Are you looking for things to do in Melbourne on a budget? With this beautiful city in Australia ranking high as one of the most livable cities in the world, year after year, it’s really no surprise that there are so many cheap and fun things to do here!
During our time road tripping around Australia, we spent quite a while in and around Melbourne, especially while we built our campervan. So this week we’re looking back over our time in Melbourne to bring you just a few of our favourite FREE things to do in Melbourne to help you build the most incredible city itinerary, even if you’re on a budget.
Ready? Let’s go!
Photo by Dmitry Osipenko on Unsplash
FREE Things To Do In Melbourne, Australia
Let’s kick this off with some of the best FREE things to do in Melbourne. That’s right, you can spend the day in Melbourne city and not spend a penny while also taking in some incredible sights and soaking in the vibe of this beautiful city before you head off to explore its surroundings.
Free Things To Do In Melbourne WITH NATURE
If you’ve been with us a while, it’ll come as no surprise that seeing nature and wildlife was at the top of my priority list of free things to do in Melbourne and surrounding areas. So, here are some of my favourites.
Melbourne Royal Botanical Gardens
This in itself could take you a full day. It was one of the first places Dec and I headed to while we got over our jet lag, and it’s probably one of the best botanical gardens we’ve been to. If you need a dose of nature to break up the urban exploring and don’t quite want to head to The Grampians National Park just yet, this is the place to go!
Walk Along South Bank
Ok Ok, not exactly nature, but there’s a river, and that counts, right? South Bank has an incredible vibe at night, with several of the restaurants here having little ice cream stands for those passing by and a cute park to relax in.
Walk St Kilda Pier
We didn’t spend much time in St. Kilder, but one thing we made sure to do was take a walk up St. Kilder Pier. It’s an iconic part of the city and home to little penguins, so it’s an absolute must, as are many of the free things to do in Melbourne and the surrounding areas!
Photo by Parks Victoria
St. Kilda Penguin Parade
While you’re in St. Kilder, it’s a great chance to see Little Penguins in their own environment/ Take a coat, it gets surprisingly cold at night. For the best chance of seeing them, head there just before sunset and grab a seat to the side of the pier.
Watch the sunset from the Docklands
We absolutely loved the Docklands area. Partly because it’s where we stealth camped for a few weeks when we first moved into our van, Mo, but also because it just has a whole different feel to it. It’s also where I got my first job when we moved to Australia, so that whole area holds a different kind of special place in our hearts… go check it out, especially at sunset, and let us know what you think!
Visit Brighton Beach huts
A little bit south of St. Kilda, you’ll find the beach suburb of Brighton; think of it as a mini day trip from Melbourne without actually having to go too far. For all you guys in the UK, this Brighton is much nicer than the one in the UK, and the beach huts are something of an Instagram hot spot. This beach is a great free place to hang out if you’re looking to just relax, and of course, snap a shot of yourself with the colourful beach huts.
URBAN Free Things To Do In Melbourne
So let’s step away from the outskirts and into the bustling city to explore these free urban things to do in Melbourne.
Victoria State Library
This is another iconic free thing to do in Melbourne and really one of the best if you like quirky buildings. You’ll need to take the Metro to Melbourne Central (or walk if you want to keep this truly free)… It’s directly opposite Melbourne Central. If you want the best views, head straight to the top, but don’t forget to walk through the dome too.
Remember that while this is a hot spot for tourists, it is still a library and there will be people working/studying, so be respectful and stay quiet.
Take the old City Loop tram
Not to be confused with the old tram restaurant (more on that later!), the city loop tram is a completely free way to travel around the city, & there’s even old tram cars in circulation for an authentic old-world travel experience. You can see timetables and more information here.
Walk the Graffiti Lanes
There are so many of these you’ll struggle to not find them while you’re walking around Melbourne. And if you’ve been to Melbourne before and think you’ve ‘been there, done that’… go check them out again because they’re always changing and you might be lucky enough to catch a new one in the process!
A Free City Walking Tour
A classic activity for a reason. A FREE city walking tour is not only one of the best free things to do in Melbourne if you want to learn about the city from a local, but it’s a great way to meet new people too!
Visit Melbourne Chinatown
Did you really visit any Australian city if you didn’t visit Chinatown? Melbourne’s Chinatown could be as free or as expensive as you want to make it depending on where you eat, but I can assure you you’ll find some of the best chinese food outside of China, right here in Melbourne’s chinatown!
Photograph the Iconic Flinders Station
A trip to Melbourne wouldn’t be complete without snapping a shot of the famous Flinders Station. This item on our list of free and cheap things to do in Melbourne doesn’t need much explanation. Hop on a train from anywhere in the city, then cross the road before turning around to admire its splendour.
