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First-Time Visitor Tips for Melbourne

November 14, 2012 by Emma McMahon

Best Of Lists, Local Recommendations, Things To Do, Travel Tips

Tips for First-Timers in Melbourne

New in town? To save you spending a day feeling disorientated and discombobulated in Melbourne, we’ve put together a few tips to ease your way into the city and help you feel like a local in no time.

When in Melbourne:

Jump on the city circle tram for a free trip around the city
Jump off at Federation Square, grab some brochures from the visitor’s center and flick through them while nursing the perfect latte on Degraves Street
Buy a MYKI card for use on trams and trains
Explore the city’s laneways and Victorian-era arcades
Look up and appreciate the city’s historical architecture
Enjoy a stroll through the Botanic Gardens on a sunny day
Lunch on inexpensive and delicious Asian food in Chinatown
Hit the shops in the mega-malls Melbourne Central, QV Building, or the more sophisticated, GPO
Scare yourself silly from the viewing platform of the Eureka Building
Dip into the art galleries (NGV and Ian Potter Centre) and check out the free exhibitions at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI)
Stroll through or picnic in any of the city’s beautiful gardens
Spend an afternoon at the Melbourne Museum and admire the Victorian splendor of the Royal Exhibition Building
Go on a crawl of the city’s best bars when the sun goes down
Experience at least one night of fine dining – preferably with views over the city
Lounge on St Kilda beach on a hot day
Gorge on cakes and pastries from one of the famous patisseries on Acland St, St Kilda
For shopping and a different slice of Melbourne, jump on a tram to the city’s inner suburbs of Fitzroy, Brunswick, Richmond and Prahran
Take a day trip to the lush hills of the Dandenong Ranges, the beaches and vineyards of the Mornington Peninsula, the wild ocean beaches of the Great Ocean Road or the vineyards and green hills of the Yarra Valley.