What All Tourists Should Know Before Coming to Melbourne

Melbourne is always on the steady incline for tourists who want to add a little culture to their Australian voyage. Here are some things tourists should know before coming to Melbourne.

By
James Campbell
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  1. Our nightlife reigns supreme – cocktail bars, whisky bars, normal bars, pubs, world-class restaurants of all types of cuisine, an endless list of live music venues, nightclubs that stay open all night and no lockout laws (suck it, Sydney). There truly is something for every type of reveler in the city of Melbourne, just go wandering around any of our famed nightlife districts (Fitzroy, Brunswick, Chapel Street, even the CBD…) on any given night and you will find somewhere to celebrate or, if the night calls for it, commiserate.
  2. You will have to buy a special myki – Melbournians are often heard asking, ‘so what do travelers do for transport when they come to Melbourne?’ We only keep asking that question because we have never really bothered to find out ourselves. But, as it turns out, people traveling to the city of Melbourne will have to purchase themselves a special visitor pass. This will be annoying, because using myki’s annoying enough as it is, but hey, you gotta do it.
  3. We have the best coffee – I think this may already be a well-known thing. Melbourne is known for its café culture: everywhere you go, inner city or in the suburbs, you will find sidewalks and laneways lined with cafes serving up some of the best coffee the world has to offer. In fact, coffee in Melbourne is considered so damn good that they have started opening up Melbournian-style cafes in the gastronomical wonderland of New York.
  4. Our food is also amazing – On this occasion it’s hard to compare ourselves with Sydney – we both have great cuisine. I’m not saying theirs is better, I’m just saying it’s just as good as ours. But that’s not the point; the point is that Melbourne has some of the best restaurants in the world, spanning any type of cuisine you have a penchant for. The culinary scene in Melbourne is so well regarded that Heston Blumenthal even opened his famous Fat Duck restaurant here, for a while… and nobody could really get a table.
  5. Trams are pretty handy but bloody frustrating – I don’t know, if you’re visiting Melbourne you may find some enjoyment in riding on our hugely extensive tram network, it’s a bit charming and all. But, it’s also really annoying, as the trams come to a flying halt every minute and get stuck behind cars on the regular. It often feels like people are walking quicker than you are outside and if you were traveling here, wouldn’t you want to walk it anyway?
  6. We’re sport obsessed – It should already be well known as it is already well established that Melbourne is one of the sporting capitals of the world. The Australian Open, Grand Prix, AFL, Boxing Day Test, an awesome A-League team, Melbourne kills it for sport. Choose yours, go watch it; you’ll have a great time.
  7. We’re music obsessed – Melbourne has an endless list of live music venues: the Cornel Hotel, Festival Hall, the Forum, the Evelyn Hotel, 170 Russell, the list really just keeps going. Melbourne has one the most passionate live music scenes in the world, and some of the world’s great bands have started their trade here.
  8. Our beaches aren’t too bad – Everyone who comes to Melbourne from Sydney or even Perth complain about how sh*tty our beaches are, but they’re really not that bad at all. Problem is, people who come to Melbourne and head to the beach usually end up at St Kilda, which is swarming with two thousand other people who are also visiting St Kilda beach. Make your way a bit further down to Elwood, for a more laid-back, less-people vibe.

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