Melbourne Sights: City Sightseeing Bus Tour

If you only have a couple of days available in Melbourn and you want to get the most out of your time here their City Sightseeing buss is a great alternative for getting around to the major sightseeing spots. The ticket with the red busses gives you access to a tour that comprise of two routes; a city tour and a tour to the beach area of Melbourn known as St. Kilda.

Both of the busses have their main stop right by the Federal Square, and leave at approximately 1 hour (city tour) and 30 minutes (beach tour) intervals. 

From the train station you walk straight ahead to get to the main bus stop

It was already mid-day when we joined the tour, and with their 24-hour tickets that meant that we could utilize the tickets the next morning as well. We chose to do only the city tour the first day, and for our second day we did the beach trip. Here is a selection of my photos from the trip:

The City Sightseeing bus reflected in a window

Inside the harbor shopping mall

Passing by shops with international brands such as Helly Hansen

The free City Circle Tram

A free alternative to get around the city, is the City Circle Tram. As the name indicates, this tram goes around in a circle around the city, and you can hop on on any of their stops.

The Queen Victoria Market
One of the places we visited on our trip, was the Queen Victoria Market, also know as the 'Vic Market'. This market dates back to the 1850s, and is partially situated above an old cemetery where the remains of approximately 9,000 people still rest. The market is open every day of the week except Mondays and Wednesday, and you can find anything from meat and vegetables to clothing and souvenirs.

Inside the Vic Market

Vegetables at the Vic Market

Some street art seen outside the market

The facade of Queen Victoria Market seen from our bus

Local houses

The second route takes you down to St. Kilda. You can enjoy the beach here, or visit other attractions such as the Lunar park.

..And finally, you can see a lot of interesting things just by walking around in Melbourne. Not too far from the Federation Square you can find the State Library, which offers both free entrance and free wifi to its visitors (although you might as well use the free wifi at the Federation Square).

Melbourne State Library

Just keep your eyes out for interesting details, and you'll find them anywhere. Like this road sign for instance:

A street sign for blood donors

There are many old buildings in the city, and their paint a beautiful backdrop to their modern surroundings.

And you also can find a dose of street art here and there.

..and that is all I have to share for now. Enjoy your stay in Melbourne!

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About Anette
Anette came to Japan as an exchange student in 2010, met the love of her life and got stuck. From her base in Tokyo she writes about her experiences as a full-time worker in Tokyo and about her travels in Japan and abroad. She's a free-spirited adventurer who enjoys both the great outdoors and her urban lifestyle.