If Melbourne had a heartbeat, you’d probably hear it thumping somewhere between the cheese counters and doughnut queues of the Queen Victoria Market—or “the Queen Vic” to anyone who’s ever bought a snack here. It’s the last major market standing in the Central Business District and the largest open-air market in the entire Southern Hemisphere, which is a fancy way of saying it’s been out-shopping and outlasting everyone else since 1878.

Back in the early days, the city was littered with markets. The Western Market opened in 1841 and instantly packed out, so the Eastern Market appeared soon after and stole the spotlight. The Queen Vic rose from a patchwork of smaller trading spots built around the Old Melbourne Cemetery, where early settlers—including Melbourne founder, John Bateman—were laid to rest. By the 1870s, the city had outgrown its earlier markets, so the Queen Vic expanded with the now-classic A–F sheds, new shops along Elizabeth Street, and that unmistakable Meat and Fish façade.

Today, the Queen Vic is a world unto itself. It runs most days of the week, and when summer rolls in, Wednesday evenings burst into a full-blown Night Market—street food sizzling, music drifting across the sheds, and crowds circling festival bars like moths to a neon flame. With more than 600 small businesses, the market is a parade of produce, seafood, deli treats, handmade crafts, jewelers, artists, coffee brewers, and everything in between.

Many of the original 19th-century buildings still frame the site, including the 1869 Meat Hall and the heritage shopfronts along Elizabeth and Victoria Streets. Inside, regulars swear by the deli section’s meats and cheeses, the mountain of seasonal produce, the French pastries in the Dairy Produce Hall, and the famous doughnut truck that rarely stops steaming.

And here's one insider perk: vendors often drop prices late in the day—so timing your visit just right might score you a bargain along with your brioche.

Little Bourke Street may sound modest, but don’t be fooled by its name—this is one of Melbourne’s original east-to-west thoroughfares and the heartbeat of the city’s Chinatown. Heading toward its eastern end, the street suddenly turns into a maze of neon signs, narrow laneways, and arcades that have been buzzing with life since the 1850s, when Chinese immigrants first made this neighbourhood their Australian home.

Today, Chinatown still delivers the classics—dumplings, herbal shops, and sizzling woks—but the menu has expanded far beyond China’s borders. Within a few steps, you can wander from Thai curries to Japanese noodles, Malaysian sweets, Vietnamese grills, Indian spices, and Korean barbecue. Add in annual celebrations like Lunar New Year, and you’ll understand why the area feels like a festival even on a slow afternoon. And if the aromas don’t catch your attention, the architecture will: Victorian-era buildings dressed up with colourful Chinese motifs create a quirky fusion that’s unmistakably Melbourne.

For anyone curious about how Chinese communities shaped the city, pop into the Museum of Chinese Australian History on Cohen Place. It’s compact, engaging, and full of stories that bring the neighbourhood to life. Nearby, the MidCity Arcade offers its own sheltered world of fusion eateries, quirky shops, and splashes of street art—perfect for a wander when the weather can’t make up its mind.

And before you leave, look for the Facing Heaven Archway on Cohen Street. With imperial lions guarding its base and a design inspired by a Ming-dynasty gateway, it’s the kind of landmark that practically insists on being photographed.

Melbourne’s Chinatown may sit on Little Bourke Street—but there’s nothing little about its personality.

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral—rising from Eastern Hill—practically announces itself as one of Australia’s most commanding religious landmarks. Indeed, this Gothic Revival giant has been stopping people in their tracks since the 19th century.

Its story started when Melbourne’s Catholic population ballooned during the gold rush—because nothing attracts crowds like the promise of fortune... In 1848, Bishop James Goold arrived in Melbourne with big ambitions and a keen eye for real estate. Having quickly realised he needed more than just a modest chapel, Goold secured this hilltop site in 1851.

Architect William Wardell was brought in to sketch a Gothic Revival masterpiece worthy of a rising city. The plans were bold, soaring, and dramatic… His blueprint channelled medieval England with a Melbourne twist, all built in brooding bluestone and sandstone for maximum gravitas.

