Whether you’re on a whistle-stop tour of Australia, transiting through the city, or from Australia and in Melboune for a weekend, this guide is for you. Last weekend I headed to Melbourne for the Australian Open tennis finals, and as it was my first time in Melbs, I thought I’d go all out and do some decent research for you all. Melbourne is undoubtedly Australia’s coolest city, full of little laneways with hipster coffee joints, graffiti on every street, and a very European feel about it. So how do you have a luxury 48 hours in such an effortlessly cool city? Let me tell you…
Check in at: QT Melbourne
So we actually stayed at the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne, which is billed as the best hotel in the city. Unfortunately we felt the room was very tired and soulless, and incredibly small. It was far too overpriced. They did however, do an excellent breakfast, and the bed was insanely comfortable! If you’re ok with a small and dated room, go for it, but personally I’d recommend the QT instead. It’s a luxury five-star hotel, but incredibly cool and the epitome of Melbourne. They also have a rooftop bar, so there’s that.
DAY 1 in Melbourne
Go bowling at the Kingpin Crown Bowling Suite
If like us, you land around lunchtime, drop your bags at the hotel and then head straight out. Our first afternoon there we wanted to stay close to the CBD as we were going to the tennis that evening, so we went to check out the Crown Entertainment Complex across the river. There’s a casino, restaurants, and their brand new Kingpin Crown Bowling Suite. We’d heard so much about the new Kingpin at Crown so decided to check it out.
We had a late lunch at Kingpin while we waited for our lane to become available. The restaurant was full of groups of families and friends eating before or after their bowling session, and the cocktails and food were actually really tasty! I had a mojito and the pulled pork sliders, and they filled me up very nicely.
The bowling suite is probably the coolest I’ve ever seen (and I’ve been to lots of the awesome London ones). It’s very contemporary in design and has quirky features like being able to add a webcam-style photo next to your name when you sign on to your lane. We had so much fun, and it was the perfect way to unwind and fill an hour or two inbetween landing and heading to the tennis!
Dinner at Tonka
For dinner head to Tonka, situated on Duckboard Place, one of Melbourne’s famous laneways. This was at the top of my Melbourne foodie list, but the tennis finished too late and they stopped serving food by the time we got out of the Rod Laver Arena 🙁 sad times. I have it on good authority that it’s one of the best restaurants in Melbourne though, serving Indian favourites in a very cool restaurant, so go check it out and let me know what you think?
Rooftop bar crawl
After dinner check out some of Melbourne’s famous rooftop bars; Madame Brussels, Loop Roof, Good Heavens, and the QT Rooftop are the ones I’ve been recommended numerous times!
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| Photo by Eugene Hyland |
DAY 2 in Melbourne
Breakfast at Om Nom
Wake up bright and early, you’re heading for breakfast! There’s no need to book in advance, so just head on down to Om Nom at the Adelphi Hotel on Flinders Lane. The menu is epic. I highly recommend the Mixed Berry Hotcake! It was one of the best breakfasts I’ve ever had. You can check out my full review of Om Nom to see more photos of how awesome this place is.
See the Hosier Lane Street Art
After breakfast walk down Flinders Lane towards Hosier Lane. This is where the best graffiti is, the entire lane is literally covered in incredible works of graffiti art and stenciling. We were even lucky enough to watch a guy working on something while we walked by!
Wander around Federation Square
At the end of the lane head across the road to Federation Square. It feels a little like London’s Southbank and was nice to wander around. From there you can then walk across the road to see Flinders Street Station, which is Melbourne’s most famous train station. You can also see St Paul’s Cathedral across the road from here.
Take the number 35 tourist tram
Opposite the station is a tram stop – wait here for tram number 35, which is the tourist tram that takes you all round the city for free. You can hop off and hop back on again at any stop. We didn’t have much time so we just got off to have a look at the Royal Exhibition Building as it looks super pretty haha!
Visit Chinatown
If you don’t get off the tram the whole ride takes about 45minutes, but if you hop off and on at a number of the stop, you could easily just spend a whole morning or afternoon doing this. Make sure you also pay a visit to Melbourne’s Chinatown, it’s a really lovely one and while we were there it was Chinese New Year, so the atmosphere was great and there was heaps going on!
Enjoy a tapas lunch at MoVida Next Door
By this time you may be feeling a little hungry again, so by the time the tram gets you back to Flinders Street, it’ll be time for a late lunch. Walk across the road to MoVida Next Door. It’s best to book in advance as it’s absolutely tiny, but they do have bar seating as well if you’re not fussy about waiting for a spot. I promise it’s worth the wait! The tapas at this place are SO delicious, and I’ll have a full review up shortly as I loved it so much.
Visit Melbourne’s beaches
When your belly is full and you’re ready to head out again, it’s now time to head to the beach! Unfortunately we didn’t have time for this as we had a date with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, but you can jump on a tram and head out to the beaches at St Kilda, which is the most popular beach spot in Melbourne (especially Brighton Beach where the beach huts are). Lots of Aussies recommended this to me, and seeing as they’re locals I’ll trust them and include it in here – so don’t shoot the messenger if it’s rubbish 😉
Dinner at Attica
Unfortunately as our trip was quite last minute, we couldn’t get a reservation in time, but if you’re planning your trip months in advance, make sure you head to Attica for dinner! It’s one of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants and is famous for using Australian ingredients and produce.
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| Photo from Attica |
DAY 3 in Melbourne
Museum of Immigration
It’s your last day! If your flight isn’t until the afternoon or evening, make the most of the morning! Walk down Bourke Street for a spot of shopping, and then head to the Museum of Immigration. The museum is well worth a visit, I found it fascinating and is especially worth visiting given the current political situation in the US.It’s a reminder of how important immigration is to every country, how immigrants contribute to society, and gives an insight into the mistakes of the past. This photo doesn’t really show it off very well – soz – but I promise it’s really interesting and there’s loads to see. You need a good couple of hours there to really take everything in.
After your visit to the museum, stroll up to Flinders lane and find a little cafe for lunch before your next adventure!
Have you been to Melbourne? What would you recommend to do in just 48 hours?
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Catherine Lux is a veteran travel blogger by night and the Head of SEO at Havas Media Group by day. Originally from Surrey, she spent four years living in Australia (2007-2009, and 2016-2018), and now lives in London. An ex-party girl sometimes prone to relapses, she loves nothing more than sharing her fine dining and luxury travel experiences with her loyal readers.
Ooooh Cathrine, this is SO timely. We decided to travel to Australia later this year! Cannot wait to indulge in breakfast at Melbs, everyone is raving about it. These tips will be very helpful. xx
Urmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm PINNED AND NOTED 😀 <3 Thanks for this! Love AP xo
Andrea's Passions
It's a tie between Cape Town and Melbourne for my favourite city! We stayed at the Langham which was also a bit tired, though a good location. We stayed at the QT in Sydney (loved it), the one in Melbourne must be fairly new – I'd definitely stay there next time.
This is such a fun itinerary. I love the fact that you included bowling. Australia is BIG on my bucket list! I can't wait to visit. One day!
Thanks! It was so much fun I couldn't not include it hehe x
I've heard The Langham is really tired from a number of people who have stayed there. I SO want to stay at the QT next time!!
You'll have the best time!! Enjoy!