I cannot even begin to explain how many fun things there are to do in Melbourne.  My husband and I regrettably only booked four nights (3.5 days) in this wonderful city.  I am absolutely THAT person that likes to squeeze in as much as I possibly can when I am traveling.  When I came across this Melbourne City Tour through Viator, I knew I had to book it as it seemed to be the most efficient way to see the city.

Melbourne City Tour Review

The particular tour we booked was a private, four hour tour.  Our guide, Fred, was quirky, fun, and extremely knowledgeable.  We were conveniently picked up and dropped off at our hotel.  The vehicle had wifi.  It wasn’t as reliable as our Phillip Island Tour’s wifi, but at least Australia recognizes our obsession with always being connected, right?!

The vehicle was a small, four door car.  I think this tour would be better in a bigger vehicle as sometimes it was challenging to see things out of the limited window space.  With that said, we got out of the vehicle numerous times.  It wasn’t too big of an issue.

Our tour was also supposed to include a morning tea, but we were so engrossed in our tour that we totally forgot about it.  Our guide was going to be our guide again the following day, so he made it up to us.

Quick tip! I would highly recommend this tour on the first or second day of your arrival!

Tour Highlights

Graffiti Laneways

At one point in time, Melbourne had an issue with graffiti taggers.  The city decided to dedicate a few laneways to the graffiti artists where they can spray their hearts out and not get in trouble.  It’s really cool and changes constantly.  So much talent!

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

The first mass celebrated on St. Patrick’s Cathedral’s site was in February 1858!

Fitzroy Gardens Conservatory

The Fitzroy Gardens Conservatory has been open since 1930 and changes the floral displays five times a year.

Captain Cook’s Cottage

This cottage was originally built in England in 1755, but was purchased and donated to the people of Victoria in 1934.  This house was taken apart brick by brick and rebuilt just outside of the Fitzroy Gardens.

Shrine of Remembrance

The Shrine of Remembrance was created after the First World War to give the community a place to grieve, now it honors all who have been of service.  On the eleventh day of the eleventh month at 11 o’clock am every year Remembrance Day is celebrated with a special light ceremony.  A brick is removed that allows a ray of light to shine across the phrase Greater Love Hath No Man, highlighting the word love.

Reenactments are performed daily on the half hour.  It was quite moving.

We were also able to climb to the top of the Shrine to obtain beautiful aerial views of the grounds and the city.

Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix

They were setting up for the 2017 F1 Australian Grand Prix.  Our guide took us for a ride around the course and we jumped out to take a photo at the starting line!

Brighton Bath Houses

These bath houses located on Dendy Street Beach were a perfect way to end our tour.  They are so bright and fun!  Be advised: if you are interested in owning one, they will set you back around $300,000 AUD!

We saw so much in four hours – way more than Chris and I could have ever imagined.  We saw a lot more than what I even mentioned!  I’m really glad we did this tour.  As you can see, it was totally worth it.

XO, Lauren

P.S. Have I convinced you to visit Melbourne yet?!  If not, stay tuned for my next post about The Great Ocean Road!