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Planning a Melbourne Itinerary is both exciting and challenging – but we have made it easy for you! We have created a perfect 3-Day Melbourne Itinerary that features the best sights and ventures beyond the city with an amazing Australian day trip. Our detailed Melbourne trip plan includes absolutely everything you need to know for spending 3 days in Melbourne plus, we provide tips for longer – or shorter – visits as well.
The Best Melbourne Itinerary
Our itinerary for Melbourne, Australia is packed with top sightseeing and additional adventures. Ideal for first-time visitors, our Melbourne 3-Day Itinerary contains must-see sights, hidden gems and alternate ideas. Travelers visiting Australia solo, as a family, couple or with a group of friends will find our Melbourne trip planner useful in designing the best itinerary in Melbourne for their vacation!
3 Days in Melbourne Trip Plan
In our 3 Day Melbourne Itinerary, we offer a succinct Melbourne travel plan. Not only do we highlight the best places to visit in the Melbourne CBD (Central Business District), but we include links to more information, tour recommendations and other pertinent info – like where to stay and how to get there.
Plan a Trip to Melbourne: Our 3 Day Melbourne Itinerary
We highlight the best activities for a Melbourne 3-Day Itinerary – but we understand that some travelers are planning shorter or longer trips to Australia. Therefore, at the end of the post, we share our recommendations for various Melbourne itineraries. Whether you have just one day in Melbourne or are planning a 7-Day Melbourne Itinerary, we’ve got you covered!
Pro Tip: Consider using Travel Planning Printables (like we do) to get (and keep) your vacation to Australia organized.
Our Melbourne Travel Itinerary
Our Melbourne travel blog post contains everything you need for your Australia trip. So what are we waiting for? Let’s get started touring Melbourne!
Save, Pin or Bookmark our Melbourne Trip Itinerary to plan your trip to Australia!
Day 1: Top Places to Visit in Melbourne CBD
On the first day of your Melbourne in 3 Days Itinerary, explore the sights in the heart of the city, the Melbs CBD.
Melbourne City Exploration
Begin your Melbourne City Tour Itinerary with our Free Self-Guided Melbourne Walking Tour – and route yourself to the city’s top sights. It includes all the details and step-by-step directions – but we are sharing some Melbourne highlights that you won’t want to miss here, as well.
Start your day with a cup of coffee at the buzzing Queen Victoria Market. After perusing the goods for sale, stroll through the city to historic Melbourne sights. Arrive in Chinatown by lunchtime so that you can feast on a meal of famous Melbourne dumplings.
Continue on your walking tour of Melbourne, navigating your way to the Eureka Tower. Soar to the 88th floor observation deck (buy your ticket in advance) and take in the spectacular Melbourne views.
Then, continue your Melbourne walk along the Yarra River to the Docklands. The revived area features heaps of food, drink and entertainment opportunities as well as pleasant views across the harbor to the impressive Bolte Bridge.
To complete your Melbourne city tour, hop on Free Tram #35 (one of our favorite Free Tours in Melbourne) at the Docklands and ride back to downtown.
In the evening, discover the intriguing Laneways of Melbourne. Dine alfresco along the pedestrian zone on Hardware Lane (locals love Campari House and Max on Hardware) – and then delve into the Melbourne nightlife scene hidden deep in the laneways. Use our guide about Melbourne Laneways to get our top tips for where to eat and drink!
Day 2: Melbourne to 12 Apostles Tour
On Day 2 of your Melbourne tour itinerary, leave the city behind to discover the dramatic coastline along the Great Ocean Road (GOR) to the iconic rock formations, the 12 Apostles.
Day Trip to the 12 Apostles
Find specific details about what to see and how to choose the right 12 Apostles Tour in our article – Great Ocean Road Day Tour – so that you can make the most of your day trip from Melbourne!
The GOR is a 243-kilometer-long coastline road that stretches from Torquay to Allansford. The world-famous road features some of the most stunning scenery in Australia. The Great Ocean Road was built after World War I and is dedicated to the soldiers who lost their lives during the conflict.
