18 Best Things to do in Melbourne at Night

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Looking for the best ways to spend your evenings in Melbourne?

Well, look no further! We’ve visited Melbourne more times than we can count, and Bailey even lived here for a while, so over the years we’ve found plenty to do in the city after dark. We love Melbourne’s vibrant nightlife scene, but we’ve also found tons of quirky and outdoorsy activities to enjoy after dark, so it doesn’t matter if you’re not much of a partygoer! 

We’ve compiled a list of our favorite things to do in Melbourne at night to help you make the most of your time in this beautiful and dynamic city. Whether you’re looking for food, culture, or adventure, we’ve got you covered.

Things to do in Melbourne at Night

1. Melbourne Dinner Cruise

Taking in the sunset while enjoying a dinner cruise on the Yarra River was an easy first item on this list! In fact, it might have been our favorite experience in Melbourne all around, so I’d highly recommend booking the Spirit of Melbourne dinner cruise! 

This 3-hour dinner cruise boasts some of the best views of the city. We loved watching the sunset from the Yarra River, and then seeing the skyline light up – it was simply gorgeous. The four-course dinner is also worth a mention, as it was way better than I expected. Lamb kofta, chargrilled beef filet, an array of desserts, and bottomless drinks … What more could you ask for?

The crew was accommodating and the atmosphere was spot on. We really enjoyed this experience, and you can read our full review of the cruise here! Don’t just take our word for it though, read the 1,000+ positive reviews of this experience too. 

The Spirit of Melbourne dinner cruise is $185 AUD and includes all expenses. After going on the cruise ourselves, our secret tip is to message the company and request a table by the window. That way you can enjoy the views the whole time! It’s super easy to do when you book on Viator, which is what we always do. 

Finally, be sure to book this tour in advance, as dates are limited and it can fill up. They also offer free cancellation up to 4 days before you go, so reserve your spot now and have flexibility in your itinerary!

Book this sunset dinner cruise here with FREE cancellation options!

2. Party on Chapel Street 

Chapel Street is our favorite place for a night out in Melbourne. This famous street is just over 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) long, as it runs from South Yarra Station to Windsor. It’s loosely divided into three different zones. On the Yarra end, there’s tons of great shopping, but as the street goes through Prahran, it turns into a real nightlife hotspot. 

One of our favorite spots in the reggae-themed Three Monkeys. We love the big beer garden here and inevitably end up heading indoors to dance when it gets late. Meanwhile, Holy Grail is really stylish and we love the rum-based cocktails here, and Katuk is a cool spot that’s decorated like an old-fashioned library. And if you feel like going dancing, Blue Bar is a speakeasy-style nightclub that plays hip-hop and R&B until 3 am most nights, so it’s the ideal spot to dance the night away.

It’s also worth heading just off of Chapel Street to explore Greville Street, where even more bars and restaurants await. White Oaks Saloon offers fantastic craft cocktails and really friendly service, as well as delicious tacos, so it checks all of our boxes! Meanwhile, Casa N.O.M. has one of the most extensive collections of tequila and mezcal that we’ve come across in Melbourne, and they do great late-night Latin American eats, which is always welcome while bar-hopping.

As you can see, we’ve spent quite a bit of time exploring Melbourne’s nightlife – it’s just THAT good!

3. See a Candlelight Concert 

We always enjoy catching live music performances, but Melbourne’s Candlelight Concerts take it to a whole new level! The candles surrounding the performers make these shows magical, and the classical musicians are so talented. What we love about this concert series is that there’s something for everyone. So there’s the option to go and see straight-up classical music, or you can enjoy classical renditions of a wide range of genres, from anime soundtracks to popular artists like Coldplay and Taylor Swift. 

Several different concerts take place around Melbourne each month, so it’s definitely worth checking out what’s on while you’re here.

It’s such a unique way to spend a night in Melbourne, and we also really appreciate the fact that they often take place in historic venues, such as Fitzroy Town Hall and St. James Old Cathedral. Prices start from $29 AUD, but it depends on the exact concert you want to see. 

4. See the Penguin Parade on Phillip Island

This is perhaps the cutest thing you can do in Melbourne at night. Okay, it’s not technically in Melbourne, but the city is the closest hub to Phillip Island, which is where you’ll head to see the Penguin Parade!

