This was a our second visit to Melbourne – we went as part of our honeymoon 6 years ago but only stayed 48 hours which was nowhere near long enough. This time we decided to stay for 4 days at the start of our holiday and we packed in a LOT!
Visit St Kilda
This was on our hit list last time but sadly we ran out of time. Just a 20 minute taxi journey from the city centre, you’re able to experience beach life at St Kilda. We absolutely loved it here, there’s a relaxed bohemian vibe, lots of places to sit and have a drink and a bite to eat. Make sure you also visit the pier – in the evenings or early mornings you can see penguins!
Visit the Night Market at Queen Victoria Market
After arriving at 6am into Melbourne, we were determined to stay awake for as long as possible. We had a couple of hours sleep around lunchtime and then decided to visit the Night Market as it was literally just behind our hotel. The market comes to life at night with bands playing, every kind of street food you can imagine and loads of independent local businesses selling their goodies. Everything we love! It can only be described as an explosion on the senses…unless this was because we were extremely jetlagged!
Discover The Lanes
We were a bit geeky and followed a tour from a map that we found in our hotel. Some of the Lanes are a foodie heaven lined by hole-in-the-wall cafes. Our tour took us away from the main hustle and bustle at one point and we felt that we’d stumbled into an area that was where the locals hung out at weekends.
Spot the street art
You can’t explore the lanes without stumbling across the street art. I loved this piece we found that was in honour of the terrible fires earlier in 2020.
Relax along the Yarra River
There are so many bars and restaurants along the Yarra River that runs through Melbourne, it’s hard to miss it. We spent a lot of time wandering up and down the river as the weather was so good. In the evenings, the rowing teams come out and practice.
Have a drink at a rooftop bar
We’d been to the casino on our first visit to Melbourne but didn’t go to the bar. It’s got views across the skyline and along the river. A friend who used to live in Melbourne told us that we must go in the evening, for a drink at the bar and be there for ‘on the hour’ for a special treat. I’m not going to reveal what the surprise is…but it’s worth it!
I’ve always wanted to visit this area as my cousin lives near there x