The biggest Great Ocean Road attraction along the route is the 12 Apostles rock formations. The weather-worn, limestone rocks that stand offshore are simply magnificent. Other places of interest along the Great Ocean Road are cute coastal villages, sandy beaches, parks and memorials.
More Melbourne Day Trips
While the GOR is our top pick for a Melbourne day trip, it is a long day and may not be suitable for all travelers. Visitors looking for other day trip options from Melbourne have many choices.
Yarra Valley Wine Tasting
Located just 30 miles from Melbourne, the Yarra Valley is a well-known wine producing region of Australia, excelling at chardonnay and pinot noir wines. Visitors can join half-or full-day tours of the vineyards and top Australian wineries. Popular tours include tastings at wine estates, gourmet lunches, additional sightseeing and regional offers unique to Victoria. Find out more about this tour!
Phillip Island Penguins
Phillip Island – just a two-hour trip from Melbourne – is a wildlife refuge…and the best place to see the world’s smallest penguins, Fairy Penguins! An ideal day trip from Melbourne for people of all ages, most Phillip Island tours include roundtrip transport, wildlife viewing (including koalas and fur seals) and a good position along the Penguin Parade route (when the little penguins make their evening walk from the water to their burrows). Get more details here!
Day 3: Melbourne Neighborhoods and Culture Tour
On the last day of your Melbourne 3 days trip, immerse yourself in the culture of the city by exploring historic neighborhoods and visiting Melbourne’s best museums.
Melbourne Coffee Culture
The Melbourne coffee scene is legendary! While opinions vary on who makes the best coffee in Melbourne, Brother Baba Budan, Patricia Coffee Brewers and Dukes Coffee Roasters are all raved about by local Melbourne coffee aficionados.
Museums in Melbourne
After you are properly fueled for the day, spend the morning in one of the top Melbourne museums. The city boasts a wide range of art galleries, interactive exhibition halls and historic Australian institutions.
One of our favorite museums in Melbourne is the National Gallery of Victoria, which offers free entry into the main collection. The nearby Shrine of Remembrance and Royal Botanic Gardens (which is an ideal spot for a picnic lunch) are beautiful destinations that can easily be added to your Melbourne city itinerary.
Other entertaining museums and attractions include SEA Life and ScienceWorks – both of which are great things to do in Melbourne when traveling kids. The State Library of Victoria, Melbourne Museum and the Melbourne Gaol are all excellent places to learn more about the history of the city. Sports fans will want to head for the Melbourne Cricket Ground for a stadium tour and to visit the adjoining National Sports Museum.
Melbourne Neighborhood Discovery
In the afternoon, venture beyond the Melbourne CBD to one of the surrounding neighborhoods. Among our favorite Melbourne neighbors are Fitzroy, Collingwood and St. Kilda. The Fitzroy district was developed in the 1830s as a working-class neighborhood and is just a quick tram ride or short walk from downtown Melbourne.
Visitors can tour the historic area, which is highlighted by Victoria-era architecture, classic pubs and excellent examples of the thriving Melbourne street art scene. If this is your jam, neighboring Collingwood offers heaps more of the same vibe. Explore on your own or join an intriguing Street Art Tour.
St. Kilda is a seaside bohemian Melbourne enclave of boutique shops, hipster cafes and stylish restaurants. Other top reasons to visit the district is the famed Luna Amusement Park and the St. Kilda Beach and pier.
Well-connected to the CBD by trams (#12 or #16), St. Kilda is easy to access with Melbourne public transport. Alternately, visitors can take a tram to Port Melbourne then walk along the stunning 4.4km (2.75mi) coastline path to the St. Kilda Pier.
Best Melbourne Pubs & Bars
End your Melbourne 3 Days Tour by hoisting a pint or two of Australian craft beer in a top Melbourne bar. Ponyfish Island is one of our favorite Melbourne Bars due to its unique location on the Yarra River.
The best Melbourne rooftop bars – like Naked For Statan (Fitzroy), Madame Brussels, Rooftop Bar & Cinema, Goldilocks or The Rooftop at QT (CBD) and Johnny’s Green Room (Carlton) – are fun spots, too. Cheers to Melbourne!
How Many Days in Melbourne, Australia?
We think our 3-Day Melbourne Itinerary is just long enough to see the top sights, but there are so many more things to see and do in Melbs!