Phillip Island is home to the world’s largest Little Penguin colony and every night hundreds of people flock here to see these tiny creatures waddle back to their nests. This is such a popular activity that there are even grandstands to sit in and watch the penguins go by! 

It’s about a 2-hour drive from Melbourne Central, and I recommend getting there a little early so you can enjoy the area first. Because this experience is so popular, tickets must be booked in advance and they are only $32 AUD per person. The exact time the parade starts is up to the Little Penguins, of course, but it’s usually around sunset – check the calendar here so you don’t miss it!

To make penguin viewing easier, we took this fantastic full-day tour to Phillip Island from Melbourne. Not only did we catch the Penguin Parade, but we also stopped by the Moonlit Sanctuary to check out koalas, kangaroos, and wallabies up close! Oh, and we saw the Brighton Beach Boxes, which is another essential Melbourne stop. This made for a long day, but the tour company took care of everything and we got to finish up the night in the grandstands, watching all the Little Penguins waddle by!

This tour is $175 AUD, and we thought it was a great price for how inclusive this day is. You can read our full review on this amazing Phillip Island tour here, then go book it!

See the Penguin Parade with this top-rated full-day tour – book it in advance here!

Related Read: We loved this experience so much that it’s included on our 4-day Melbourne itinerary – check out the other activities here!

5. Play mini golf at Holey Moley

The Holey Moley Golf Club really puts the “crazy” in crazy golf! We loved the different themed holes here, which were so fun and nostalgic. There were holes themed around classic board games like Monopoly and Operation, as well as 1980’s video games, and even a Forrest Gump one!

For us, this is such a fun activity for a night out in Melbourne, and the cocktails are as memorable as the course itself – we got one that came in a miniature bathtub, complete with tiny rubber ducks. 

It costs $36 AUD to play 18 holes here from Monday to Wednesday, or $40 AUD for the rest of the week. Holey Moley is open from midday until 11 pm from Monday to Thursday and 1 am on Friday and Saturday, so you can play a late game here any day except Sunday when it closes at 7 pm.

And if you really want to make a night of it, they’ve also got karaoke here, which starts at $100 AUD for an hour in the private karaoke room.

6. See the city from the Melbourne Skydeck

One of the city’s best viewpoints can be seen from the Melbourne Skydeck! This observation deck stands 300 meters (984 feet) high, so seeing the sun go down and the city light up is one of the prettiest sights in Melbourne at night.

You can visit the Skydeck with general admission for $28 AUD or make a night of this whole experience and book one of the interactive packages! We bought tickets for The Edge which let us stand in the all-glass cube that extends off the building. If you like a bit of an adrenaline rush, I highly recommend doing this and if you’re afraid of heights, don’t do this! We thought it was the best way to experience the Skydeck and was well worth $43 AUD.

They also offer a Virtual Reality package, where you can virtually explore Melbourne’s city sights and even a zipline. This includes admission to the Skydeck all for $49 AUD. The Cocktails in the Clouds is another fun package where you can access the VR theater and get a drink at Bar 88 for $50 AUD – not a bad deal if you ask me. Even if you don’t choose this experience, you can still go grab a drink at the bar and enjoy the 2 for 1 happy hour from 4-8 pm (that’s what we did!).

But if you’re looking for a memorable way to spend your evening, you can book dinner at Eureka 89 and enjoy Melbourne’s night sky over a 6-course meal! This fine-dining menu starts at $190 AUD per person, but it’s a great option if you are looking to celebrate while you’re in the city or simply have a nice dinner out. Admission to the Skydeck is included in this price, so in some sense, it’s not as expensive as it seems. 

Before you head up to the 88th floor, read our top things to know about visiting the Skydeck to get all the info!

Check out all the packages and reserve your tickets in advance here with FREE cancellation!

7. Wander the Queen Victoria Night Market 

The Queen Victoria Market is one of our favorite places to hang out in Melbourne. It’s a historic market in the heart of the city that offers tons of amazing food, and it’s a great place to find souvenirs. It’s usually open during the daytime until the mid-afternoon, but on Wednesdays, it’s closed during the day and there’s a night market instead from 5 pm onwards. 

The night market runs in summer and winter but sometimes closes during the shoulder seasons, so be sure to check the dates online before your trip. If it is open, it’s such an amazing place to spend a night enjoying lots of Melbourne’s best food and drinks under one roof.

