If you have 3 days in Melbourne and are wondering how to spend your time, then this post covers what to do in the city itself along with some day trips you can easily do from the city.
Note – This post contains affiliate links. When you make a purchase using one of these affiliate links, I get paid a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Table of Contents
Notes About Spending 3 Days in Melbourne
- You could easily spend 3 days in Melbourne visiting the city itself or 2 days in the city with one of these day trips, or even one day in the city with both of these days trips! The choice is up to you!
- You can do this itinerary in any order and don’t have to follow my exact order.
- Having a vehicle for this 3 days in Melbourne itinerary would not be a bad idea but it’s not a must either (see below for more!)
Day 1 – Melbourne City Tour
You can cover some of the important highlights of the city of Melbourne is a day or so. The important thing is to start your day early so that you have enough time. The good news is that most of the highlights are located close by and there are only two that require transport to get to and from. But you can easily take an Uber for one of them and a tour for the other. Note that you don’t HAVE TO do either of them but are more nice to dos.
Things to Do in Melbourne in One Day
- Brighton Beach – Uber if you don’t have a vehicle
- Queen Victoria Market
- State Library of Victoria
- Explore the arcades
- Explore the shopping and vibrant streets
- Flinders Station
- National Gallery of Victoria
- St. Paul’s Cathedral
- Federation Square
- Hoiser Lane
- Penguin Parade at Philip Island (optional) – Tour if you don’t have a vehicle
I cover how to spend one day in Melbourne with lots of options for if you have more time in a detailed post.
See my full post on how to spend one day in Melbourne HERE!
Day 2 – The Great Ocean Road
The Great Ocean Road is arguable one of the best day trips you can do from the city of Melbourne. This is a full day road trip that requires you leaving early in the day and spending about 12-14 hours on the road, but I think it’s fully worth it!
Where is the Great Ocean Road
The Great Ocean Road is a 240+ kilometer stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia. The road starts in the town of Torquay and ends Allansford, Victoria. It takes about an hour and 20 minutes (or 100 kilometers) to get to Torquay from Melbourne.
During your Great Ocean road drive, you will see scenic cliff side views, unique rock formations, breathtaking sea views and even have some animal encounters if you’re lucky!
How to Do a Road Trip from Melbourne
The best way to experience the Great Ocean Road is if you have your own car so that you have the freedom on start timing and what and how much you want to see. However, if you don’t have a vehicle, you can check out two highly rated tours below. One does the reserve itinerary, going to a place called the Twelve Apostles first. The Twelve Apostles is probably the number one must visit place on the Great Ocean Road. It then makes it way to the other sites. The other tour follows the sites in order of geographical location. I don’t think you can go wrong with either!
I cover the Great Ocean Road in great detail in the post linked below! Check it out, especially if you are self-driving as it lists out all the important places to check out on the drive!
See my detailed guide to the Great Ocean Road HERE.
Day 3 – Wineries
Did you know that one of Australia’s prominent wine producing regions is just a stone’s throw away from Melbourne? Located an hour north of Melbourne, the Yarra Valley is definitely a place you should check out if you love wine! This region produces Chardonnay, sparkling wine and Pinot Noir and has been making wines for over 170. You can do a full day trip to the Yarra valley and explore 4-5 wineries with lunch or you can explore the region for half a day and spend the rest of your day in Melbourne, maybe checking out some sites you couldn’t get to on day 1 or adding on some of the additional places to see in Melbourne.
Sample Itinerary
- Domaine Chandon – 10 AM
- Dominique Portet Winery – 11:30 AM
- Hubert Estate for lunch – 12:30 PM
- Soumah Wines – 2 PM
- Coombe – 3PM
I have listed out some of the best wineries in the Yarra Valley and other important things to know about visiting the Yarra Valley.
Check out this post HERE
How to Get to the Yarra Valley
Having your own transport and a designated driver is the best way to explore the day in the Yarra Valley as you then have the freedom to pick and choose your wineries and how you want to spend the day but if you don’t have that option, then check out some of these tours below.
If you don’t like wine or are traveling with kids, you can check out some of the other options in the Yarra Valley
- Visit lavender fields at Warratina Lavender Farm
- Go cheese tasting at Yarra Valley Dairy
- Taste some chocolate at Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery
Where to Stay in Melbourne
Generally, the Central Business District or the CBD for short is one of the best places to stay as there is a lot happening in this area! If you are opting to do tours for days 2 and 3, most tours also start from this area and then most of the sites on day 1 are also in the CBD.
I stayed at the Savoy Hotel on Little Collins and loved it! Check it out HERE.
Did you find this 3 days in Melbourne post useful? Please let me know by liking/commenting below or sharing this post on social media! Thank you!!
Pin this post for later!
