How to Travel Melbourne

There are as many ways to travel Melbourne as there are facets to this intriguing city: Melbourne boosts as Australia’s Arts and Music Capital, Sports Capital, Fashion and Shopping Capital, Food Capital, Most Liveable City, and more.

This is not a joke or marketing ploy! Melbourne is a place of superlatives, passion and styles.

It developed in the crazy boom of the gold rush and continues this intensity through its up and down times. Today, Melbourne is definitely booming and Australia’s most attractive city.

It has grown out of a rich mix of cultures and subcultures, each of these bringing with it its own unique style and a spirit of play. Melburnians are passionate about their city.

Travel Melbourne in Luxury

Melbourne’s Paris End, the east end of Collins Street, is filled with designer boutiques, classy hotels and cafes. This is probably the closest you can get to Paris in the southern hemisphere. You can travel Melbourne in 5-star-luxury style while staying in one of its leading hotels, or in the intimacy of a growing number of Melbourne boutique hotels .

There are numerous exclusive high end shops carrying the best in upmarket haute couture, designer fashion and accessories. This is also the place to lavish on excellent food and wine, to get pampered in a health spa, or to splurge on the riches of Melbourne culture with nearby theatres, heritage buildings and arts precincts.

Going on one of the Yarra Valley Wine tours to enjoy the ambience of the first Australian wineries, or getting pampered in the picturesque Daylesford can be a luxurious way of getting some country air on a day out of Melbourne.

Travel Melbourne in Your Own Style

There are vast arrays of Melbourne Australia hotels in the CBD, on the Southbank, in the shopping hotspots of Richmond and South Yarra, or by the beach in St Kilda – generally with discounted rates available on the internet.

One thing about Melbourne is, that if you don’t know where to look, it is easy to miss the real treasures. To get an insider Melbourne view, it is worthwhile taking one of the smaller intimate tours run by locals. That way you are not just scratching the surface. If you love music, get out of the CBD and visit a local venue in one of the inner city suburbs.

For an array of intimate cafes and local designer shopping, visit Brunswick St, Fitzroy or High Street, Northcote. And pick from the popular attractions those that interest you. I always recommend a Yarra River Cruise . Also, the Fairy Penguins in Phillip Island and the Great Ocean Road are the must see attractions.

Backpacking Melbourne

You can also travel on a shoe string and stay for as little as $20 dollars a night in one of the numerous backpacking hostels or in one of the cheap Melbourne hotels Australia.

Here are some suggestion as to what to do in Melbourne for cheap - if you don't want to break your budget. Feel out the Melbourne scene, you can go on a graffiti tour, explore hidden music spaces, hang out in one of Melbourne’s countless bars or cafés, or adore the latest art installations.

St Kilda attracts many backpackers with its nearby beach, abundance of bars, cafes and a cosmopolitan Melbourne vibe.

Shopping

A lot of Australians travel Melbourne to go shopping. There is a whole array of shops and markets, from high end fashion to local designers, vintage and arts and crafts.

One of my Melbourne shopping tips is to browse through the laneways between Flinders and Bourke Streets, Swanston and Elizabeth Streets. There is Little Collins Street, Flinders Lane, Howey Place and Manchester Lane where you can find small designer fashion shops.

Travel Melbourne for a Special Event

If you want to visit Melbourne for a special event, such as the Australian Open, the Grand Prix, one of the exhibitions or shows, make sure to book a hotel early. They get booked out and expensive in the last minute during the big events. You can often get a package that will give you entry in the event as well as accommodation.

There is some more here on Melbourne holidays for special occasions or purposes, as well as a Melbourne vacation guide.

Travel Information and Bookings

To book accommodation, you are best off using the internet. That way you will get discounted hotel rates. The rack rate that you get when booking a hotel directly can be five times higher than the discount rates.

The same is true for flights. In either case, shop around, there are always discounts available – except perhaps during some busy event when Melbourne can get booked out.

You will be able to book a lot of activities through this website in the near future. If you are planning to go sightseeing and visiting a few attractions, get the Melbourne Sightseeing and Attraction Pass, which will give you significant discount on these attractions.

Find out if you will need an Visa Australia , or more Melbourne information , a Melbourne map and facts here. If you want to get your hand on some brochures and local maps, or to get some direct advice, there is the Melbourne Visitors Centre on the corner of Swanston and Flinders street at Federation Square.