Inner east, Melbourne: neighborhood guide

The inner east covers the suburbs just across the Yarra from the CBD: Richmond, Collingwood and Abbotsford, all inside the City of Yarra. Compared with Stonnington on the other side of the river, this side has a longer working-class history, and that shows in its pubs, old factories and converted warehouses rather than grand terraces.

Richmond is the busiest part for visitors. Victoria Street, often called Little Saigon or Little Vietnam, is lined with Vietnamese restaurants, bakeries and grocery shops. Bridge Road and Swan Street are known for lower-price fashion and outlet stores. Collingwood, squeezed between Richmond and Fitzroy, has heritage industrial buildings and a solid pub scene. Abbotsford sits on the eastern edge by the river, with parkland among former factories and breweries.

It is a residential area first. Expect terraced houses, trams, and a lot of everyday life rather than a sightseeing strip.

Stay here if your priorities are food, coffee, nightlife and a short, cheap ride into the CBD. Trams and trains run frequently, and you can eat well at almost any hour for less than in the city centre. It also works well for longer stays, since apartments and houses are more common than hotel towers.

Skip it if you want a waterfront base, big hotel facilities or a quiet, green neighbourhood. The inner east is busy, traffic-heavy on the main roads and short on the kind of landmark sights that fill a first trip. If you are in Melbourne mainly for the laneways, museums and the river, the CBD itself is more convenient; if you want boutiques and a more polished feel, look at Stonnington or the inner north.

Victoria Street in Richmond is the main reason many visitors come. Vietnamese restaurants here serve phở, bún and rice dishes at low prices, and the grocery shops sell herbs, sauces and produce you will not find in a supermarket. Several places are open from breakfast until late.

Swan Street and the Collingwood side have a mix of pubs, breweries and casual restaurants, including some in converted factories. Bridge Road is better for coffee and quick lunches between shops than for a long dinner. Fitzroy's restaurant strip is a short tram ride north if you want more choice.

For a cheap meal, expect roughly A$12–20 for a bowl of noodles or a rice plate, and A$8–12 for a bánh mì (2026 estimate).

Trams run from the CBD along Victoria Street, Bridge Road and Swan Street into Richmond, and along Smith Street into Collingwood. Trains on several lines stop at Richmond, North Richmond and Collingwood stations, putting you in the city in a few stops. Use a myki card or a contactless card or phone where accepted; check the current fare and touch-on rules.

The area is walkable along each shopping strip, but the strips are long and the suburbs are spread out, so most people mix walking with trams. A car is a liability here: parking is metered, limited and often resident-only. From Melbourne Airport, the SkyBus goes to the CBD, then it is a tram or train onward; a taxi or rideshare direct to Richmond takes longer in traffic and costs more.

Distances are short: Richmond to the CBD is roughly 3–4 km, and Collingwood to Fitzroy is about 1.5 km.