Although ready early on, the project didn't progress very swiftly. Amid the gold rush, with half the colony's workforce off chasing fortune, the actual construction didn’t get moving until 1858. Over the following decades, sections appeared piece by piece: nave, choir, transepts—like a very long, very serious architectural jigsaw...

Economic troubles in the 1890s slowed everything further, but perseverance won out, and the cathedral was finally consecrated in 1897. Still, the iconic trio of spires was fashionably late and arrived only in 1939. Once in place, they crowned the cathedral as the tallest church site in Australia (a title it still holds), soaring to 103 metres, as if trying to tap the heavens on the shoulder...

Inside, the grandeur continues with stained glass that glows like jewellery, intricate timber carvings, and an elaborate high-altar reredos—all nods to the Irish heritage of Melbourne’s early Catholic community, who saw the cathedral as both a spiritual home and a cultural anchor. And while the décor is historic, the building itself hasn’t been left to age quietly; careful conservation has kept it looking as commanding as ever.

Today, Saint Patrick’s welcomes visitors from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and you’ll often find friendly volunteers ready to share stories, point out hidden details, or explain why Wardell loved Gothic Revival as much as he did.

Tip:
Check for services before stepping inside. When the cathedral isn’t hosting worship, you’re free to wander, linger, admire the stained glass, and capture your perfect photo of those soaring spires.

Melbourne has long been considered the cultural capital of Australia, and the Forum Theatre is one of the city’s best known cultural landmarks. Formerly known as the “State Theatre”, it was originally built as a movie palace. When the theatre opened in 1929, it had the largest seating capacity in the country with space for 3371 people. The building was designed by John Eberson, an American architect, who was well known around the world for his theatres. The exterior was in the Moorish revival style, with decadent minarets, cupola and an attention grabbing clock tower. The interior was done in an ornate Greco-Roman style and the ceiling was peppered with stars to emulate the twinkling night sky.

Today the theatre is no longer a cinema, but has for many years been used for a wide variety of theatrical, musical and cultural performances. Entertainers such as Oasis, Katy Perry and Ozzy Osborne have performed there and it is a regular venue for the Melbourne International Film Festival and Melbourne International Comedy Festival. The Forum Theatre has been on the Victorian Heritage Register since 1981.

Sitting just across from the hustle of Flinders Street Station, Saint Paul’s Cathedral is a calm reminder to everyone that Melbourne’s skyline had a spiritual side long before espresso bars and laneway murals took over. This spot is more meaningful than it looks: it was here that the very first Christian service in the fledgling settlement was held in 1835, after which the site briefly served as a corn market. Indeed, only in Melbourne could a place go from a prayer to a produce before becoming a cathedral...

The building itself is the work of English architect William Butterfield, who designed it in the Gothic Revival style—characterized by soaring arches with a slightly rebellious streak. The foundation stone went in during 1880, the cathedral was consecrated in 1891, and the spires joined the complex in the 1920s, giving Saint Paul’s the silhouette that now anchors the Central Business District.

Inside, the soundscape is just as impressive. The T.C. Lewis organ, shipped from England, remains one of the finest surviving creations of the celebrated 19th-century organ maker. And if you happen to be nearby on a Wednesday or Friday evening—or on a Sunday morning—you’ll hear the bells, too. Cast in 1889 at London’s Whitechapel Bell Foundry, they offer something rare: true 13-bell change ringing, a tradition that usually stays on English soil.

Saint Paul’s keeps its doors open most of the week, so step inside whenever the mood strikes. Whether you’re drawn by the architecture, the music, or simply the peaceful break from the city’s pace, the cathedral delivers a moment of calm in the middle of Melbourne’s constant motion...

The Queen Victoria Gardens is a memorial to the state of Victoria’s namesake. Following her death in 1901, the state deemed that the long reigning monarch should be given an appropriate memorial and 4.8 hectares was set aside. The gardens are bounded by Saint Kilda Road, Alexandra Avenue and Linlithgow Avenue and make up part of the large group of city gardens known as the Domain Parklands. Taking a stroll through the gardens is the perfect way to revive your spirits and seek out some green space close to the bustling CBD.

