On foot
Melbourne’s city centre is laid out in an orderly grid system, similar to Manhattan, making it easy to navigate around the most central areas. During peak hour, walking may even be quicker than taking the tram. A free map of the city centre is available from the Melbourne Visitor Centres in Federation Square and Bourke Street Mall.
By train
All 15 suburban train lines depart from Flinders Street Station, opposite Federation Square in the Central Business District (CBD). Many lines also run through the City Loop, which connects to Southern Cross Station and three underground stations around the perimeter of the city centre: Parliament, Melbourne Central and Flagstaff. These city stations are well spread out in the Southern (Flinders Street), Western (Southern Cross), North Western (Flagstaff), Northern (Melbourne Central) and Eastern (Parliament) extremities of the CBD, making them a convenient base to explore the majority of Melbourne’s attractions. All station entrances throughout Melbourne are identifiable with their prominent blue signage.
By Bus
Buses tend to link areas without train or tram connections, with some exceptions, often service major shopping centres, middle and outer suburbs. The Melbourne Visitor Shuttle [46] links attractions in the CBD, Carlton and Docklands every 15 minutes for a flat rate of $5 per day.
By bike
Melbourne has an excellent network of bike paths, plus a generally flat terrain, making pedal-power a great way to take in the city. Most paths are “shared footways” under the law, although the majority of users in most places are cyclists. This means cyclists should expect to share the path with pedestrians, dog-walkers, rollerblades, joggers, prams and tricycles. Some trails contain on-road sections (in marked bike lanes). It is legal to cycle on footpaths only when supervising cycling children or when the path is marked or signposted as allowing bikes. Helmets are required by law, and care should be taken when cycling near slippery tram tracks, where many have gotten injured in the past. Reflective clothing and lights are essential for safe night rides.
Bike rental
A folding bike of 20″ wheel base is very convenient when traveling in the city. In addition, when in folded condition it can be carried on bus, train and CountryLink without any additional charges. Just tell the driver that it will be folded and hand carried as baggage. As for inter-city train, avoid rush hour (7AM-9AM and 5PM-6PM). If the wheelchair area is not occupied, then the bike can be parked in this area safely without folding.
By car
The major car rental chains are well-represented and include Redspot, Avis, Budget, Europcar, melbourne Hertz, Thrifty. Independent car rental companies are also plentiful and can offer good value for money. If you are looking to cover a long distance by car, ensure your rental policy includes unlimited mileage – most economy to standard sized car rental include this already.
There are a handful of intersections in the city centre and in South Melbourne, along Clarendon St. where you must do a Hook turn to turn right due to tram tracks running down the centre of the road. Follow the signs, pull to the left of the intersection if you are turning right, as far forward as possible, and when the light for the street you are turning into turns green (the traffic on the street you are on stops) make the turn.
