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Melbourne · 11/13 → 11/16 · Suggested course of 9 · Flying into Melbourne Tullamarine · 2 adults · 1 room
Melbourne: where should you sleep for the shortest travel?
Stay in Southbank
Over 3 nights the travel adds up to 3 h 48 min. That is 1 h 37 min less than the farthest base.
- 3 nights, 2 adults, no flights
- About $820 to $1,890
Estimates leave flights out and use regional averages.
01 · Base
If you stayed somewhere else
South Yarra#24 h 35 min in total · 47 min more · airport 5 min farther
4 h 35 min of round trips in total · 22 h 35 min with visits · 7 h 32 min a day on average · 45 min one way to Melbourne Tullamarine
- Day 1base 19 min → Federation Square 10 min → Hosier Lane 11 min → Flinders Street Station 20 min → base7 h (1 h travelling + 6 h at the spots)
- Day 2base 14 min → Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne 12 min → Shrine of Remembrance 13 min → NGV International 18 min → base6 h 57 min (57 min travelling + 6 h at the spots)
- Day 3base 19 min → Eureka Skydeck 11 min → Degraves Street 14 min → Queen Victoria Market 24 min → base7 h 8 min (1 h 8 min travelling + 6 h at the spots)
Melbourne CBD#34 h 46 min in total · 58 min more · airport 28 min farther
4 h 46 min of round trips in total · 22 h 46 min with visits · 7 h 35 min a day on average · 1 h 8 min one way to Melbourne Tullamarine
- Day 1base 12 min → Flinders Street Station 11 min → Federation Square 10 min → Hosier Lane 12 min → base6 h 45 min (45 min travelling + 6 h at the spots)
- Day 2base 13 min → NGV International 13 min → Shrine of Remembrance 12 min → Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne 17 min → base6 h 55 min (55 min travelling + 6 h at the spots)
- Day 3base 11 min → Degraves Street 11 min → Eureka Skydeck 15 min → Queen Victoria Market 13 min → base6 h 50 min (50 min travelling + 6 h at the spots)
The other 4
Docklands#45 h in total · 1 h 12 min more · airport 26 min farther
5 h of round trips in total · 23 h with visits · 7 h 40 min a day on average · 1 h 6 min one way to Melbourne Tullamarine
- Day 1base 16 min → Flinders Street Station 11 min → Federation Square 10 min → Hosier Lane 16 min → base6 h 53 min (53 min travelling + 6 h at the spots)
- Day 2base 16 min → NGV International 13 min → Shrine of Remembrance 12 min → Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne 20 min → base7 h 1 min (1 h 1 min travelling + 6 h at the spots)
- Day 3base 14 min → Queen Victoria Market 14 min → Degraves Street 11 min → Eureka Skydeck 15 min → base6 h 54 min (54 min travelling + 6 h at the spots)
Carlton#55 h 3 min in total · 1 h 15 min more · airport 25 min farther
5 h 3 min of round trips in total · 23 h 3 min with visits · 7 h 41 min a day on average · 1 h 5 min one way to Melbourne Tullamarine
- Day 1base 16 min → Flinders Street Station 11 min → Federation Square 10 min → Hosier Lane 16 min → base6 h 53 min (53 min travelling + 6 h at the spots)
- Day 2base 18 min → NGV International 13 min → Shrine of Remembrance 12 min → Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne 21 min → base7 h 4 min (1 h 4 min travelling + 6 h at the spots)
- Day 3base 14 min → Queen Victoria Market 14 min → Degraves Street 11 min → Eureka Skydeck 17 min → base6 h 56 min (56 min travelling + 6 h at the spots)
Fitzroy#65 h 8 min in total · 1 h 20 min more · airport 26 min farther
5 h 8 min of round trips in total · 23 h 8 min with visits · 7 h 43 min a day on average · 1 h 6 min one way to Melbourne Tullamarine
- Day 1base 16 min → Hosier Lane 10 min → Federation Square 11 min → Flinders Street Station 17 min → base6 h 54 min (54 min travelling + 6 h at the spots)
- Day 2base 18 min → NGV International 13 min → Shrine of Remembrance 12 min → Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne 20 min → base7 h 3 min (1 h 3 min travelling + 6 h at the spots)
- Day 3base 16 min → Queen Victoria Market 14 min → Degraves Street 11 min → Eureka Skydeck 18 min → base6 h 59 min (59 min travelling + 6 h at the spots)
St Kilda#75 h 25 min in total · 1 h 37 min more · airport 8 min farther
5 h 25 min of round trips in total · 23 h 25 min with visits · 7 h 48 min a day on average · 48 min one way to Melbourne Tullamarine
- Day 1base 27 min → Flinders Street Station 11 min → Federation Square 10 min → Hosier Lane 27 min → base7 h 15 min (1 h 15 min travelling + 6 h at the spots)
- Day 2base 22 min → Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne 12 min → Shrine of Remembrance 13 min → NGV International 25 min → base7 h 12 min (1 h 12 min travelling + 6 h at the spots)
- Day 3base 26 min → Eureka Skydeck 11 min → Degraves Street 14 min → Queen Victoria Market 31 min → base7 h 22 min (1 h 22 min travelling + 6 h at the spots)
Change the places9 selected