There are several features to visit while wandering through the Queen Victoria Gardens. One of the highlights is the large floral clock, which was donated in 1966 and features more than 7000 blooms. Behind the clock is a large bronze statue of Edward VII who succeeded Queen Victoria on the British throne. One of the main features of the park is the statue of Queen Victoria, which is at the highest point in the park, and she is shown wearing full regalia. Built from marble by James White, Queen Victoria looks down over the parklands’ lawns and garden beds. There are many other statues that are scattered around the parklands including The Genie, The Phoenix and The Pathfinder.

The Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria consists of two separate locations: Melbourne and Cranbourne. Melbourne Gardens, established in 1846, occupies a 38-hectare area along the southern bank of the Yarra River. It features a diverse landscape with trees, garden beds, lakes, and lawns, showcasing nearly 50,000 individual plants from 8,500 different species, organized into 30 living plant collections.

Cranbourne Gardens, on the other hand, was founded in 1970 on the southeastern outskirts of Melbourne. It was specifically created to focus on Australian plant species and is situated on a sprawling 363-hectare site. This site, known for its natural wilderness and importance in biodiversity conservation, opened to the public in 1989. Visitors can explore native bushland, heathlands, wetlands, and woodlands within its boundaries. Notable within Cranbourne Gardens is the Australian Garden, which highlights Australian landscapes and native flora through the display of approximately 170,000 plants representing 1,700 plant varieties. This project was completed in 2012.

The Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria is also home to the State Botanical Collection, housed in the National Herbarium of Victoria. This collection comprises a vast array of preserved plants, algae, and fungi, totaling 1.5 million specimens. It stands as the largest herbarium collection in both Australia and the wider Oceania region. Additionally, the institution boasts Australia's most comprehensive botanical library.

Melbourne is well known as Australia’s gastronomic capital, and one of the best loved dining precincts of the city is at Acland Street. The street is particularly well known for its cakes, sweets and bakeries, so make sure you have packed your sweet tooth on a visit here. Many of the patisseries, delicatessens, restaurants and cafes have been here for decades, before café culture was cool and back when Saint Kilda was considered a has-been of a suburb. Monarch Cakes is the oldest patisserie on the street having notched up more than a century serving sweets and cakes to customers, with some of the items on sale making use of 100 year old recipes.

Today, just a block back from Saint Kilda Beach, elderly continental European immigrants mix with backpackers, the hip set and moms and dads pushing prams. Acland Street was one of the very first streets in Saint Kilda to be surveyed and was named after Sir Thomas Acland, who had owned the schooner Lady of Saint Kilda between 1834 and 1840. It is close to other Saint Kilda landmarks such as the Palais Theatre and Luna Park. The Sunday market on the Esplanade nearby makes Acland Street a hugely popular place to while away the hours on a lazy weekend morning.

The Eureka Skydeck 88 is located in Eureka Tower on Melbourne’s Southbank. When it was built in 2002 it was the world’s tallest residential building, but now occupies the 15th place. At the Eureka Skydeck 88 you have the chance to take in the very best views of Melbourne. It is the southern hemisphere’s highest viewing platform and offers 360-degree views of the city and out to the Dandenong Mountain Range. If you are feeling daring, The Edge experience is the only one of its kind in the world. It is a glass viewing cube that juts out three meters from the rest of the building with you suspended 300 meters above the ground.

Out on The Terrace, you step out onto an enclosed space that is still open to the elements. There are often bracing winds on The Terrace and you can look through the high powered binoculars without the reflection from glass interrupting your views. Part of the Eureka Skydeck 88 experience is getting there in the fastest lifts in the southern hemisphere – it only takes 38 seconds to get to the 88th floor.

Tip:
Save money and buy tickets online. Day&Night tickets are available, allowing to visit early in the morning and then return after your day's sightseeing.
When you get to the top, go and book in for the Sky Deck as there is often a large queue. You will be given a token which then lights up when it is your turn.

Note to photographers:
Reflections are your greatest enemy here, especially at night, so hold your camera lens hard up against the window. If necessary, clean the glass first.

