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Best Things to do in Melbourne (2026)

The experiences that define Melbourne are often outdoors and free. Hosier Lane, opposite Federation Square, is the starting point for the city's painted lanes, where the street art changes so often that no two visits look the same. A few blocks away, The Block Arcade on Collins Street shows the city's nineteenth-century shopping arcades at their most ornate.

Markets are part of daily life here. Queen Victoria Market, trading since 1878, opens five days a week and is best visited in the morning, while South Melbourne Market, the oldest continuously operating market in the city, opens on Wednesdays, Fridays and weekends and is known for its dim sims. Their different trading days mean you can usually fit at least one into any itinerary.

For an evening with a difference, book free tickets to watch little penguins return to the breakwater at St Kilda Pier. Tickets are released weekly and go quickly, sessions start after sunset, and flash photography is banned. Trams 12, 16 and 96 link the city with St Kilda, and route 96 also passes South Melbourne Market, so the two combine well on a market day.

5 places · Updated November 12, 2026

Our top 3 things to do in Melbourne

  1. Queen Victoria Market Historic open-air market, Melbourne CBDOpen-air market trading since 1878 across more than seven hectares, with produce sheds, meat, fish and deli halls and general merchandise stalls.
  2. Hosier Lane Street art laneway, Melbourne CBDCobbled bluestone laneway opposite Fed Square, covered in constantly changing street art and the best-known stop on a walk through Melbourne's lanes.
  3. St Kilda Pier and penguins Pier and wildlife viewing, St KildaRebuilt seaside pier in St Kilda where free, bookable evening sessions let visitors watch a colony of about 1,200 little penguins return to the breakwater.

Thing to do

2. Hosier Lane

Street art lanewayMelbourne CBD

Cobbled bluestone laneway opposite Fed Square, covered in constantly changing street art and the best-known stop on a walk through Melbourne's lanes.

View details — Hosier Lane