Melbourne City Walking Tour: A Full Day of Art and Culture
Joined 2022
A day-long tour exploring the cultural touchstones of Melbourne's CBD is the perfect way to explore the coolest city in Australia.
A tour not only on foot, but also by tram – which is an essential Melbourne experience.
Some highlights:
* State Library Victoria, home of the domed reading room
* Ian Potter Gallery, home of the Bark Salon
* Hosier Lane, focus of the bold street art scene
* Curtin House, seven floors of creative flair
* the cultural hub at the top of Bourke Street.
Itinerary
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
Your hotel foyer
- Alternative meeting point: the steps of State Library Victoria, on the corner of Swanston and La Trobe streets.
State Library Victoria
Australia's first public library, founded in 1854
* Ned Kelly's helmet, the symbol of Australia
* La Trobe Reading Room, featuring its extraordinary domed roof
* Keith Murdoch Gallery, featuring significant art from Victoria.
Curtin House
The city's soul in seven floors
* 1920s art nouveau treasure
* Metropolis bookshop, the leader in art, film, architecture and design
* tequila and tacos, pad thai, tinned spaghetti jaffles.
Nicholas Building
The first building in the style of the Chicago school of architecture
* commissioned by the Nicholas brothers, who made their fortune selling headache tablets
* a century of hosting artists and ratbags
* eccentric artisan businesses.
Federation Square
A century of the Sunburnt Country
* built to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Federation of Colonies, the process by which Australia was proclaimed a nation in 1901
* sandstone from the desert; steel at every angle
* home of Australian Centre for the Moving Image.
Ian Potter Gallery
National Gallery of Victoria's Australian art collection
* the world's first major gallery dedicated to Aboriginal art
* art works from throughout the span of colonial history
* from Australian Impressionism paintings to photography on the street.
Flinders Street
Lunch.
Hosier Lane
Home of Melbourne's street art scene
* murals and installations
* colour and movement
* political protest and daily frivolity.
Higson Lane
New life in dead end
* brio on a brick canvas
* central but obscure
* next to Chin Chin.
AC/DC Lane
Legends of the Lightning Bolt
* art works inspired by music
* resident uproar in Rock 'n' Roll Damnation
* Bon Scott on the wall.
Duckboard Place
Edgy and flavoursome
* still gritty, never dull
* earth-bound rats
* restaurants cuisines from India to Denmark.
101 Collins Street
High Commerce
* Melbourne's most prestigious business address
* post-modern architecture, 50 floors
* thoroughfare from Flinders Lane to Collins Street.
120 Collins Street
High commerce II
* Australia's tallest office tower
* post-modern, with hints of art deco; 52 floors
* thoroughfare from Collins Street to Little Collins Street.
Coromandel Place
Ahoy!
* named after the ship that arrived from Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1840
* converted red-brick warehouses; also much greenery
* thoroughfare from Little Collins Street to Bourke Street.
Top of Bourke Street
Epicurean and cultural hub
* two totemic bookshops, Hill of Content and Paperback
* Pellegrini's, Melbourne's home of pasta since 1954
* in the shadow of Victoria's House of Parliament, which was the home of the national parliament when Melbourne was the capital a century ago.
Bard's Apothecary, Crossley Street
Drinks time
* beers on tap, cocktails in the mix
* quiet achiever in Melbourne's thriving bar scene
* perfect place to end a city walking tour.
Ending Point
Bard's Apothecary
Want to personalize this tour?
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
Inclusions & Exclusions
Lunch.
Drink on conclusion of tour.
Entry price to activities.
Tour Important Information
* This tour involves a lot of walking, so make sure to wear comfortable shoes
* This tour is wheelchair accessible, except at Hosier Lane
* Melbourne's weather is changeable. You are advised to bring an umbrella or a spray jacket if there is cloud about, and a hat if the sun looks like peeping through.
Important message from the supplier
I do walking tours through Melbourne's CBD, but I sometimes use our free trams to get to the next location. This in itself is an essential Melbourne experience. I am available most days. My tours take from four to eight hours, and include stops at cafes or bars along the way. I'm very happy to tailor a tour to your request.
Cancellation Policy
- Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
- 50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
- No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time
Joined 2022
About Tour Guide Paul D.
Hi, I'm Paul, a proud Melburnian who loves showing off my city. I love its history. I love its restaurants, bars and cafes, which underpin the famous Laneway Culture. I love its emphasis on major events, both in sport and the arts. I'm into Australian football, cricket and tennis, and anything to do with music, books and the arts. This is a truly dynamic city. And I'm the one to describe it to you.
$550/ per group