Our suggested itinerary for Melbourne in 3 days provides key tips on how to plan a trip to Melbourne – and is the perfect place to start planning your visit to Australia. That said, if you are spending more (or less) time in the city, we are sharing our tips to help you create an itinerary to Melbourne that works best for you!
Melbourne in a Day
Planning what to do in Melbourne for a day is tough – there are just so many options! To create a Melbourne 1-Day Itinerary, visitors will need to pick and choose which sights and attractions interest them most.
For us, an ideal One Day in Melbourne itinerary would feature the sightseeing outline in Day 1 of our 3-Day Melbourne Itinerary. If time allowed in the evening, we would venture into the Fitzroy neighborhood, as well.
Alternatively, let a tour guide plan your complete Melbourne One-Day Itinerary for a hassle-free trip to the city. This highly-rated coach tour features the best sights of Melbourne – Book it now!
Melbourne 2-Day Itinerary
Creating a 2-Day Melbourne Itinerary is a little bit easier – but visitors will need to make the difficult decision between going on a day trip or staying in the city for further exploration.
We think there are so many fantastic things to see that we would spend both days of our 2 Days in Melbourne Itinerary in the CBD. Basically, we would follow Days 1 and 3 of our above sample itinerary for Melbourne.
Alternate Melbourne Itinerary 3 Days
We think our 3-Day Melbourne Suggested Itinerary outlined above is the best way to spend a few days in the city. However, visitors not interested in taking a tour on such a short trip should forego the day trip to the 12 Apostles. Instead, spend a third day sightseeing more of the CBD or another Melbourne neighborhood that are reachable by tram.
4 Days in Melbourne Itinerary
Travelers planning a Melbourne 4-Day Itinerary will have no problem filling up their 4 days in Melbs! To create our ideal 4 Days Melbourne Itinerary, we would follow our outlined 3 Days Melbourne Itinerary – visiting the neighborhoods of Fitzroy and Collingwood on the third day. Then, on the fourth day, we would spend the entire day in St. Kilda discovering the seaside neighborhood, enjoying time on the beach and walking to Port Melbourne (taking a tram back to the city).
Melbourne Itinerary 5 Days
With a 5-Day Melbourne Itinerary there is ample time to see the city and explore more of the region. On our perfect 5 days Melbourne Itinerary, we would use our tips in our Melbourne Itinerary 4 Days – then on the last day we would take a second day trip to the Yarra Wine Valley. In the evening, hop on a Yarra River Cruise to see Melbourne sights at night!
6 Days in Melbourne Itinerary
Planning a 6-Day Melbourne Itinerary allows for visitors to see more sights as well as learn about the history. Use our above Melbourne 5-Day Itinerary to start planning your trip; on the last day of your Melbourne 6-Day Itinerary either go to Williamstown – an old port town – or to Brighton Beach to see the colorful bathing boxes.
Melbourne 7-Day Itinerary
Visitors spending 1 week in Melbourne will still find there is plenty to do. For a Melbourne 1-Week Itinerary, we recommend following our tips for our Melbourne 6 Days Itinerary, then attend a local festival or event (like an exciting AFL Footy Match)!
Alternatively, the last day of your Melbourne 7-Days Itinerary could be spent simply wandering your favorite neighborhood, shopping at vintage shops and sipping coffee at a popular Melbourne café.
Melbourne Itinerary 10 Days
Spending 10 days in Melbourne allows sufficient time to really get acquainted with the city, surrounding neighborhoods and state of Victoria. For a fun and adventurous Melbourne 10 Days Itinerary, we recommend following the basic outline of our Melbourne Itinerary 7 Days Trip and spending the additional 3 days on a guided tour of Grampians National Park – Get more details here!
For more advice on planning your perfect Melbourne itinerary, use our ultimate guide to the Best Things To Do in Melbourne, Australia.
Where To Stay in Melbourne, Australia
The best neighborhood to stay in Melbourne is the CBD – especially on a short trip. That said, we have also stayed just outside the CBD in Collingwood and along the coast in Seaford. We loved experiencing the unique vibes of those Melbourne neighborhoods, as well.
