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Last updated May 25, 2020

Five years ago I moved to Australia to work as an au pair. When deciding where I hoped to live in Australia, I originally wanted to live in Brisbane because of the easy day trips that could be made from the city. I imagined myself going on lots of weekend trips to all the beaches within a few hours drive. I imagined a long weekend trip to the Whitsundays. And lots of time spent in Byron Bay.

Then I read about Melbourne and knew, it was my place.

An Australian city with a very European feel, more Southern, but still part of the East coast. An artsy city that had all kinds of weather. A city known for having 4 seasons in one day.

So me.

The thing with living in a city though is that no matter how long you live there, you will never be able to do everything.

I never got to make a day trip to Philip Island, I never learned how to surf, I never went camping in the Grampians. My weekend trips were to Sydney, Brisbane, Byron Bay, and the Gold Coast, instead of exploring my backyard. But honestly, those weekend trips were amazing, and I still was able to do some pretty cool things while in Melbourne. 

Everything I did though was so amazing, so I thought I would tell you 11 of my favourite things to do if you ever find yourself with a few days in Melbourne, but you don’t know where to start exploring.

11 Melbourne Things To Do

Wander St. Kilda. St. Kilda is a gorgeous stretch of beach, with fun shops and restaurants around. The beach is always packed with people swimming and sunbathing. Looking out to the water you can often see boats out, as well as kite surfing. Not to mention that Luna park is right there also! I first saw Luna Park in the Mary-Kate and Ashley movie “Our Lips Are Sealed“, and dreamed of going. I was so happy to find out that Melbourne had a Luna Park. 

Eat at Max Brenner. I’m a self confessed chocoholic. I LOVE chocolate. I eat something chocolaty nearly every day, because how could I not? Max Brenner is a dream. A restaurant dedicated to chocolate. My favorite sweet treat? One of their gigantic sundaes!

Visit Hosier Lane. I already wrote an entire post dedicated to The lane of graffiti. Check it out here!

Wander around Queen Victoria Market. This is a huge market filled with everything you could ever need. You can grab all your souvenirs here. I had a delicious smoothie, and purchased a leather bag that was my go to bag for years afterwards. As someone who loves markets, this is a must do for me!

Take the City Circle Tram. This is a free hop on/hop off tram that looks beautifully old school. It makes stops at all the tourist attractions in the city, and is a great way to get between the places you need to go.

Hang out in Federation Square. Right beside Flinder’s Street Station, there are lots of activities to do in the square, with a gorgeous view of the river on one side, and the city on the other. With events always going on, I recommend checking out their website to see what will be happening during your trip. 

Being right beside Federation Square, every tourist has to take a photo of Flinder’s Station! That is one of the first things I did in Melbourne. It is such a beautiful sight to behold. There is something so special about seeing both tourists and locals alike using the station, but appreciating it by taking lots of photos. 

Cafe hop. Known for the coffee, Melbourne has a very large cafe scene. It is worth spending a day, or two, cafe hopping to try out all the different flat whites!

Take a ghost tour. There are several different companies offering ghost tours, and the one I went on was amazing! We walked around for a few hours, learning of ghost sightings and stories of the ghosts around the city. It was certainly spooky! I did the Old Melbourne Ghost Tour.

Have a drink at one of the roof top bars. Having a drink with gorgeous night time city views can’t be beat!

These are just a few of the things that I did in the city. There is SO much more to do. Also, going on a tour of The Great Ocean Road, while technically not in the city, is stunning and a definite must do!

Have you ever been to Melbourne?
What would you most want to do?