Check Out Street Artists At Federation Square
Federation Square is very much an open air theatre and art gallery. There’s always something going on here so if you have time and want to sit and relax with some free entertainment, head to Federation Square at any time of day. During the winter there’s usually ice skating and Christmas markets here too!
Want a guided tour of street art, led by an Artist? Check out this tour!
Urban Photography Around The City
As with any city, there are so many great photo opportunities scattered around this city, so it seemed only fair to feature it as an option for one of the free things to do in Melbourne. Some of our highlights for photography have already been mentioned, but you won’t have to wander for long before you find more!
Discover Something New at Melbourne Central shopping Centre.
I absolutely loved this shopping centre. Not only because it’s conveniently contained within Melbourne Central station, but also because it hides one of our favourite shots from Melbourne. Find the tower, and look up if you want to snap this shot for yourself. That’s all I’m saying haha.
Walk Chapel Street in South Yarra
The walk itself is free, of course, but depending on your personality, you may end up spending quite a bit here! South Yarra, and Chapel Street in general, is a shopping & nightlife hot spot in Melbourne. We lived here for a few weeks while looking for our perfect campervan, and let’s just say – we were looking forward to some quieter nights haha. That aside though, there’s lots of great boutique cafes, little stores and bars along here, with the atmosphere being chill during the day and crazy in the evening.
Comedy night at The Attik
This is one highlight for our time in South Yarra. Even as I’m updating this post almost 6 years later I’m thrilled that this palace is still open! The Attik hosts free comedy nights every Thursday from 6pm with free popcorn and cheap pizzas. The lineup when we were there was good but the pizzas were to-die-for, and as a penny-pinching backpacker, I’d eaten a lot of cheap pizza. If you’re in the area and looking for a laugh, we really do recommend hitting up the Attik and if you do, let us know in the comments if it’s as good as we remember!
HISTORIC Free Things To Do In Melbourne
Melbourne might not be the oldest city in the world, but the whole area in and around Melbourne is full of history if you know where to look. So let’s dive into the best historic free things to do in Melbourne!
South Melbourne Market
We’ll talk about Melbourne’s more famous market in a minute but right now, I want to let you know about South Melbourne Market. While the next market is arguably more popular, I think South Melbourne Market is perhaps more impressive. It might not be as big, but it’s older (built in 1867) and that’s gotta count for something? Here you’ll find a lot of traditional style market stalls including butchers, veg stalls etc.
Queen Victoria Market
This one is likely already on your list of historical free things to do in Melbourne, but like I just mentioned, built in 1887, it isn’t actually the oldest market in Melbourne. So why’s is so popular? Well, it’s the largest open air market in the southern hemisphere. If you want to pick up some cheap souvenirs or some street food, this is where you need to go! If you’re here in the winter, their night market is really fun!
Visit Block Arcade
For great architecture and a good feel of how things used to be, a visit to Block Arcade is a must! I could spend hours wandering up and down this little shopping hall, looking at the fine details that many of the daily visitors miss. Don’t forget to look up!
Why not try out this new Donut & history walking tour to really make the most of your time in Melbourne?
National Gallery Of Victoria
If you’re a fan of art, you’ll really appreciate the National Gallery of Victoria. I love that many of the museums in Melbourne are free, so they make for really good rainy day things to do in Melbourne. This place is huge and has a mix of everything, it could easily take up half a day.
Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance
Located in Kings Domain, the Shrine of Remembrance is a war memorial like no other that we’ve visited. Not only does it offer amazing views over the city, but it’s beautifully built too.
St. Paul’s Cathedral
After a few month’s in Australia I was really missing European architecture, churches and cathedrals. I’m not at all religious but I think they add a certain feel to a town or city that Australia often feels like it’s missing. St. Paul’s Cathedral is another of the best historic free things to do in Melbourne if you feel the same. It’s no The Sagrada Família in Spain, but there’s no denying it’s really well built inside!
Cheap Things To Do In Melbourne
Ready to see more of the city, and happy to spend a few dollars? Here are some of our favourite things to do in Melbourne on a budget. Since everyone’s budget is different, and we all have different priorities, there’s a good mix of cheap things to do in Melbourne here so you’re sure to find one or two things to add to your list!
Cheap Things To Do In Melbourne With Friends & Family
Starting the list with some cheap and not-so-cheap things to do in Melbourne with friends and family. There are a few things on this list that perhaps aren’t considered cheap, but I felt it was worth including them because they’re fun and I know the kids will love them. Hey, I loved them, and it’s been a while since I could get away with a child’s ticket.
