Melbourne 3-Day Itinerary

How this 3-day Melbourne plan works

Melbourne essentials

Each day below is grouped geographically so you spend your time in Melbourne rather than in transit. Myki card (AUD 6 + credit) covers trains, trams and buses. The CBD is inside the FREE TRAM ZONE — Circle Tram 35, City Circle and CBD trams are free within the grid. Melbourne Airport (MEL) has no train yet — SkyBus (AUD 22, 30 min to Southern Cross) or Uber (AUD 60–90). Avalon (AVV) is the low-cost secondary.

Day by day

• Day 1

  Day 1 — Laneways coffee crawl (Degraves, Hardware, Hosier), NGV, Federation Square.

• Day 2

  Day 2 — Queen Victoria Market breakfast, MCG tour, Fitzroy street art + brewery.

• Day 3

  Day 3 — St Kilda beach + Luna Park + Acland Street cakes; Southbank dinner.

Where to base yourself

• CBD (Laneways)

  Degraves St, Hardware Lane, Hosier Lane street art — coffee, wine bars, boutique hotels (QT Melbourne, Sofitel, Grand Hyatt).

• Southbank / South Wharf

  NGV, arts precinct, Crown Melbourne complex — Langham, Crown Towers, Pan Pacific.

• St Kilda

  Beachside — Luna Park, Acland Street cakes, Sunday market, backpacker-to-boutique.

• Fitzroy / Collingwood

  Indie boutiques, brewery scene, Rose Street artists market — best for design-forward travellers.

Best time to run this itinerary

October–April is warm (18–28°C, occasionally 40°C+ hot days). December–February is peak beach + festival season (Australian Open in January). March–May brings mild autumn with the F1 Grand Prix and Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. June–August is cool (8–14°C) — best for museums, wine and Yarra Valley cellar doors. Melbourne is famous for 'four seasons in one day'.

Before you go

• The CBD grid is a FREE TRAM ZONE — no ticket needed within the boundary (routes 35, 70, 75).

• Melbourne's weather changes hourly — pack a light jacket even in January.

• Book Great Ocean Road tours with a small-group operator (Autopia, GOR Tours) — hop-on buses are rushed.