Slip off Flinders Street and onto Degraves, and suddenly Melbourne feels like it’s trying on a little Parisian flair. This narrow cobbled lane is strictly for pedestrians—no cars, just the steady hum of coffee machines, clinking glasses, and people debating which café has the best flat white. If you’re hunting for a sunny table to enjoy lunch outdoors, Degraves practically waves you over. Just don’t mix it up with Centre Place, its equally charming but often confused neighbour.

Look up, and you’ll spot the taller buildings that have been reborn as loft-style apartments, adding residents—and energy—to the laneway below. Down at street level, the soundtrack is classic Melbourne: buskers setting the mood, street art bursting from every corner, and the occasional splash of graffiti reminding you that creativity here comes in all forms.

The name “Degraves” goes back to Charles and William Degraves, merchants from Hobart who arrived here with flour-mill ambitions in 1849. William later dabbled in local politics, proving that even back then, Degraves attracted people who liked to stay busy...

Today, the lane acts as a lively connector between Flinders Street Station and the shopping streets to the north. If you need a shortcut underground, Campbell Arcade—better known to locals as the Degraves Underpass—whisks you beneath the traffic. Keep an eye out for the Platform Artists Group, who regularly turn the space into an ever-changing mini-gallery.

Step in, slow down, and enjoy the show—Degraves is Melbourne’s laneway culture at its most irresistible.

If your ideal afternoon involves good food, a little shopping, and a healthy splash of street art, Centre Place is ready to check every box. Picture a narrow, bustling laneway that feels like Melbourne’s own version of Harry Potter's Diagon Alley—minus the owls, plus a lot more caffeine... Its blue cobblestones are framed by tiny boutiques, hole-in-the-wall cafés, and bars that seem to squeeze into every available corner, all wrapped in layers of graffiti that change with the seasons—and sometimes overnight...

This little artery sits along the pedestrian path linking Flinders Street Station to the Collins Street shopping area. Anyone making that journey inevitably slips through a greatest-hits lineup of Melbourne laneways: Campbell Arcade, Degraves Street, Centre Place, and Centreway Arcade. It’s like a walking sampler of the city’s personality, and Centre Place tends to be the loudest voice in the chorus.

The laneway didn’t always have this magnetic pull, though. Back in the 1980s, it received a full makeover aimed at drawing in more restaurants and small businesses. The plan worked a little too well—today it’s one of the Central Business District’s most beloved pockets, buzzing from breakfast to late afternoon with locals, office workers, and camera-wielding visitors discovering just how much life can fit into one very tight alley.

Swing around the corner of Flinders Lane and Swanston Street, and you’ll slip straight into Cathedral Arcade—the ground-floor gateway to the ever-intriguing Nicholas Building. A couple of cafés and boutique shops keep the space humming, but the real reason people pause here is the architecture itself. The leadlight archway and central domes, completed in 1925, glow like a preserved slice of Melbourne’s Art Deco dream, which is why the whole arcade proudly sits on the Victorian Heritage Register.

Above it rises the Nicholas Building, designed by Harry Norris and completed in 1926, right as Melbourne was embracing its Art Deco moment with enthusiasm. Its look is sometimes described as Commercial Palazzo, sometimes as Chicago School—either way, the terracotta façade and oversized Ionic and Doric columns certainly know how to strike a pose. For decades, this building has been something of a vertical village for creative types: fashion designers, illustrators, architects, and assorted makers who add a quiet dose of artistic electricity to every floor.

You can wander into the Nicholas Building directly through Cathedral Arcade, but if you’re lucky enough to visit on an Open Studio day, the experience gets even better. That’s when the artists throw open their doors and let you peek into their worlds—paint-splattered desks, half-finished projects, and all that... It’s one of the few chances in Melbourne where you can admire heritage architecture downstairs and creative chaos upstairs, all in a single stop.

Melbourne Town Hall, commonly known as Town Hall, serves as the administrative hub for the local government of the City of Melbourne. It houses the primary offices of the Lord Mayor and city council members.

Melbourne was officially granted town status on December 13, 1842, with Henry Condell serving as its inaugural Mayor. However, the construction of its first Town Hall was not completed until 1854. The foundation stone for a new, more grandiose Town Hall was laid on November 29, 1867, by Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, during his visit to Melbourne. The current town hall was officially inaugurated on August 11, 1870, with a lavish ball personally funded by the Lord Mayor Samuel Amess.