Worked out on the suggested course. Tap to make it yours
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Ready-made courses2 nights, 3 days · 3 nights, 4 days · 4 nights, 5 days · 6 nights, 7 days
- Day 1Degraves Street, Hosier Lane, Queen Victoria Market
- Day 2Federation Square, Flinders Street Station, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne
- Day 1Flinders Street Station, Federation Square, Hosier Lane
- Day 2NGV International, Shrine of Remembrance, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne
- Day 3Eureka Skydeck, Degraves Street, Queen Victoria Market
- Day 1Flinders Street Station, Federation Square, Hosier Lane
- Day 2Eureka Skydeck, Shrine of Remembrance, St Kilda Beach
- Day 3NGV International, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, Melbourne Cricket Ground
- Day 4Degraves Street, Queen Victoria Market, Royal Exhibition Building
- Day 1Flinders Street Station, Federation Square, Hosier Lane
- Day 2Great Ocean Road and Twelve Apostles (day trip)
- Day 3St Kilda Beach, Brighton Bathing Boxes
- Day 4Eureka Skydeck, Shrine of Remembrance
- Day 5NGV International, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, Melbourne Cricket Ground
- Day 6Degraves Street, Queen Victoria Market, Royal Exhibition Building
02 · Route
3 nights, 4 days
- Day 1 · 11/1346 min travelling · 6 h at the spots
Flinders Street Station12 min from your base
Federation Square11 min
Hosier Lane10 min · 13 min back to base
- Day 2 · 11/1451 min travelling · 6 h at the spots
NGV International11 min from your base
Shrine of Remembrance13 min
Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne12 min · 15 min back to base
- Day 3 · 11/1551 min travelling · 6 h at the spots
Eureka Skydeck11 min from your base
Degraves Street11 min
Queen Victoria Market14 min · 15 min back to base
Travel times are estimates from straight-line distance and the city's average transit speed. Use them to compare bases. Each place counts as 2 hours.
03 · Booking
Where to book
Same room, a different price by channel
We compare hotels around St Kilda, your base, down to the per-channel hidden price, tax included.
How to book Melbourne for less
Paste an Agoda hotel link and we compare card channels and other sites by the total with tax.
Also check these sites
See all 25 other sites
These are partner links. You pay the same price; the site earns a commission that keeps it running.
04 · Before you go
Before you go
Estimated trip cost$820 ~ $1,890
3 nights, 2 travelers
- Hotel$360 ~ $780
- Food and getting around$330 ~ $720
- Sights and entry$130 ~ $390
A regional estimate, not a quote. Compare real hotel prices below.
Compare flight pricesIs a transit pass worth it?myki daily cap A$11.40
At about 6 rides a day, the myki daily cap at A$11.40 beats paying A$34.20 per ride.
See the passAirport transferMelbourne Tullamarine → Southbank 40 min
Currency estimate
A rough estimate at approximate rates. Actual charges may differ.
What this itinerary needsViator · GetYourGuide · Klook · Airalo eSIM
05 · Eat
Where to eat in Melbourne
- marketQueen Victoria MarketHot jam doughnuts and the Wednesday night market
- food streetDegraves StreetFlat whites and brunch in the laneway cafes
- restaurantLune Croissanterie (Fitzroy)Croissants in the morning queue
- food streetLygon Street (Little Italy)Pizza and gelato on the Italian street
See 4 more
- food streetHardware LaneThe evening terrace-restaurant lane
- marketSouth Melbourne MarketDim sims and oysters at the neighbourhood market
- restaurantChin ChinThai share plates, after the queue
- food streetCafes around Hosier LaneCoffee beside the graffiti lane
Our own picks. Check hours and closing days before you go.
06 · Good to know
Know before you book in Melbourne
Currency and card payments
The currency is the Australian dollar, and cards and tap to pay work almost everywhere, so cash is rarely needed. Many cafes and restaurants add a card surcharge of one to two percent, and some add a weekend or public holiday surcharge, noted at the bottom of the menu. There is no tipping culture. Hotel prices are normally shown including the goods and services tax, so totals rarely diverge much between sites. Public transport runs on the myki card, which cannot be bought on board a tram, so get one at a station or convenience store, or set up mobile myki in your phone wallet. Pay in Australian dollars and decline home currency conversion.
Traveler tax refund
Tax free shopping and VAT refunds
Australia runs the Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS). Spend over the minimum at a single business within 60 days of leaving and keep the tax invoice, then claim the GST back at the TRS booth inside the airport departures area, showing the goods, the receipt and your boarding pass.
