Melbourne Airport Transfers: Getting from the Airport to the City

Airports serving Melbourne

• Melbourne Tullamarine (MEL) — 23 km from the centre

  SkyBus AUD 22 to Southern Cross in 30 min (24/7); Uber AUD 60–90; taxi AUD 65–95.

• Avalon (secondary LCC) (AVV) — 55 km from the centre

  SkyBus AUD 26 to Southern Cross in 55 min.

Arriving by train

V/Line regional to Ballarat (1h30), Bendigo (2h), Geelong (1h); NSW TrainLink XPT to Sydney (11h).

Entry and arrival formalities

Same SmartGate immigration process as Sydney.

Same as Sydney — non-Australian/NZ visitors need ETA (subclass 601) via app (AUD 20) or eVisitor (651) for EU passports (free); 90-day stays.

Getting into the city

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.

• Tram

  World's largest tram network — free within the CBD grid (route 35 City Circle, routes 70/75).

• Metro Trains

  Suburban rail from Flinders St + Southern Cross to Docklands, St Kilda, Brighton.

• Bus

  Fills gaps in inner suburbs; SkyBus to airport.