2 Days in MEL - Itinerary Help
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2008
Programs: AS MVPG
Posts: 454
2 Days in MEL - Itinerary Help
I'll be visiting Melbourne for 2 days in late October on a MR. We'll be arriving early morning and leaving late evening the next day. We'd like to make the most of our time there. Any recommendations? I've been considering just staying downtown and enjoying restaurants/parks, or perhaps renting a car and driving to the Yarra valley for the night. Any tips would be appreciated.
#3
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,857
I'll be visiting Melbourne for 2 days in late October on a MR. We'll be arriving early morning and leaving late evening the next day. We'd like to make the most of our time there. Any recommendations? I've been considering just staying downtown and enjoying restaurants/parks, or perhaps renting a car and driving to the Yarra valley for the night. Any tips would be appreciated.
As for places to go:
Victoria Market - for the fresh produce, the food stalls in the market to try a traditional Australian vanilla slice and pie.
Fitzroy along Brunswick Street for a coffee and head to Lune for a pastry.
Lunch at Rossetta on the boardwalk outside Crown if it is a good day.
Dinner at Attica.
Late night snack at Cumulus
Breakfast at Two Birds One Stone in South Yarra
Lunch at Stoke House in St Kilda by the beach
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 20,923
I'll be visiting Melbourne for 2 days in late October on a MR. We'll be arriving early morning and leaving late evening the next day. We'd like to make the most of our time there. Any recommendations? I've been considering just staying downtown and enjoying restaurants/parks, or perhaps renting a car and driving to the Yarra valley for the night. Any tips would be appreciated.
For example Victoria Market has the fresh produce & the food stalls mid week, but more tourist trinkets/clothing at the weekend.
Late October has the Caulfield Cup & Cox Plate (Moonee Valley) horse racing on the last 2 Saturdays, so will put some pressure on hotels. Oct 26 to Sunday 28 Oct has the Australian Motor Cycle GP at Phillip Island. A lot of people will stay in Melbourne for that.
A drive will take 2-3-4 hrs to get anywhere interesting (depending on destination). The Yarra Valley and the airport are on opposite sides of the city (= traffic)
The airport side to the west has Daylesford and the small cities on Bendigo & Ballarat
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylesford,_Victoria
https://www.visitvictoria.com/region...ons/daylesford
https://www.visitvictoria.com/regions
Last edited by Mwenenzi; Sep 20, 2018 at 12:10 am Reason: spelling
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2008
Programs: AS MVPG
Posts: 454
Thanks to you both! Dates are October 20-21 (weekend), and made the decision to stay downtown. Hopefully we will get some nice weather and get to enjoy as much of the city as possible
Last edited by lax.sea.jnu; Sep 20, 2018 at 9:39 am Reason: Wrong month
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 20,923
You will find plenty to do in the city centre area.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Circle_tram
https://www.skybus.com.au/ For 2 people a taxi may be as good a value
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2008
Programs: AS MVPG
Posts: 454
Presumably you mean October 20-21.
You will find plenty to do in the city centre area.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Circle_tram
https://www.skybus.com.au/ For 2 people a taxi may be as good a value
You will find plenty to do in the city centre area.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Circle_tram
https://www.skybus.com.au/ For 2 people a taxi may be as good a value
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 20,923
Google search:---> https://www.uber.com/en-AU/airports/mel/
#9
Join Date: May 2006
Location: GA
Programs: VA-PLT, QF-GLD, DL-GM, UA-ex1K, AA-exPLT, HH-DM, IHG-PLT, MR-GLD
Posts: 8,241
One night in Melbourne. So many possibilities!
If you are staying in the CBD, then I would recommend the following:
- Visit some historic shopping arcades
- Have some coffee in the laneway cafes
- If you are interested in some history, the Old Treasury Building is free entry, a quick visit, and has some great gold rush period photos and information. it's closed Saturday but open Sunday.
- I think Cookie is a great example of what Melbourne restaurants can be like. Thai-inspired food, Australian-style bar, unique atmosphere
- Chinatown is a nice walkthrough or a place to sample some authentic Asian food
- Queen Vic market can be good, make sure you go indoors to the meat & specialty shopping section, not just the outdoor goods hawkers. Outdoors it can be difficult to pick the junk from the gems but there are some good vendors around there too.
- Suburbs: Fitzroy for hip and edgy, I like Naked for Satan rooftop bar, but lots of choices. St Kilda for beach vibes, go to the pier and look for little penguins at dusk (sometimes hiding in the rocks at daytime too).
