital of specialty coffee in the world - there is an endless amount of specialty coffee places.
5 days is a decent time to explore most of the sights in Melbourne, though for the restaurants and cafes, you’d likely need years to try everything good that’s there.
Here’s my guide on the best things to do, see and eat for 5 days in Melbourne.
Quick links:
Things To Do & See
Eat & Drink.
As mentioned, Melbourne is a hotspot for foodies as good food is abundant in this city. What is particularly great about it is the variety of cuisines you can find, as the city is such a melting post of people from all over the world.
Scroll down for some recommendations on where to eat and where to get great specialty coffee!
Visit all the markets
My favourite market was the South Melbourne market, followed by the Prahran market. Both markets are indoors, so it’s also a great activity for a rainy day. It’s super fun to walk around the markets, shop for little trinkets & souvenirs and eat good food.
The biggest market is Melbourne is actually the Queen Victoria Market, where you can find also fresh produce, souvenirs and food stalls. This one is a bit more mainstream than the other two I mentioned, as they are a bit more hipster.
Explore Collingwood & Fitzroy
Collingwood is a grungy and artsy neighbourhood with loads of boutique stores, cafes and restaurants. It’s fun to explore the area and see the old buildings while walking on Smith street and Gertrude street. From there, you can also walk to the Carlton Gardens, a lovely park where you can also find the Melbourne Museum.
Melbourne Royal Botanical Gardens
These botanical gardens must have been the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen! Especially the pond area is so lovely, with the countless water lilies you can see in the summertime.
It’s also completely free and it’s quite a big park, so you can wander around for at least half a day.
Shop in the CBD Area
Feel like shopping? Then just head to the CBD area in Melbourne and shop to your hearts desire in all the main shops. Personally, I really liked shopping in the department store “ Myer” and the Emporium shopping mall.
Here are a few other stores to check out:
Aesop - This soap and perfume brand is actually from Melbourne! So a great souvenir is getting a nice perfume or lotion from one of their stores.
Sea Folly - This swimwear brand is also from Australia, so prices are actually much lower than in the rest of the world.
Dymocks - A fun bookstore that also sells cute souvenirs and stationary products.
Check out the State Library
Don’t worry, this is not some boring old library! The State Library Victoria in Melbourne is actually an impressive building, that gives off some slight Hogwarts vibes. It’s fun to wander around for a bit and even check out some very old books that they keep in the main hall.
St. Kilda & The Beach
St. Kilda is the area close to the beach and it’s a lovely area to take a stroll along the beach promenade. You can also check out the Luna Park that is located in this neighbourhood and the St Kilda Esplanade market on Sundays.
National Gallery of Victoria
This is a really cool art gallery with exhibitions from many Australian and also other International artists.
The main exhibition is free - if you do want to see the temporary art exhibitions, you need to pay a fee to enter those. Because it’s free it can get pretty busy, especially during weekends and public holidays, so make sure to go earlier on those days.
Check out the Street Art in Flinders Court
There’s a cool street right in the CBD area with a whole ton of Street Art. You can find it on Flinders Court, very close to the main train station in Melbourne.
It’s a fun, quick activity to do when you find yourself close to this spot, but I wouldn’t go specifically for seeing this street (it’s a “nice to see” and not a “must see” 😉).
Weekend Trip to Great Ocean Road
If you’ve got a bit more time, or you want to see some more nature, then doing a quick road trip to the Great Ocean Road is a fantastic idea. You can rent a car and driver along the stunning coast to see Unesco world heritage sites such as the Twelve Apostles, and other sights such as Apollo Bay and Cape Otway. If you’re lucky, you may also see Koala’s, Wallaby’s and Kangaroos along the way!
TIP - If you are traveling around Australia, definitely also check Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday islands - where you can find one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Check out my blog post for more info.
Where To Eat
I think aside from New York and London, Melbourne must be up there in the list of best foodie cities in the world. The amount of amazing food that you can get in this city is staggering.
Here are a few of my recommendations on where to eat in Melbourne, Australia:
Specialty Coffee & Brunch
Brunch at Proud Mary
Proud Mary, Collingwood - Perhaps The Best specialty coffee you can find in Melbourne is at this cafe, where they also serve amazing brunch and breakfast.
Auntie Peg’s, Collingwood - A sister cafe to Proud Mary is this specialty coffee place, which only focuses on the coffee.