This architectural gem was designed by the renowned local architect Joseph Reed and Barnes, following the Second Empire architectural style. The building features Prince Alfred's Tower, named after the Duke. The tower includes a clock with a diameter of 2.44 meters, which was initiated on August 31, 1874, as a gift to the council from the Mayor's son, Vallange Condell. It was constructed by Smith and Sons of London. The longest of its copper clock hands measures 1.19 meters in length and weighs 8.85 kilograms.

The Town Hall building was officially recognized as a heritage site and added to the Victorian Heritage Register in 1974. This building is regularly utilized for various art and cultural activities, including concerts, festivals, theatrical performances, and exhibitions. Notably, in 1964, The Beatles were guests at a civic reception held at the Melbourne Town Hall. A massive crowd of around 20,000 teenagers had assembled outside in anticipation of catching a glimpse of these iconic pop stars.

If Melbourne had a catwalk, the Block Arcade would be strutting right down the middle of it in full glamour mode. Opened in 1892, this lavish stretch of French Renaissance beauty is all towering arches, ornate cornices, and decorative tiles—basically the architectural equivalent of overdressing for every occasion, and loving it. Inside, boutiques and tea rooms line the walkways, echoing the days when this was the most fashionable shopping runway in town just off Collins Street.

Shaped like an elegant L and crowned at the bend with a domed rotunda that refuses to be ignored, the arcade links Elizabeth Street to Collins Street. And if you walk in from the Collins side, you’ll find yourself facing its slightly older sibling, the Royal Arcade, as if the two have been politely competing for attention since the Victorian era...

The name “Block Arcade” comes from the 19th-century pastime of “doing the block,” when Melbourne’s elite would dress to impress and glide along Collins Street and its arcades. This was the place to see—and be seen—long before Instagram tried to claim the job...

Nowadays, people keep stopping by because a walk through the Block Arcade feels like stepping straight into Victorian Melbourne, minus the horse-drawn traffic... Those soaring six-storey façades and meticulously restored interior are textbook Mannerist drama, and the whole place is proudly listed on the Victorian Heritage Register—because, frankly, how could it possibly not be?

And now for a tip worthy of your inner aristocrat: the Hopetoun Tea Rooms. First opened in 1894 and redecorated in 1976 in full Victorian splendour, it still delivers the kind of tea service that expects you to sit up straight and behave elegantly—well, at least until dessert arrives...

Since you're already here, glance across the street to the Royal Arcade for another dose of grandeur. Or take a quick detour into Block Court next door—its Art Deco interior no longer houses an arcade of shops, but it certainly still knows how to make an entrance.

Built in 1870 and proudly sitting on the Victorian Heritage Register, the Royal Arcade radiates an easy kind of glamour, the sort that comes naturally to Melbourne’s oldest surviving arcade. You can slip inside from Bourke, Elizabeth, or Little Collins Streets, and no matter which door you choose, the place wastes no time announcing itself as a long-standing city favourite. Over the decades, shopfronts slowly drifted away from the original design, but a major early-2000s restoration coaxed everything back into its polished 1894 glory.

Inside, the Royal Arcade delivers the full package: boutiques for browsing, cafés for lingering, and vintage shops that tempt you into “just one more look.” But the true stars are waiting at the Little Collins Street entrance—Gog and Magog, the seven-foot giants who guard the Gaunt clock with the kind of enthusiasm only mythical porters can muster. They’ve been here since 1892, carved from pine and modeled after the figures in London’s Guildhall. Every hour, their arms rise to strike the chime, which is their way of reminding you that time is passing… and perhaps so is your chance to grab that pastry you’ve been eyeing.

Their backstory is delightfully dramatic. In legend, Gog and Magog represent the struggle between ancient Britons and Trojan settlers. Ultimately captured and made to serve as porters, they now hold that role for eternity—both in London and here, where clockmaker and jeweler Thomas Gaunt installed them two decades after the arcade opened. So, as you wander beneath the glass ceilings and mosaic floors, remember: even giants have day jobs, and these two have been keeping Melbourne on schedule for over a century...