Melbourne in 3 Days: a guidebook for getting the most out of your visit

Melbourne is a coastal city in the south-west of Australia, where an interesting cultural and architectural contrast prevails. You will find historic buildings, skyscrapers, an art district, squares, fashionable shops, restaurants, bars and much more. The town is also surrounded by a series of beautiful natural areas.

During your stay you can visit St. Peter's Cathedral, see street art and sample oriental cuisine in China Town. You'll also visit the National Gallery of Victoria, explore Healesville Shrine and Phillip Island, the Yarra Valley and more of Melbourne's best things to do, which are listed below.

The first day of your Melbourne itinerary will be spent exploring some of the highlights of the city 's Central Business District. See Flinders Station, Federation Square and St Paul's Cathedral, check out the street art, visit the State Library of Victoria and ChinaTown.

Stroll through downtown Melbourne and see some iconic buildings

The day's adventure begins in Downtown Melbourne (10 minutes' walk from the city's Central Business District). In this area, you'll get an up-close look at three buildings of cultural and architectural interest, usually incorporated into any guided tour of Melbourne.

• Flinders Station, which was Australia's first steam railway station, built in 1854. You'll see its façade and the accompanying clock tower.
• Federation Square. This open-air space is about 72 metres from the station and was built over the railway lines. In this square, you will occasionally see dozens of people in front of a giant screen watching sporting events such as the Australian Open, etc.
• St Paul's Cathedral, a Catholic place of worship dating back to 1891, built in stone in a neo-gothic architectural style. It is only a three-minute walk from Federation Square.

See Melbourne's street art

About a five-minute walk from the above destination, you can embark on one of Melbourne's best street art tours. You'll be left breathless by the ingenuity and colourful artwork on the alleyway walls, ideal for some photo opportunities.

Whether you're taking a guided or self-guided street art tour of Melbourne, here are some of the places you'll discover:

• Hosier Lane. This street is lined with stencils by local artists. For example, Adnate's work, a portrait of an Aboriginal child.
• AC/DC Lane, with works alluding to the guitarist of the Australian punk band AC/DC, Malcolm Young. Also, an amazing mural of a man with an uprooted tree over his shoulder.
• Duckboard Place. This alleyway is home to many works of art, the most notable being that of street artist Banksy.

Victoria State Library

From the previous destination, walk about 16 minutes in the direction of Russell St and you will find the Victoria State Library. It is a building erected in 1854.

When you arrive at the library, you can admire its neoclassical façade and inside you can access more than 2 million books. And, if your visit coincides with the summer season in Melbourne, you will have the opportunity to enjoy the fresh air lying on the grass in the garden surrounding the building.

Chinatown in Melbourne

The next stop is Chinatown, located about seven minutes' walk from the previous destination. There, you can immerse yourself in oriental culture, shop and even take one of Melbourne' s best food tours in the neighbourhood's restaurants.

Some of the places to visit in Chinatown include the following:

• The Chinese Museum, with historical artefacts, oriental art collections, dragon gallery where you will see the Dai Long and the Millennium Dai Long.
• The Emporium Melbourne, which is a shopping mall with fashion shops.
• The MidCity, a shopping centre with a variety of sushi restaurants, fusion food, noodle houses, cafes, tea houses, bars, among other places, ideal to start a gastronomic tour of Melbourne. You'll also find a cinema, souvenir shops and more.

The plan for this day is to explore the art, nature and history of the city. All this, without neglecting leisure and gastronomy. To do so, you will visit the National Gallery of Victoria, the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Shrine of Remembrance, the SEA LIFE Aquarium and the Southbank Waterfront.

The National Gallery of Victoria

This day's tour starts at the National Gallery of Victoria, located about 10 minutes' walk from Flinders Station (central Melbourne). Here you will be able to see an art collection of more than 76,000 works: artefacts, paintings, sculptures, among others.

In this museum and gallery you can see works such as Blue Eyes by Françoise Gilot, which stands out for being the first work belonging to the School of Paris to join the permanent collections. Also, Boulevard Montmartre, Morning, Cloudy Weather by Camille Pissarro, acquired by NGV, among others.

• Price: free admission.
• Opening hours: daily from 10:00 to 17:00.

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne

From the National Gallery of Victoria you will have to walk about 12 minutes along Linlithgow Ave to the next stop on your itinerary: the Royal Botanic Gardens. This is a beautiful natural setting within the city.

You can take a gondola ride in the man-made lagoon, have a picnic, take in the variety of plants on site, take amazing photographs or explore the trails on foot or on two wheels. In fact, this is often one of the destinations incorporated into some of the Melbourne bike tours.

• Price: free admission.
• Hours: 7.30am-5.30pm (daily).

The Shrine of Remembrance

When you leave the Botanic Gardens, walk about 15 minutes towards St Kilda Rd and you will find the Shrine of Remembrance. This is a place to honour the memory of those who served in WWI.

In this shrine, you'll find a nature reserve with gardens, monuments, sculptures, fountains and about 250 memorial plaques; and the Gallery of Remembrance, with 100 years of Australian history in the war period: artefacts, artwork, films, etc. In addition, there is the balcony area, from where you will get an amazing panoramic view.

