The best neighborhoods in magnificent Melbourne

03.11.2023 - 14:49 / lonelyplanet.com

Like many cities, Melbourne is more a collection of villages than a single unified city. Developed throughout the city's varied history, each suburb has its own distinct character; from architecture to streetscapes.

The city center and Southbank have the highest concentration of major sights, while other crowd-pleasers are scattered around the city’s fringes.

Rest assured that every neighborhood in inner Melbourne is brimming with accommodation, cool bars, stand-out cafes, international cuisine, lush parks, small independent art galleries and stores to get lost in. No matter where you base yourself, you’ll quickly realize why Melbourne is voted one of the world’s most liveable cities, again and again.  

The city center (locals call it "the CBD," short for "central business district") has the highest concentration of accommodation options. From apartments and boutique designer hotels to indulgent luxury, it’s all here. There’s also a rooftop glamping option for something completely different, where guests stay in 1970s Airstream campervans atop a city car park. 

Staying in the city center puts you in the heart of the action and you’re spoiled for transport options to visit outlying neighborhoods. The CBD was once mostly busy with workers and shoppers, but over the last couple of decades, high-rise apartments have filled the center of town with residents, breathing life into the city streets day and night. You could spend a week exploring the small bars, incredible restaurants, laneway street art galleries, and ornate arcades before you’ve even thought about what’s beyond the city grid. 

Formerly an industrial zone, Southbank was rebuilt and rebranded as an exciting new precinct in the 1990s. This riverside promenade is peppered with big-name international restaurants and hotels, and buttressed by a big splashy casino that draws the crowds.

However, with its Yarra River views and multiple exemplary arts institutions like the NGV: International, this is a perfectly positioned neighborhood to base yourself. It has plenty of accommodation to choose from and is a short walk to the city center.

Continue further west on foot or by bicycle to where the Docklands have birthed a mini-city of high-rise apartments, restaurants, plazas and public art. It’s a surprisingly good area to visit, yet to many locals, Southbank and the Docklands remain slightly touristy and a little "un-Melbourne" (if only they could see them with fresh eyes as visitors do!). Put South Wharf’s Boatbuilders Yard; the river bar Ponyfish Island; and a yum cha banquet at Spice Temple on your Southbank itinerary and you’ll be crowing about this neighborhood to everyone.

Despite the lack of tourist sights, there are myriad reasons to base yourself in