Recognised as a UNESCO City of Literature, Melbourne is also known as the sporting and culture capital of Australia. A cosmopolitan melting pot of diverse cultures, it’s been ranked the best destination for foodies in Australia. Melbourne is also a popular host for some of the best festivals in Australia, as well as several international sporting events throughout the year.
With a variety of world-class markets and the iconic Lonsdale Street in Melbourne Central, the city is also a must-visit for those who believe in the power of retail therapy. And while Australia is well known for its bone-melting heatwaves, a winter visit to Melbourne could find you building snowmen and skiing your way down the stunning Victorian Alps.
Like many of Australia’s top tourist destinations, you could spend a year here and still not manage to experience even a fraction of what the capital city of the Garden State has to offer. So how do you even begin to decide which parts of this marvellous city to visit?
The best option, of course, is to move here, but if you’re planning on a shorter stay then we suggest taking advantage of one of the many local tours. No matter what your personal interests or hobbies are, there are literally dozens of tours to choose from. And because they’ve been put together by locals, they’ll often include a few hidden gems you may never have discovered on your own!
Why choose private tours over group tours
Tours are a great way to experience the best that any destination has to offer and because they’re often tailored around specific interests, finding one that will allow you to experience the side of Melbourne you’re most curious about is relatively easy. But let’s be honest. A lot of people prefer to stay very far away from group tours – and for good reason.
The tour might be perfect for you. And by that we mean it has the best price, visits all the attractions you just have to see and a few you didn’t know about but would adore, and includes some amazing perks on top of it. The only problem? There are other people on the tour, complete strangers who may just ruin the entire experience for you.
Perhaps one of your fellow tourists is just an all-around unpleasant person who complains about everything. Or someone might have decided to bring along an entire brood of children and you’re suddenly an impromptu baby sitter. One person may misplace a bag or wallet and the whole tour gets held up while it is located – which means you run out of time to get to all the planned stops.
These are just some of the things that could go wrong – visit any tourist forum and you’ll find horror stories the like of which will put you off of the idea of tours for life. So how do you get around this? You’re only in Melbourne for a short time, you don’t know the city at all and you really want to enjoy the many attractions it has to offer. The solution?
Find yourself a private tour guide. With a private tour of Melbourne, you’ll get to experience all the best parts of a tour, without having to deal with the possibility of a stranger turning it into an experience you would rather forget. Still not sure a private tour of Melbourne is worth it? Then here are just some of the benefits:
Personalised itinerary
While most private tour guides have a variety of pre-planned private tour packages to offer, these are more of a starting point or a suggestion. It’s a private tour – which means you not only choose who accompanies you, but also what you’d like to do.
Add in a few hours taking surfing lessons at the beach, visit one of our world-class festivals or turn our Food, Art and Laneways Walk into a discovery of just how Melbourne earned the UNESCO City of Literature status.
Hand-picked hotels and restaurants
A private tour is all about what you want. Our luxury Yarra Valley Wine Tours are already designed to be customised according to your personal tastes and preferences, so we’ll choose which wineries and vineyards to visit based on what you like.
If you’d rather explore Melbourne, our private Melbourne City tours include the option of a meal on the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant. You might be mad about Asian cuisine though – if so, we’ll take you to one of the top-rated restaurants in Melbourne’s iconic China Town instead.
Private local guides
Every private tour guide is a local, and your group is as small or as big as you’d like it to be. You might want to take your family around town or explore the Great Ocean Road with a group of friends.
Or maybe your company is treating you and a few colleagues to ballooning and barrel tasting in Yarra Valley. Whatever it is, your group is small enough that you can quiz your local guide on anything and everything you like and maybe even find out about a few other hidden gems to explore later!
Private vehicle and driver
Probably one of the best aspects of a private tour is the fact that you get to enjoy a private luxury vehicle and driver. No crowded buses or having to use public transport to get around to all the places on your tour, or trying to navigate your way to each place on your own.
Your driver will take you to each stop, so all you have to do is sit back and enjoy – without wondering about what exactly that questionable stain on the seat in front of you might be!
Affordable
Many believe that a private tour is far too expensive for them to even consider. But choosing to tour Australia in this way means you get to decide what you do and don’t want to do, and how much you’re willing to spend.
Factor in what it would cost you to hire your own vehicle, or even use public transport if you chose a self-guided tour. Then how frustrating it can be to navigate your way around a city you don’t know, searching for those attractions that fit into your budget.
And then there’s the pleasure of discovering everything Melbourne has to offer without the frustrations of strangers who may or may not make for an experience you’d rather forget. Taking all that into account makes a private tour of Melbourne much more affordable right?
