One day in Melbourne

Day by day

1. Day 1: Federation Square and Flinders Street Station and Hosier Lane and the CBD laneways

   Federation Square and Flinders Street Station, Hosier Lane and the CBD laneways, Queen Victoria Market and State Library Victoria, then Melbourne Cricket Ground in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Federation Square and Flinders Street Station

      Meet 'under the clocks' at Flinders Street Station like locals do, then cross to the Ian Potter Centre for the free Australian art collection. Allow 1–2 hours.

   2. Late morning

      Hosier Lane and the CBD laneways

      Go beyond Hosier Lane: Croft Alley off Little Bourke Street and the lanes around Flinders Lane have equally good art and far fewer people. Allow 2–3 hours.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Specialty coffee and the 'magic'

      Laneway cafés around Degraves Street and Centre Place, and roasters in Fitzroy, Collingwood and Brunswick.

   4. Afternoon

      Queen Victoria Market

      Go in the morning for the best produce, and check the market calendar first: it does not trade every day, and night markets run on selected evenings. Allow 1–2 hours.

   5. Late afternoon

      State Library Victoria

      Take the lift to the top gallery level for the classic view down into the domed reading room. Allow 1 hour.

   6. Evening

      Melbourne Cricket Ground

      If you are in town between March and September, go to an AFL game: the crowd teaches you more about Melbourne than any tour.

Before you go

If it rains

• Swap in National Gallery of Victoria (Southbank): Lie on the carpet in the Great Hall, as locals do, to take in Leonard French's huge stained-glass ceiling.
• Swap in Melbourne Museum and Royal Exhibition Building (Carlton): Check the museum's site for guided tours of the Royal Exhibition Building's interior, which is otherwise mainly used for events.
• Swap in ACMI (Federation Square): Pick up a free Lens at the entrance to bookmark exhibits as you go, then look them up online later.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 7–11 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9.6 hours in June to 14.8 hours in December, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Tram. Trams run along most major streets in the CBD and out to Fitzroy, Carlton, St Kilda, South Yarra and Richmond.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Melbourne
• 3 days in Melbourne
• 4 days in Melbourne
• 5 days in Melbourne
• 7 days in Melbourne

Questions travellers ask