Melbourne SkyDeck Experience
The Melbourne SkyDeck is the Southern Hemisphere’s tallest viewing platform. At $30 per person, it’s 100% worth the entrance fee. After travelling up 88 floors in 38 seconds, you’ll get 360’ views of the city and amazing views of the city if you go at night!
Melbourne Aquarium
Who doesn’t love an Aquarium? At $37 per person I know it’s not the cheapest thing on this list but I still thought it was a reasonable price and SeaLife always makes for a fun day out with the family!
If you’re not travelling up to Queensland, there’s also Melbourne zoo which makes a nice replacement if you can’t go to the Australia Zoo.
Immigration Museum
An interesting museum choice for people interested in history and how immigration has changed the world. For $15 per person, it’s a cheap thing to do in Melbourne with friends on a rainy day or if you want to kill a few hours. They always have something going on, so check their website for the latest timetables.
A Tour Of The Great Ocean Road
Although personally, I’d say hire a car and experience it at your own pace as a multi-day road trip, there are plenty of budget-friendly options for Great Ocean Road day trip tours. This road is incredible, and incredibly popular with tourists, tour coaches, van lifers and surfers. From amazing wildlife to breathtaking scenery, it’s a road I wish we’d spent more time on.
🌊 See the Great Ocean Road’s most iconic sights in one day Spot wild koalas and explore the famous coastal scenery on a guided tour of the Great Ocean Road
Go Gold At The Cinema
If you’ve exhausted everything else on this list of free and cheap things to do in Melbourne, then you really should try out the gold seating in Australian cinemas… If you think premier seating at home is good… Gold here will blow.your.mind. Get table service, completely relaxed seating and your own little nook to enjoy the film from. It’s like your own private viewing.
Shop ‘Till You Drop At Melbourne’s Biggest Discount Shopping Centre – The DFO.
Again, fond memories of this place due to the food court being where I got my first Aussie job. This shopping centre is awesome for picking up a bargain & the food hall is pretty good too if I do say so myself.
Cheap Things To Do In Melbourne FOR FOOD
If there’s one thing Melbourne does best, it’s incredible food. We certainly ate plenty of it while we were there, so I’m dedicating our final section to cheap things to do in Melbourne for food! Some are quirky, some are just down right delicious.
Grab One of Melbourne’s Infamous Freak Shakes
When I first wrote this post in early 2018, freak shakes were a huge deal in Melbourne and I’m pleased to say they still are! Most cafes sell them now but our favourite was at ‘Abbey Road’ in St. Kilda…. it came topped with a whole doughnut!
Photo by Fatima Akram on Unsplash
Try Some Famous Eats
Knowing famous restaurants and their price tag, this one shouldn’t really be on this list of cheap things to do in Melbourne but hey ho, here it is because Melbourne is home to a few restaurants owned by famous chefs, so it’d be rude not to include them. From Heston Blumenthal to MasterChef Australia’s George Calombaris, there’s quite a few celebrity chef eateries in Melbourne so why not treat yourself and let us know how it was?
Have A Meal At The Old Tram Restaurant
Unfortunately this has closed down now but I didn’t want to remove it from this list completely because it was such a cute little place and I feel it should be remembered by tourists past and present. It was An old-style tram that took you around the city whilst you dine. It always had a massive waiting list so we never got a chance to go, such a shame it closed.
Grab A Meal And Entertainment At Witches Britches
Love halloween? Love good food? This themed restaurant & theatre is a must if you love anything quirky. Again, tickets sell out fast so we never got a chance to go while we were in Melbourne but if you’re heading over, definitely check them out. You can see what’s on and grab tickets here.
Eat And Drink Like a Viking With Mjolner
This one’s here for nostalgia’s sake too – sorry, not sorry – because I worked at the Sydney branch of this incredible, quirky brand. Another themed restaurant, the Mjolner restaurants are set up like speakeasies, with hard-to-find doors and hidden rooms. You’ll get to eat with giant hand-forged knives and drink from bulls’ horns while being served by Vikings. Try one of their flaming cocktails, eat like an absolute king and then take home one of their many souvenir choices, including one-of-a-kind knives.
On quieter days (Monday to Wednesday), you can usually grab a table pretty easily or sit at the bar. Thursday to Saturday, you’ll need to book in advance and get there on time – they run on a strict 2-hour eating slot because of how busy they are.
Now You’ve Saved Your Money…
These free and cheap things to do in Melbourne don’t have to be the end of your trip! Once you’ve filled your soul with everything the city has to offer, it’s time to head out and explore the surrounding areas with these 9 Amazing Day Trips From Melbourne, including iconic locations you simply can’t miss and local recommendations not every road tripper has on their itinerary!
