Heyyy everyone,
I hope your final exams went well! It's finally the end of the semester! Let the holidays begin!
I'm sure that you all have plenty of travel plans, if one of them is to go to Melbourne, this article is for you!
Two months ago, I went to Melbourne with two friends during 3 days and we discovered so many cool things that I'd like to share with you!
All the places and tips are based on my own experience and opinion, from where to stay to the must visit hot spots to my favorite places to grab a bite!
Let's start!
Where to sleep in Melbourne?
The Welcome Mercure Hotel Melbourne offers affordable and comfortable accommodation. This hotel is perfectly located in the heart of Melbourne CBD, in a street with a lot of shops and easy accessibility to the city's transports.
It's 5 min by walk from the Flinders Street Train Station and the Yarra River. We booked it on Booking.com.
What to visit in Melbourne?
BY DAY
- Hosier Lane
A really edgy lane hidden in between the alleyways of Melbourne. The walls, which are completely covered in graffiti, are ever changing as more and more street artists leave their mark on this infamous street. It’s definitely worth seeing. The contrast between the rugged alley and the surrounding skyscrapers and boutiques makes it stand out all the more.
- Fitzroy district
Hipster and rock distric : a lot of vintage shops, vynil shops, second-hand clothes store, creators store (HoMie a clothe brand born in Melbourne https://homie.com.au ), and as always a bunch of nice cafes.
- Brighton Beach
82 colorful bathing boxes aligned along the shore. Being an Instagram lover I was in my element.
We took time to take pictures, and afterwards we took time to just lay down on the bathing boxes' front step and enjoy the sun and the incredible ocean view.
We got there by Uber, in around 25min from the city center. Actually, we moved around by Uber during the entire week-end. Getting around by Uber in Melbourne is an easy way to see the city in a short amount of time, and it's relatively cheap if you are sharing the ride with friends. Public transports might be a good option for longer visits.
BY NIGHT
- Penguins at Saint Kilda Beach
The penguins at St Kilda are present year round. We spotted the penguins during late afternoon, that's when they're the most active. If you're lucky, you'll get to see them swim, walk around from one side of the boardwalk to the other and make their cute sounds.
Another benefit of going during sunset is seeing the beautiful Melbourne skyline, shinning through there night thanks to the city's bright lights.
- CBD/Yarra River
When the sun goes down, by the Yarra river, a nice afternoon activity would be a stroll down the Yarra River. Spend a bit of time enjoying Melbourne's breathtaking sky scrapers and impressive infrastructure. You can end the night with a dinner in one of the area's many nice restaurants on the sides of the river. Very romantic ;)
There is also a lot of others places to discover, like the Little Italy district, the train station in Flinders Street, the ACMI Museum, the Federation Square, the Queen Victoria Market…
Just walk through the city, lose yourself… Melbourne is full of surprises!
Where to eat ?
- The Kettle Black
Unmissable. First of all, the place is amazing, the restaurant is based in an old house and a state-of-the-art building. We got there by a calming walk through the botanical garden, and then we started the brunch. Personally, I took a hotcake with ricotta, blueberries, maple, double cream, seeds and nuts for $22. Yum.
- II Tempo pizza
Amazing Italian restaurant. Perfect to take the apero, we took a few plates to share (Garlic bread and Arancini, have a look on the next pic!), and for dinner I took gnocchis with a pumpkin sauce and ricotta. It was delicious. Moreover, the staff was very kind, I highly recommend it.
This restaurant is located in a pedestrian walkway (Degraves Street) with a range choices of restaurants and cafes. They are terraces along the street.
We tried randomly an other restaurant which was The quarter on degraves. The place is a bit dark, I’m sure you can find a more welcoming restaurant in that street, however I’m not that sure whether you can find a cheesecake with raspberry coulis as fantastic as we ate there.
- Brighton Soul
Nice and quick service. This little restaurant/cafe is located in the hearth of Brighton, a suburb of Melbourne, 10 minutes walking from the famous Brighton Beach. Bruschettas, matcha Japanese pancakes, brownie waffles, prawn and chilli scrambled, baobuns, granola, burgers... You will find your happiness for sure. (prices : average of $20)
I hope all this information will be useful. Don’t hesitate to leave a comment or send me a message on social media with your favorite places in Melbourne, I will go again in this city in December, it will be a pleasure to try yours (especially if it's restaurants ahaha).
Enjoyyy,
Sasa