Top Paddock Cafe, Richmond - A trendy brunch place that lies in a more residential area, and the food is really perfect, as well as the coffee.
Brother Baba Budan, CBD - Amazing specialty coffee right in the city centre of Melbourne.
Market Lane Coffee, various locations - One chain that has good specialty coffee is Market Lane, which can be found all across Melbourne.
Bakeries
Pastries at Bakemono
Lune Croissanterie, various locations - Want to try what are some of the BEST croissants in the world? Then you need to go to Lune. And get there early otherwise they will be sold out and/or a huge line.
Bakemono Bakers, CBD area - An amazing tiny pastry shop, with an Asian twist. Get there early also, as there might be a queue.
Asian Cuisine
Wonton at Bowl Bowl Sichuan
Supernormal, CBD area - This modern and trendy Asian Fusion restaurant serves superb food, and it’s quite frankly one of the best meals I had in Australia.
Bowl Bowl Sichuan, Collingwood - If you love dumplings and Sichuan spices then you’re at the right restaurant here!
Kenangan, CBD area- Delicious Indonesian cuisine right next to the Victoria market
Hawker Hall, Prahran- A fun food spot that is designed a little bit like a traditional Hawkers.
Western Cuisine
Naked for Satan, Collingwood - Not only does this place have great cocktails and food, it also has a fantastic rooftop with a sublime view over the Melbourne skyline.
Easey’s, Collingwood - Fancy a delicious burger in an old train wagon on a rooftop? Then this is the place to go 😄
Johnny, Vince and Sam’s Ristorante, Carlton - For authentic Italian set in a traditional Italian Nonna’s home, check out this cozy restaurant.
Fishbowl, various locations - For an easy, affordable and healthy meal, try this chain that serves healthy bowls packed full with veggies and your choice of protein.
Dessert & Sweets
Fluffy Torpedo Gelato, Collingwood - Some of the most inventive, and delicious, ice cream I’ve ever tasted was at this little gelato shop. They’ve got weird flavours like buttered baguette and , and the fascinating thing is that they’re actually super delicious!
Messina Gelato, various locations - Another great ice cream parlour, where I particularly liked the Pandan & Coconut sorbet and the Pistachio flavour.
Beku Gelato, Carlton - A gelato place with an Asian twist is Beku Gelato, located in Carlton. I loved the Cendol ice cream, which was really quite amazing.
Where To Stay
There are a few neighbourhoods in Melbourne that are really quite lovely to stay in. If you’re there for 5 days, I would suggest though to stay within or at least close to the CBD area (Central Business District). From there, it’s convenient to get to most places in Melbourne, especially with public transport.
Another great area is Collingwood or Fitzroy, which is where I stayed in Melbourne.
We stayed at the Lyf Collingwood Hotel, which I thought was a great hotel and definitely recommend staying there. It’s a good, mid-range hotel option. There is an open space in the lobby for working or studying, as well as a shared kitchen, terrace and laundry room. It was also extremely well located, with the tram being super close as well as restaurants, shops and supermarkets within walking distance. Check out my Hotel Review for the lyf Collingwood Hotel!
You can book your stay at Lyf Collingwood, directly here:
When To Go
Melbourne is great to visit all year round, as the climate is pretty mild all year round.
For the best and mildest weather visit in Spring (September - October) or Autumn (March - May), when the temperatures are pleasant and great for taking walks in the city.
High season in Melbourne is January to February, which is when there is summer break in Australia and therefore prices are higher.
How To Get Around
Public transportation in Melbourne is fairly good - there is a decent tram system that can get you almost anywhere, though it’s more well connected with the CBD area. If you travel by tram within the CBD area, it’s actually free! It’s indicated when the free travel zone begins and when it ends. If you have an Android phone, you can actually get your tram card on your phone (apparently it will soon be implemented for Apple phones too).
It’s also pretty affordable and convenient to grab an Uber; a 15 minute ride would be around AU$15 (about 8 euros).
How To Get There
Melbourne is located in the South of Australia, in the state Victoria. There are many international flights flying to Melbourne, as well as from Sydney, and other Australian cities. The main international airport is called Tullamarine airport. You can get to the CBD area from the main airport in about 30 minutes by taxi, depending on traffic.
Check out the flights form your city directly to Melbourne:
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