The ultimate guide to getting around Melbourne

22.11.2023 - 16:43 / lonelyplanet.com

As a progressive metropolis that regularly tops rankings of the world’s most livable cities, you might expect Melbourne to be a breeze to navigate – and you wouldn’t be wrong.

Although Greater Melbourne is a sprawl that can take hours to cross without a car, most major attractions are concentrated in the city center (also known as the central business district or CBD) and its surrounding neighborhoods.

This part of the city is well-serviced by public transportation, including the world’s longest tram network. These areas are also highly walkable and bikeable, a quality aided by relatively flat terrain and the availability of bike rentals. And for attractions further afield, trains, trams, buses and even boats carry you to them with ease.

To help you experience everything the city has to offer, here’s our guide to getting around in Melbourne.

To collect fares, Melbourne’s trains, trams and buses use Myki, a touch-on, touch-off system with card readers located aboard trams, buses and on train station platforms.

It’s the only way to pay for public transit and should be one of your first purchases on arrival. Standard Myki cards cost $6 and can be purchased and topped with credit at convenience stores and staffed train stations, or from dedicated vending machines at stations and major tram stops. There are also Myki vending machines within Terminals 2, 3 and 4 at the Melbourne Airport.

If you have an Android phone, you can use your phone to tap on and off using Myki via the Wallet app. An app for iPhone users does not yet exist.

The standard two-hour fare across Melbourne is $5, and there’s a daily fare cap of $10 on weekdays and $7.20 on weekends. You can either pay as you go from your credit balance or purchase a seven-day unlimited travel Myki Pass ($50).

Note that there are large fines for traveling without having touched on a valid Myki card, and ticket inspectors are unforgiving and sometimes undercover.

For timetables, maps and a journey planner, visit Public Transport Victoria (PTV). Handy transport planning apps include PTV, tramTRACKER and CityMapper.

Visitors also have the option of a Myki Explorer pack ($16), which includes the card, one day's travel credit and discounts on various attractions including several museums. It's available from SkyBus terminals, the PTV Hub at Southern Cross Station and some hotels.

Trams are both a practical means of transport and a quintessential Melbourne experience. They run roughly every 10 to 12 minutes during the day (more frequently in peak periods) and every 15 minutes in the evening. Services operate until around 12:30am Sunday to Thursday and 1am Friday and Saturday on most lines. A night service is also available (every 30 minutes) on Friday and Saturday on a