Hassle-free vacation
Exploring the vacation destination of your choice involves a lot of planning and organisation. Is Victoria Street Market open today? What time are day visitors welcome from at the Royal Botanic Gardens? How do you get from the Melbourne Star Observation Wheel to the Sky Rider Ferris Wheel at Luna Park? And what are the entrance fees for all the things you want to do?
These are all the sorts of questions you’ll need to ask if you want to tour Melbourne. And they’re all questions that your private tour guide will already know the answer to! No need to lug backpacks with spare water and maps and a dozen travel guidebooks along every time you want to go anywhere.
Just sit back and relax because your private tour guide will handle all those important details for you! And they might just add in a few perks you wouldn’t have had access to if you’d decided to go it alone!
Ready for your unique Melbourne experience?
Talk to our expert private tour planning team today. They will create a bespoke itinerary that will fulfil your requirements and fit your schedule. Get the most of your Melbourne trip!
Some of the best themed experiences Melbourne has to offer
The best way to design a custom private tour that caters to your hobbies and interests is to explore what experiences there are on offer. Melbourne has dozens to choose from – but here are just a few ideas to get you started.
Eco-friendly tours
Australia is proud of its status as a country known for championing sustainable practices that will ensure our children’s children and their grandchildren will still have a beautiful world to live in. With everything from zero waste cocktail bars and restaurants to subsidising and promoting the use of green energy to reduce our carbon footprint, Australia is a mecca for anyone who practices a green lifestyle.
Gourmet food tours
Call it an epicurean exploration, a gastronomic journey, a degustation delight or just keep it simple and call it a tour for foodies. Melbourne is home to dozens of different cultures that have resulted in one of the most diverse food scenes you could imagine. From fusion food you’d never considered before to world-class fine dining and the trendiest of food truck precincts – Melbourne has earned its place as the top foodie destination in Australia.
Nature and wildlife tours
Australia is one of the most diverse countries in the world, with imposing skyscrapers granting bird’s eye views of hundreds of green spaces dotted throughout the city below. It is home to more than a million different species of flora and fauna, many of which are exclusive to Australia. And with so much of Mother Nature so close at hand, Melbourne is the perfect destination for anyone who loves the outdoors.
Sport tours
Sport is an ingrained part of Australian culture, and nowhere is this truer than in Melbourne. Home to the Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit, the Melbourne & Olympic Parks, the Royal Melbourne Golf Club, the Australian Open and the world-renowned Bells Beach – Melbourne is the place to go if watching the best of the best sportsmen and women battle for victory is your passion.
Remember that private tours are what we do, and we believe in showcasing the very best of Marvellous Melbourne. So contact us and we can help you design the perfect private tour. We’re madly in love with the city we call home, and we want nothing more than to share our love of one of the most liveable cities in the world with you!
Visiting Melbourne? Thinking of custom tour options?
Talk to our experienced team today. They will create a bespoke private tour that will fulfil your requirements and fit your schedule. Get the most of your Melbourne trip!
Get more inspiration for your Melbourne and Victoria trip! Explore some of the fantastic experiences on offer!
King Island – You Didn’t Know You Needed to Go!
Sitting in the middle of some of the roughest Australian waters, Bass Strait, and located part way between the states of Victoria and Tasmania, is King Island.
Home to just 1500 locals, incredible seafood and breathtaking coastline, this little isle is one of Australia’s undiscovered gems.
Victoria’s Wine Regions Revealed
Wine, vino, wijn, pútáojiǔ, wein – however you say it, cultures across the world love a good one, and what better way to enjoy it than by going straight to the source!
Victoria has some exquisite wine, and two popular grape-growing regions are only a short one-hour drive from Melbourne, meaning that lovely glass of Pinot Noir is not far away.
Gather your family and friends as well as your appetite as you prepare to indulge in a day of wine and fresh produce set amongst the most beautiful setting.
Short Break Escapes!
How much of your own backyard have you explored? Given the bumpy start to the year with the devastating bushfires and the global pandemic, now is the perfect time to plan your Victorian escape and ‘Holiday Here This Year’. Aside from keeping your hard-earned dollars in Australia, you’ll be supporting local communities and businesses – especially some of those drastically affected by the bushfires too. Staying local gives you the opportunity to discover what lies just beyond your back doorstep and enjoy everything this beautiful country has to offer.
MPT Is Open for Business! Travelling throughout Melbourne and Victoria in the COVID-19 Era – Some Important Things to Know.
MPT is once again open for business! Learn about the changes we are implementing in our touring operations to keep you safe while travelling throughout Melbourne and Victoria.
Looking to explore Sydney and its surroundings? Look at the Sydney Private Tours website and select your tour!