• Price: free admission.
• Opening hours: daily from 10:00 to 17:00.

Melbourne's SEA LIFE Aquarium

The next stop is about 30 minutes by bus or 10 minutes by car from the Shrine of Remembrance. This is the Melbourne SEA LIFE Aquarium, where you will learn about Australian marine life. Ideal if you are in Melbourne with children.

With tickets to Melbourne's SEA LIFE Aquarium you will have access to a total of 12 ecological areas with penguins, crocodiles, seahorses, sharks and dozens of fish. You can also take part in interactive activities and listen to talks given by expert biologists.

• Price: from €42 per person.
• Opening hours: daily from 9.30am to 5pm.

Southbank Promenade

To end your second day in Melbourne, nothing better than to go to the Southbank Promenade. To do so, you will have to walk about 10 minutes from the previously visited destination. This way, you will have access to a series of restaurants and bars with a privileged view of the Yarra River.

You can enter the Crown Casino for a different kind of evening or, alternatively, walk around and enjoy the Gas Brigades Fire Show. This is a show held every 60 minutes from 8pm to midnight. The Southbank Promenade is definitely one of the things to do in Melbourne at night.

The plan for the third and final day of your Melbourne itinerary is simple. Just connect with a guided tour or excursion, allowing you to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and explore unique natural spaces in the surrounding area. For example, the Healesville Sanctuary and Phillip Island, the Yarra Valley or the Grampians National Park.

Option 1: Discover Melbourne's Healesville Sanctuary and Phillip Island

Embarking on a tour of Healesville Sanctuary and Phillip Island in Melbourne is an experience not to be missed during your trip. Together with a specialised guide, you will leave the city by car and spend a different kind of day in the great outdoors. You will be surrounded by picturesque natural landscap es and observe amazing animal species.

The first stop will be at Healesville Sanctuary to see birds of prey, koalas, platypuses, kangaroos and more. Then, on Phillip Island, you will have the opportunity to witness the penguin parade. This is a unique natural spectacle, where the penguins emerge from the sea to take refuge in their burrows.

Useful information

• Price: the price of the excursion is approximately 111€ per person.
• Duration: the estimated duration of this experience is 11 hours.
• Advantages: you will observe different animal species in an amazing natural space.

Option 2: Explore the Yarra Valley from Melbourne

The Yarra Valley is a popular destination to visit from Melbourne. You will get away from the hustle and bustle of the city to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Australian countryside, which is also known for being a wine region with many long-established wineries.

Throughout the activity, you will be accompanied by a driver-guide, who will take you to some of the wineries in the region. For example, De Bortoli Yarra Valley Estate, considered one of the oldest, among others.

Throughout this tour of the Yarra Valley from Melbourne, you will learn how Australian wine is made, walk through the vineyards and do some tastings with reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Moscato, Pinot Noir. You will also delight your palate with other products: fruit juices grown on local farms and handmade chocolate.

Useful information

• Price: the price of the excursion is about 104€ per person.
• Duration: The duration of this experience is about 8 hours.
• Benefits: You will see the wine landscape of the Australian countryside and get a close look at the production process of some of the local wineries.

Option 3: Visit the Grampians National Park from Melbourne

Another escape from Melbourne that you can do on the third day of your itinerary is to visit the Grampians National Park from Melbourne. You will be in close contact with nature, visit historic villages and see wild kangaroos.

Once you connect with your driver-guide in Melbourne, you will board a minibus and start your tour to the Grampians National Park from Melbourne, where you will see some of the following sights:

• The Silverband Waterfall, this is a two-tiered waterfall that will amaze you.
• Reed Lookout is a lookout point overlooking the Victoria Valley.
• The Boroka Lookout, which is a lookout overlooking Lake Bellfield with a unique view of the Grampian Mountains National Park.
• The Wonderland Loop Hike, an area with eucalyptus forests, kangaroos, MacKenzie Falls and picturesque scenery.

Useful information

• Price: the approximate cost is €85 per person.
• Duration: The activity usually lasts around 13 hours.
• Benefits: You will enjoy a breathtaking landscape of canyons, waterfalls, kangaroos and wild flora.

Melbourne's sightseeing bus is a great time-saving option for your three-day trip. You'll be able to travel long distances without hassle, thanks to the many free stops at the city's main attractions.

There's the St Kilda route, which runs from 9.45am to 4.45pm and passes each stop every two hours. Also, the City Walk route, with 15 stops and 16 points of interest, runs from 9.30am to 5.30pm and passes every 40 minutes.

Some of the places you can travel to include Federation Square, Shrine of Remembrance, Arts Centre, SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium, Arts Centre Melbourne, St Kilda Botanical Gardens, among others that you can check by accessing a map of the bus route.

In terms of public transport, Melbourne is very well connected. There are bus, train and tram lines. But to access any of these, you will need to purchase a Myki Card, which is the official card for travel in the city.

You can buy the card at the airport, train station, tram stop or authorised shops. You also have the option of buying the card online via your mobile phone. Then, simply scan the Myki Card each time you board your transport.