Melbourne Hotels & Tourism

Multi-cultured, highly cultured, marvellously arty Melbourne.

Melbourne is dubbed marvellous for a reason. Healthy hedonism masquerades as high art: Melburnians are equally passionate about football and ballet, fashion and restaurants. They are ravenous for music and hot for theatre. It's a smorgasbord of a city that you'll want to sink your teeth into.

A leafy bayside community on the 'upside-down' Yarra River, Melbourne is, by turns, cosmopolitan, suburban, cultivated, conservative and an avant-garde haven. Visitors come for its shopping, restaurants, nightlife and sporting calendar; most agree that it's one of the world's most liveable cities.

Melbourne's suburbs extend around the huge Port Phillip Bay, into the plains to the west and east and out to the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges. This huge area of settlement has been necessitated by the dying but intractable goal of the Great Australian Dream - a detached home on a quarter-acre block, 2.5 children and a couple of cars in the driveway.

The city centre is about situated about 3km (1.8mi) inland, on the north bank of the Yarra River and is a neat grid of elegant (and kitsch) 19th-century architecture and self-important skyscrapers. The main north-south artery is Swanston St, running north from Federation Square and Flinders Street Station, while Bourke (a pedestrian mall for part of its extent) and Collins Sts, which cross it, are the city's other two main thoroughfares. A series of villagey districts circle the city centre.

Australia is a multi-cultural country, and Melbourne is a magnet for new arrivals. Walking down any inner-city (or even suburban street) it's not unusual to hear people speaking Italian, Greek, Lebanese, Vietnamese or Arabic as their first language. Aboriginal languages, sadly, are far rarer here than in other parts of the country. English-speaking Melbournians have a passion for abbreviations and are liable to use a hotchpotch of local slang that can take the first-time visitor a while to untangle.

Travellers to Melbourne, Australia can expect to find accommodation of all types, from upmarket Melbourne hotels and resorts to more budget-focussed and unique options. For your next holiday accommodation in Melbourne, make sure you check the regular and special offers on hotels.com.au first. Australia is host to a wide range of travel experience, suitable for all budgets. And Melbourne is a great place to visit, blending experiences such as strolling along St Kilda beach and drinking c with famous attractions such as Federation Square and the National Gallery of. And don’t forget shopping shopping for fresh produce at Queen Victoria Market, and sample the famous Aussie rules football for an unforgettable Melbourne experience. Wherever you’re staying, hotels.com.au offers a huge range of Melbourne hotels and Melbourne accommodation options.