Travel Guides > Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne Travel

The second largest city in Australia, Melbourne has often been deemed one of the most livable cities on the planet and a great place to raise children. Less business-like than Sydney, Melbourne also enjoys a slower pace and fewer crowds, making it a fun and easy place to explore while on vacation in the Land Down Under.

As far as Australian cities go, Melbourne is more often honored for things like restaurants and shopping rather than its cultural institutions, so if you're not consumed with museum-hopping, this city may be for you.

That doesn't mean, however, that there isn't anything cultural about this city of more than three million. The fact that it boasts one of Australia's most diverse populations makes it a fascinating place to visit, with ethnic neighborhoods, international gastronomy, and little arts and crafts markets touting handicrafts from many different lands.

The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), one of the city's newest nods to the visual arts, has two separate divisions for visitors to enjoy. If you head to the International Gallery, you'll be treated to a growing collection of art from around the world. A visit to NGV's Ian Potter Centre - Australian Art will put you face to face with twenty fantastic rooms full of Australian originals, including fascinating pieces of Aboriginal art.

The most favored attraction among most visitors to Melbourne is probably the Melbourne Zoo, thought to be among the oldest zoos in the world. While it's not the largest zoo on earth, it's still quite sizeable. Opened in 1862, the city zoo is home to about 3,000 animals and is divided into bioclimatic zones: African Rainforest, Asian Rainforest, and Australian Bush. Kids especially love the Butterfly House and the large collection of native animals.

The 99-acre Royal Botanic Gardens hosts about 12,000 species of plants and flowers and is a great place to enjoy some down time. Check out the beautiful black swans that inhabit the ponds at this garden that's often touted as the best in the country.

While Melbourne doesn't boast a huge opera house or a world-class ballet company, it's often the sight of many of Australia's annual performing arts festivals, like the Melbourne International Film Festival or the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Nightlife here is also quite lively and many of the bars and clubs offer excellent local musicians in concert.

Melbourne is also the noted shopping capital of Australia. Visitors to the city will find houses of high-fashion, small exciting boutiques offering creations by local designers, and malls with large department stores.

Melbourne is also home to some of the best chocolate outside of Europe so be sure to make a stop of some of the country's fine chocolatiers or even take a chocolate factory tour.