The Queen Vic Market does have a lot of rubbish geared towards tourists. But it also has a lot of great unique things too, and the meat / delicatessen parts of the market are historical and full of terrific items. These indoor parts are easy to miss, maybe you didn't see them if you visited. As a local, I shop there. However, the South Melbourne Market is probably a better one (just further from where I live, and further from typical tourist spots).
If you are staying in the CBD, then I would recommend the following:
- Visit some historic shopping arcades
- Have some coffee in the laneway cafes
- If you are interested in some history, the Old Treasury Building is free entry, a quick visit, and has some great gold rush period photos and information. it's closed Saturday but open Sunday.
- I think Cookie is a great example of what Melbourne restaurants can be like. Thai-inspired food, Australian-style bar, unique atmosphere
- Chinatown is a nice walkthrough or a place to sample some authentic Asian food
- Queen Vic market can be good, make sure you go indoors to the meat & specialty shopping section, not just the outdoor goods hawkers. Outdoors it can be difficult to pick the junk from the gems but there are some good vendors around there too.
- Suburbs: Fitzroy for hip and edgy, I like Naked for Satan rooftop bar, but lots of choices. St Kilda for beach vibes, go to the pier and look for little penguins at dusk (sometimes hiding in the rocks at daytime too).
The Queen Vic Market does have a lot of rubbish geared towards tourists. But it also has a lot of great unique things too, and the meat / delicatessen parts of the market are historical and full of terrific items. These indoor parts are easy to miss, maybe you didn't see them if you visited. As a local, I shop there. However, the South Melbourne Market is probably a better one (just further from where I live, and further from typical tourist spots).
#10
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,857
The Queen Vic Market does have a lot of rubbish geared towards tourists. But it also has a lot of great unique things too, and the meat / delicatessen parts of the market are historical and full of terrific items. These indoor parts are easy to miss, maybe you didn't see them if you visited. As a local, I shop there. However, the South Melbourne Market is probably a better one (just further from where I live, and further from typical tourist spots).
It has a bit more stuff than the Prahran Market.
#11
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Portland OR Double Emerald (QF and AA), DL PM/MM, Starwood Plat
Posts: 19,589
Cookie is quintessential Melbourne, also has a great wine cellar (with some bargains at the high end). The next floor up in the same building is a pretty good night club and on the roof there is an open-air cinema .... this is on Swanston street directly across from the Grand Mercure hotel. Dine on one of the balconies at Cookie and enjoy the show. Melbourne is a city made for walking, exploring and eating/drinking. ALso worth a visit as a tourist is the bar at Vue de Monde, which makes great cocktails at same price as everywhere else, and this is the former Observation deck in Rialto tower so you get a nice view of Melbourne, for 10% of the cost of dinner there.
#13
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: On the upper deck of an A380
Programs: OZ*G, QF Gold
Posts: 242
If the weather is good, check out Arbory, a great gastropub overlooking the Yarra, built on a disused rail track behind Flinders St station. You can't get more Melbourne than that! By the time you arrive, their floating summer bar on the Yarra (Arbory Afloat) should also be open.
I visit South Melbourne Market regularly. My favourite stores there are Agathe Patisserie (IMO the best croissants in town - run by a French lady - also has a location inside the Royal Arcade in the city centre), Padre Coffee, and Tea Drop. There's also a wonderful Austrian influenced bakery-cafe called Austro, which has just opened opposite the market. If in the area, you could also pop down to South Melbourne Beach. Just up the street from the beach, there's a wonderful local ice cream shop called Jock's Ice Cream.
If you find yourself at Prahran Market, don't miss the cheese shop Maker and Monger, which is quite well-known locally. Near Prahran Market, the Windsor/South Yarra area around Chapel St has plenty of great eats. One of the best cafes in Windsor is Journeyman. Two of the most popular gourmet gelato shops in town also have locations around there - Gelato Messina and Pidapipo.
A few more of my favourite food/drink places - Tipo 00 (and its sister restaurant, Osteria Ilaria) (Tipo is very popular, book well in advance if intending to go), the Beechworth Honey shop inside Block Arcade, Hophaus, Kisume, Embla, 1806, the restaurant and bar at Denmark House...the possibilities are endless!
At the upper end of the food scale - I have been to both Vue de monde and Attica, the most common suggestions for fine dining here. I loved VDM, but found Attica quite overrated. Some fine dining places my friends have been to, and raved about, in recent times include: Lume, Ides, Navi.