Where booking pays off
Like Sydney, Melbourne is strong Booking.com territory, leading on inventory and price for many hotels, with Expedia and Hotels.com behind it. Agoda's issuer channels still differ by a few percent on the international chains and deserve a look. Melbourne has an unusually large supply of serviced apartments with kitchens, and those operators often offer member rates or long stay discounts on their own sites. During the Australian Open or Grand Prix week inventory disappears quickly everywhere, so once dates are fixed hold a free cancellation rate. Paste an Agoda link into Tripdify to sort every issuer channel by total including tax and open the same dates on Trip.com and Expedia.
Where to stay
The CBD is the easiest first visit base: it sits inside the Free Tram Zone, and the laneway cafes, restaurants and Flinders Street Station are all on foot. Southbank across the Yarra gathers the riverside views and big hotels at a higher price, while Docklands is also inside the free zone, quieter, and often cheaper at weekends. Fitzroy and Carlton, just north of the centre, are the cafe, bar and Italian restaurant districts with a local feel. St Kilda has the beach and Luna Park but is close to half an hour from the CBD by tram, and South Yarra suits a calmer stay near the Chapel Street shops and a train station.
Airport to the city
Melbourne Airport has no rail link yet, so SkyBus is the usual way in. It runs to Southern Cross Station on the west side of the CBD in about thirty minutes on average, closer to forty five in the rush, every ten to fifteen minutes through the day. SkyBus uses its own ticket rather than myki, and from Southern Cross you change to a tram or train for your hotel. A taxi or Uber takes twenty five to forty five minutes and adds road tolls, far more than the bus for one person, though the gap narrows for three or more people with luggage. If you land very early or late at night, check the SkyBus timetable first.
Local essentials
I · 230V · 000
- Plug
- I
- Voltage
- 230V, 50Hz
- Currency
- AUD
- Emergency
- 000
Questions
Where should I stay in Melbourne on a first visit?
Melbourne CBD for 5 places, 3 nights
5 popular sights, 3 nights
Chosen: Flinders Street Station, Federation Square, Hosier Lane, Degraves Street, Queen Victoria Market. Over 3 nights, sleeping in Melbourne CBD gives the shortest travel. Return trips add up to 1 h 34 min, which is 1 h 37 min less than St Kilda, the longest base for the same choice. Next shortest are Southbank and Docklands.
- #1Melbourne CBD1 h 34 min of round trips in totalOne way from Melbourne CBD: Flinders Street Station 12 min, Federation Square 12 min, Hosier Lane 12 min, Degraves Street 11 min, Queen Victoria Market 13 min
- #2Southbank1 h 40 min of round trips in total
- #3Docklands1 h 52 min of round trips in total
Where to stay in Melbourne if I only see the main sights?
Melbourne CBD for 3 places, 2 nights
The 3 essentials, 2 nights
Chosen: Flinders Street Station, Federation Square, Hosier Lane. Over 2 nights, sleeping in Melbourne CBD gives the shortest travel. Return trips add up to 58 min, which is 1 h less than St Kilda, the longest base for the same choice. Next shortest are Southbank and Docklands.
- #1Melbourne CBD58 min of round trips in totalOne way from Melbourne CBD: Flinders Street Station 12 min, Federation Square 12 min, Hosier Lane 12 min
- #2Southbank59 min of round trips in total
- #3Docklands1 h 14 min of round trips in total
Where should I stay in Melbourne when I fly into Melbourne Tullamarine?
Southbank for 5 places, 3 nights
Arriving at Melbourne Tullamarine, 5 popular sights, 3 nights
Chosen: Flinders Street Station, Federation Square, Hosier Lane, Degraves Street, Queen Victoria Market. Over 3 nights, sleeping in Southbank gives the shortest travel. Return trips add up to 3 h, which is 1 h 47 min less than St Kilda, the longest base for the same choice. Next shortest are Melbourne CBD and South Yarra. The transfer to and from Melbourne Tullamarine is counted in both directions.
- #1Southbank3 h of round trips in totalOne way from Southbank: Flinders Street Station 12 min, Federation Square 12 min, Hosier Lane 13 min, Degraves Street 12 min, Queen Victoria Market 15 min
- #2Melbourne CBD3 h 50 min of round trips in total
- #3South Yarra3 h 58 min of round trips in total
When are Melbourne hotels cheapest?
Winter, from June to August. Avoid the Australian Open in January, the Grand Prix in March, the AFL Grand Final in late September and Melbourne Cup week in November.
Which area of Melbourne is best to stay in?
The CBD inside the Free Tram Zone for a first visit, Southbank for river views, Fitzroy for cafes and bars, and St Kilda for the beach.
Do I need a visa to visit Australia?
Many passport holders, including Korean, Japanese and Hong Kong travellers, apply for an Electronic Travel Authority through the official AustralianETA app before departure. Apply well ahead, as approval is not always instant.
Compiled from public sources with AI assistance. Taxes and fee rules change, so confirm them on the booking screen before you pay.
07 · Next trip
