The cultural magnificence of Melbourne allures travellers from across the world and if you want to peep into the soul of the city, add walking tours to your itineraries. These tours feature popular attractions and the group walks add an extra tinge of excitement to one’s Melbourne sightseeing experience. There are numerous walking tours available in the city; free as well as paid. Let’s check out a few notable ones.
Fitzroy Gardens
History and nature both come alive at the tranquil Fitzroy Gardens located in East Melbourne. Visit the gardens on Saturdays to be a part of free guided walking tours that start at 10 a.m. The route of this tour comprises attractions like the Fairies’ Tree, a missionary, and a sacred tree called Cook’s Cottage. Besides, several sculptures and fountains are other highlights of this Victorian-era styled garden.
G’Day Melbourne Walking Tours
This weekend tour is probably the best way to explore the history of Melbourne. The tour starts at 9:30 a.m. from Princes Bridge and in 2.5 hours, it covers some of the major draws in the city such as Federation Square, China Town, Old Melbourne Gaol and Parliament House. A small fee is charged for this tour and organizers keep limited number of participants in each group. So, booking your spot in advance is always recommended.
Haunted Melbourne Ghost Tour
Add a differentiating experience to your Melbourne holiday with this ghost tour that starts from the Haunted Bookshop every Saturday at 8:30pm. Haunted Melbourne Ghost Tour is your chance to face-off with the notorious haunted past of Melbourne. Drew Sinton, the owner of the Haunted Bookshop and the presenter of TV show Haunted Australia, has been conducting this tour since 1997 and has won many awards.
Lantern Ghost Tours
If you are looking for some more spooky experiences, join lantern Ghost Tours. This multi-award winning tour has two versions – Pentridge Prison Ghost Tour and the Old Melbourne Ghost Tour. The former is an adults-only tour, whereas the latter lets kids over the age of 8 join in. Visit the official website of Lantern Ghost Tour to check the availability of the tours.
Melbourne’s Sports Walk
Melbourne is also known as the Sports Capital of Australia and walking tours are available to explore the sporting culture of the city; Melbourne’s Sports Walk is the most popular one. It starts at 10:30 a.m. from the popular sculpture, The Angel located by the Yarra River near Federation Square. Spot the guides wearing Melbourne’z Sportz Walkz shirts and Akubra hats. The tour is available all through the week except for weekends. Olympic Park, National Sports Museum and Melbourne Cricket Ground are popular attractions of this tour.
Melbourne Underground
This free tour starts from the State Library at 10:30 a.m. and imparts information on the evolution of Melbourne from a European settlement to a cosmopolitan city in Australia. In a span of three hours, the guide takes you through arcades and laneways to explore the street art scene of Melbourne. You can spot the guides wearing bright green free tour t-shirts at the statue of Sir Redmond Barry.