There are a range of accommodations – to fit all budgets – in and around the Melbourne CBD. We recommend starting your search for the perfect place to stay on Booking.com. There, you can search for the exact location, preferred amenities and read fellow traveler reviews before choosing where to stay in Melbourne.
Some of the top-rated hotels – based on guests reviews – are the Quay West Suites, The Como MGallery by Sofitel and the centrally located Rendezvous Hotel.
Budget travelers and travelers devising a Melbourne Backpacker Itinerary should search for affordable hostels – like All Nations Backpackers and The Village Melbourne.
We have also found that staying in Airbnb Apartments is often a better value than hotel rooms – especially for couples or groups traveling together – and sometimes less expensive than dorm rooms at hostels, as well.
How To Get to Melbourne, Australia
Most travelers will arrive to Melbourne by plane at the Melbourne International Airport (MEL). To find the best prices on airline tickets, we use SkyScanner, where we can compare prices, flight times and even set up alerts to score the best fares.
To get to the city center from Melbourne airport, visitors can take the SkyBus, a shared shuttle bus or book private transfer.
Once in Melbourne, visitors can use the network of trains, trams and buses that make up the Melbourne public transportation network. Find out more about the public transportation system and tickets on the official PTV website. Uber rides are also available in Melbourne.
What To Pack For Your Melbourne Trip
We have a few final travel tips and packing hacks for your trip to Melbourne!
Comfortable Travel Shoes
Our Melbourne Itinerary does include a lot of walking, so make certain you bring a pair of comfortable walking shoes for your vacation. I like to wear lightweight shoes – like these Columbia shoes – or my I-can-wear-them-all-day Reef Flip Flops. Kris is most comfortable in his Merrell trail shoes.
Melbourne Weather Appropriate Attire
Melbourne has a temperate subtropical oceanic (and notoriously fickle!) climate – which means that summers are hot and winters are mild and sometimes rainy (but it rarely gets cold enough for snow). During the spring and summer, there is a high chance of storms and erratic changes in temperature.
Regardless of the time of year of your trip to Melbourne, you will likely want to pack clothing that can be layered. In the summer months, don’t forget sunscreen and a wide-brimmed travel hat – and a packable raincoat or travel umbrella is a good idea, too.
Travel Camera for Australia
We think Melbourne is an incredibly photogenic city! Rather than relying on your phone camera to take photos, we recommend upgrading to a DSLR camera that will take high quality pictures. We always carry a Canon Rebel with an everyday 18-135mm lens – and love it! It is perfect for beginner photographers – and an ideal budget camera because it comes bundled with heaps of accessories.
WiFi, Day Pack and Melbourne Map
It’s a much more enjoyable visit when you know where you are going! To stay connected when we travel, we use a GlocalMe mobile WiFi hot spot. We can connect up to 10 devices at one time (which is perfect for families, friends or groups traveling together) and can access data either by using a SIM card or purchasing a data package online. As a bonus, it doubles as a power bank, which is perfect for late afternoon boosts when out exploring!
Whether you travel with a backpack or a suitcase, you will also want a great day bag for keeping all of your essential everyday travel items organized!
While Wi-Fi is great for online maps, checking restaurant reviews and sharing pictures on social media in real time, we also like to carry a paper map. In fact, we recommend buying a paper map – like this one – in advance of your trip to Melbourne. Of course, a guidebook for Australia can also be helpful!
Australia Travel Insurance
Travel insurance may be useful in the case of delayed flights or lost luggage, and it can also be handy when travelers get sick or injured abroad. Consider the rates and coverage at World Nomads to insure your trip to Australia.
Start planning your trip to Australia! Search for the lowest airfares, the best accommodations and fun things to do…then start packing! Want more travel planning tips? Head over to our Travel Planning page for more information and tips on traveling – and for country-specific information, take a look at our Travel Guides page!
Visiting More of Australia? Good on ya! Be sure to check our complete guides to Sydney (including Bondi and Manly Coastal Walks as well as a day trip to the Blue Mountains). Get started planning your vacation to Brisbane, Perth, Cairns (including the Great Barrier Reef) and the stunning shores of the Gold Coast. Cheers!
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