CBD, Melbourne: neighborhood guide

The CBD is Melbourne's financial, cultural and transport core, laid out on a grid with the Yarra River along its south edge. Locals call it the City. Most international and interstate visitors spend most of their time here because the main sights, a large share of the hotels and the nightlife all sit inside the grid.

It breaks into small precincts you can walk between in minutes: Southbank and South Wharf on the river, Docklands to the west, Chinatown along Little Bourke Street, the Greek Precinct around Lonsdale and Russell, the Paris End of Collins Street, the legal and banking blocks near William Street, the government precinct around Spring Street, and the arts precinct on St Kilda Road.

Expect crowds, construction and traffic noise on the main streets, and quiet pockets one block back. The city is busy on weekdays with workers and on weekends with shoppers and sports crowds.

Stay in the CBD if you are on a first trip, have two to four nights, or want to arrive by train and walk to dinner. You can see the laneways, the galleries, Chinatown and the market without a car, and every train line and most trams pass through.

Look elsewhere if you want space, a garden or a beach. Southbank and South Wharf give you the river and Crown, the inner north gives you Lygon Street and a village feel, and St Kilda or the bayside suburbs give you the water. Families with a car often prefer the inner east or Stonnington for parking and quieter streets.

The CBD covers most budgets. Laneways off Flinders Lane and Little Collins hold small cafés and bars; Chinatown on Little Bourke Street is the densest cluster of Asian restaurants; the Greek Precinct around Lonsdale and Russell is the place for souvlaki and mezze; hardware-lane style bars and rooftop venues sit above the shops.

For cheap and fast, look at the food courts under the shopping centres and the takeaway shops along Swanston Street. For a splurge, the riverside restaurants at Southbank and South Wharf charge for the view. The Queen Victoria Market, on the CBD's north-west edge, is the best single stop for produce, deli stalls and a cheap lunch.

Coffee is a local obsession, and the small roasters in the laneways set the standard. Book ahead for dinner on Friday and Saturday, and expect a queue at popular brunch spots on weekends.

The CBD is the hub of Melbourne's public transport. Every train line and most tram routes pass through or end in the city. Most suburban trains stop at Flinders Street Station; the Sunbury, Pakenham and Cranbourne lines also stop at Town Hall, with a walking link to Flinders Street. Country trains use Southern Cross Station. Trams run mostly east–west along Bourke and Collins Streets and north–south along Swanston Street.

From the airport, the SkyBus runs to Southern Cross Station; there is no train to the airport (check). A taxi or rideshare takes longer in peak traffic. Once in the city, the free tram zone covers the CBD core, so short hops cost nothing (check the current zone boundary).

Driving in is the weak option: one-way streets, clearways and paid parking. If you have a car, leave it at the hotel or a commercial garage and walk. The city is flat and the blocks are short, so most trips inside the grid take 10–20 minutes on foot.