You could also check out the National Gallery of Victoria, State Library, Botanic Gardens, Rippon Lea house and gardens, Albert Park Lake. Also the City Circle tram, for a quick rundown of the key sights. Speaking of trams, much of the CBD and parts of the CBD fringe are covered by a free tram zone.
Happy mileage running and enjoy your stay!
I visit South Melbourne Market regularly. My favourite stores there are Agathe Patisserie (IMO the best croissants in town - run by a French lady - also has a location inside the Royal Arcade in the city centre), Padre Coffee, and Tea Drop. There's also a wonderful Austrian influenced bakery-cafe called Austro, which has just opened opposite the market. If in the area, you could also pop down to South Melbourne Beach. Just up the street from the beach, there's a wonderful local ice cream shop called Jock's Ice Cream.
If you find yourself at Prahran Market, don't miss the cheese shop Maker and Monger, which is quite well-known locally. Near Prahran Market, the Windsor/South Yarra area around Chapel St has plenty of great eats. One of the best cafes in Windsor is Journeyman. Two of the most popular gourmet gelato shops in town also have locations around there - Gelato Messina and Pidapipo.
A few more of my favourite food/drink places - Tipo 00 (and its sister restaurant, Osteria Ilaria) (Tipo is very popular, book well in advance if intending to go), the Beechworth Honey shop inside Block Arcade, Hophaus, Kisume, Embla, 1806, the restaurant and bar at Denmark House...the possibilities are endless!
At the upper end of the food scale - I have been to both Vue de monde and Attica, the most common suggestions for fine dining here. I loved VDM, but found Attica quite overrated. Some fine dining places my friends have been to, and raved about, in recent times include: Lume, Ides, Navi.
You could also check out the National Gallery of Victoria, State Library, Botanic Gardens, Rippon Lea house and gardens, Albert Park Lake. Also the City Circle tram, for a quick rundown of the key sights. Speaking of trams, much of the CBD and parts of the CBD fringe are covered by a free tram zone.
Happy mileage running and enjoy your stay!
Last edited by FlyingJoy; Sep 24, 2018 at 10:23 am
#14
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: AVV
Programs: QF, HH
Posts: 1,107
As others have said, the traffic over to the Yarra valley would makes things tiresome. You'd be better off heading out towards Daylesford or Mt Macedon regions over on the North Western (Tullamarine) side of the city.
That said, there's plenty to do in Melbourne for only two days so I wouldn't try to cram in too much. Many hotel options right in the middle of Melbourne's beating heart. It's also a great city to walk around and the local trams also make getting to nearby suburbs like Brunswick and easy hop. However, inner city trams within the main section of the CBD are free.
For sure, dining options abound and I'm sure everyone will give you different hints. My personal favourite is a Sardinian restaurant on Lonsdale St up near East Melbourne and the Parisian end of the CBD, called Pomodoro Sardo. Very authentic in more ways than one, as is a great little coffee stop at the famous family-run Pellegrini's Bar in the upper end of Bourke Street. It hasn't changed in decades.
If you want to get out of the city, St. Kilda has become relatively upmarket in recent years and makes for a nice beach-side stroll (although don't expect surf waves lol).
That said, there's plenty to do in Melbourne for only two days so I wouldn't try to cram in too much. Many hotel options right in the middle of Melbourne's beating heart. It's also a great city to walk around and the local trams also make getting to nearby suburbs like Brunswick and easy hop. However, inner city trams within the main section of the CBD are free.
For sure, dining options abound and I'm sure everyone will give you different hints. My personal favourite is a Sardinian restaurant on Lonsdale St up near East Melbourne and the Parisian end of the CBD, called Pomodoro Sardo. Very authentic in more ways than one, as is a great little coffee stop at the famous family-run Pellegrini's Bar in the upper end of Bourke Street. It hasn't changed in decades.
If you want to get out of the city, St. Kilda has become relatively upmarket in recent years and makes for a nice beach-side stroll (although don't expect surf waves lol).
#15
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Between Seas
Posts: 4,666
- That said, there's plenty to do in Melbourne for only two days so I wouldn't try to cram in too much. Many hotel options right in the middle of Melbourne's beating heart. It's also a great city to walk around and the local trams also make getting to nearby suburbs like Brunswick and easy hop. However, inner city trams within the main section of the CBD are free. -