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Princes Bridge over the Yarra River in Melbourne, with the spires of St Paul's Cathedral and the towers of the city centre behind it

Where to stay in Melbourne

Photo: DXR, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Melbourne

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About Melbourne

Melbourne Airport is about 22 km north-west of the city centre, and the five areas in this guide lie about 21 to 30 km from it by road. Victoria adds a 7.5% levy to holiday rentals of under 28 nights, and the city centre meters its streets at AUD 7.30 an hour on weekdays.

Australia. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Melbourne Airport (MEL) at Tullamarine, about 22 km north-west of the city centre; about 21 to 30 km by road to the areas in this guide. Source
Entry for EU and UK citizens
The eVisitor (subclass 651) is free, valid for 12 months and allows up to 3 months after each entry. It must be granted before travel. Source
Entry for US citizens
The Electronic Travel Authority (ETA, subclass 601), applied for in the Australian ETA app for an AUD 20 service fee, valid for 12 months with up to 3 months after each entry. Source
Short stay levy
Since 1 January 2025, 7.5% of the total booking fee (nightly rate, cleaning, GST) on stays of under 28 consecutive days in homes that are not the host's own. Platforms collect it; hotels, motels and hostels are excluded. Source
Apartment buildings
Since 1 January 2025 an owners corporation can ban short stays of under 28 days in its building by a 75% special resolution, except in flats that are someone's main home. Source
Guest liability
Owners and short-stay guests are jointly liable for damage to common property; VCAT can fine up to AUD 1,100 and award neighbours up to AUD 2,000. Source
Parking with a rental car
City of Melbourne meters: central city AUD 7.30 an hour on weekdays before 7pm, AUD 4.20 after and at weekends; outside the central city AUD 4.20 and 2.10; first 15 minutes free with EasyPark. Source
Monthly stays
Holiday and short-stay accommodation is not rental accommodation in Victoria: the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 does not apply. A stay of 28 nights or more is outside the levy. Source
Currency
Australian dollar (AUD). Cash over AUD 10,000 must be declared on arrival. Source
Emergency numbers
000, or 112 from a mobile phone Source

Areas of Melbourne

Flinders Street Station in Melbourne, with its green domes and clock, trams on the street in front and the Eureka Tower behind
Photographed in 2021. Photo: Philip Mallis from Melbourne, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Melbourne CBD

The city centre on the Hoddle Grid laid out in 1837, with its lanes and arcades, the Queen Victoria Market, the State Library, Federation Square and Flinders Street station, the hub of the suburban trains. It suits a first visit on foot and by tram, less so a stay built around a car.

Melbourne Airport
about 22 km
St Kilda
about 7 km

Car and parking

Central city meters charge AUD 7.30 an hour on weekdays before 7pm and AUD 4.20 after 7pm and at weekends, with limits of up to two hours. The council points drivers who need longer to more than 130 off-street car parks.

The Yarra River beside Southbank in Melbourne, with the Southgate buildings, riverside trees and a moored restaurant boat on the right bank and a bridge in the distance
Photo: DXR, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Southbank

The south bank of the Yarra, 1 km from the CBD, turned since the early 1990s from industry into high-rise apartments and offices, with the arts precinct along St Kilda Road. It suits a city stay in an apartment tower with the Yarra at the door.

Melbourne Airport
about 24 km
Melbourne CBD
about 2 km

Car and parking

Part of Southbank is inside the central city fee area, where the off-peak rate of AUD 4.20 an hour starts at 4pm on weekdays rather than 7pm.

Victoria Harbour in Docklands, Melbourne, with ferries moored at a wharf, the Docklands stadium and glass office towers behind and a timber boardwalk on the right
Photo: DXR, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Docklands

A waterfront residential district at the western end of the CBD on the Lower Yarra, rebuilt from old docks since 2000 around the stadium. It suits an apartment stay by the water next to the CBD.

Melbourne Airport
about 22 km
Melbourne CBD
about 2 km

Car and parking

The central city fee area reaches Siddeley Street in Docklands. The council has found scam QR code stickers on meters in Docklands and asks drivers to pay in the EasyPark app or at the meter's own screen.

Lygon Street in Carlton, Melbourne, seen from above, with two-storey shopfronts, outdoor tables, a tree-lined median and the city centre towers behind
Photo: Sgroey, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Carlton

An inner suburb north of the CBD, known for the Little Italy precinct on Lygon Street, its 19th-century Victorian architecture and the Carlton Gardens with the Royal Exhibition Building, next to the University of Melbourne. It suits a quieter base close to the centre and a month in a residential street.

Melbourne Airport
about 21 km
Melbourne CBD
about 2 km

Car and parking

Outside the central city fee area: AUD 4.20 an hour on weekdays before 7pm and AUD 2.10 after 7pm and at weekends, and AUD 2 an hour in the all-day P Meter areas.

St Kilda Beach in Melbourne, with a timber boardwalk, palm trees and street lights along the foreshore path, the sand and the water of Port Phillip Bay
Photographed in 2019. Photo: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

St Kilda

A seaside suburb 6 km south-east of the CBD in the City of Port Phillip, known for the cafes, bars, palm trees and old flats and mansions along Fitzroy Street, Grey Street and Acland Street near the beach. It suits a beach stay with the CBD about 7 km away.

Melbourne Airport
about 30 km
Melbourne CBD
about 7 km

Car and parking

Port Phillip machines take cards only. The foreshore costs AUD 7.20 an hour or AUD 21 a day; Fitzroy Street costs AUD 2.70 an hour from April to September and AUD 5.00 from October to March.

Guides

Questions

Is there a tourist tax in Melbourne?

Victoria's short stay levy: 7.5% of the total booking fee, cleaning and GST included, on stays of under 28 consecutive nights in houses, flats and rooms that are not the host's own home, since 1 January 2025. Platforms such as Airbnb collect it. Hotels, motels and hostels are excluded.

Which part of Melbourne is best for a first visit?

The CBD, the Hoddle Grid of lanes and arcades around Flinders Street station and Federation Square, or Southbank across the Yarra with the arts precinct along St Kilda Road. The CBD and part of Southbank sit in the central city fee area, the City of Melbourne's highest meter rate.

How much is street parking in central Melbourne?

AUD 7.30 an hour on weekdays before 7pm and AUD 4.20 after 7pm and at weekends, with time limits of up to two hours. The first 15 minutes are free when paid through the EasyPark app.

What do EU, UK and US visitors need to enter Australia?

EU and British citizens can apply for a free eVisitor; US citizens apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) in the Australian ETA app for AUD 20. Both allow up to 3 months after each entry and must be granted before travel.