We couldn’t get enough of the Mussel Pot when we visited, and we loved the high-end chocolates at Koko Black. And for drinks, we usually grab Brick Lane Brewers’ latest seasonal offering or a craft cocktail (or two!) from Antagonist Spirits.

Read our full guide to visiting the Queen Victoria Market here for all the details.

8. Ride the Ferris Wheel

Melbourne’s famous Star Wheel closed in 2021 – RIP – but the good news is that a new Ferris Wheel has opened up! The Skyline Melbourne is located next to the Yarra River in Polly Woodside Park and arguably has even better views, as we could see the Skyline and the South Wharf from up here.

Best of all, it’s open until 11 pm, which means it’s the perfect way to see the city lit up at night. 

The pods on the wheel are enclosed, which is good news since Melbourne is known for going through four seasons in one day! However, they have floor-to-ceiling glass so they still provide unobstructed, panoramic views. We loved the nighttime views, but we also think it would be an ideal place to catch the sunset over the city. 

We would recommend booking tickets in advance online, as it’s cheaper that way, and ensures you won’t miss out. It costs $17 AUD per person, and the ride lasts between 8-10 minutes, depending on the conditions of the day. 

9. Private Tour of Melbourne at Night

If you’re looking for the ultimate night out in Melbourne, then we can’t recommend this private tour enough! But let me tell you, this is definitely not your typical bar crawl. Instead, it includes a progressive dinner at some of the city’s best restaurants and drinks at a range of bars that only locals really know about, from classy rooftops to hidden spots in the historic laneways. 

What we really loved about this tour was the sheer variety of places we visited and the food we got to try. We loved the authentic dumplings and handmade gelato, and the fact that we visited both a hidden dive bar and one of Melbourne’s classiest cocktail bars all in one night! Our guide, Dingo, was such a great guy and regaled us with so many interesting stories about Melbourne. It felt like a friend was showing us an amazing night out in the city! 

We think that this tour is absolutely perfect for all kinds of celebrations, but honestly, we’d recommend it for anyone who wants to make the most of a night in Melbourne. Prices vary by group size ranging from $660 AUD per person for a group of 2, and go down to $350 AUD per person for a group of 7. This includes food, drink, cover charges, and hotel pickup, so you’re getting a lot out of this experience!

Check availability and book your private tour before you go here.

10. Visit the Old Melbourne Gaol

Visiting the Old Melbourne Gaol is an essential addition to your itinerary! The Old Gaol (pronounced “jail”) held Melbourne’s infamous criminals from 1842 to 1929. It’s full of history and chilling stories, and walking through here definitely gave me the spooks!

The Gaol is only open until 5 pm for general visits – but it’s actually more immersive to visit at night on a special tour. If you like scary movies, I recommend joining the Hangman’s Night Tour, which takes you to all the creepy corners of the gaol in the dark! Or, the “Ghosts? What Ghosts?” tour explores the supernatural happenings at the gaol – even scarier if you ask me!

These tours are offered from 6:30-7:30 pm or 8-9 pm daily and are $42 AUD. You can check the schedule and book your tour in advance here – it’s a popular experience! 

And if you aren’t super keen on these haunting tours, you can visit the Old Gaol on your own as you explore Melbourne during the day! It’s still a little eerie, but not nearly as scary as these guided tours. 

11. Sunset Kayaking Tour with Dinner 

We love being active, so of course we just had to do this sunset kayaking tour! It was such a great way to sightsee and the sunset was so beautiful. Plus, we got to enjoy fish and chips right on the river from our kayak – how cool is that?

The tour took us on a 2.5-hour journey down the Yarra River, so we got to paddle around Victoria Harbour and Southbank, and through downtown Melbourne. I actually think that this would be an ideal way to see the city if you’re short on time, but we already knew Melbourne pretty well by the time we did this tour and we still absolutely loved it. The fish and chips we got were delicious, and watching the sunset from the water was epic. 

The tour runs on Saturdays and Sundays all year round, and from Wednesday-Friday as well during the summer months. It costs $120 AUD per person, including fish and chips, an experienced local guide, and all kayaking equipment, so we thought it was pretty good value for money, all things considered. 

Dates are limited – book your spot here with reserve now, pay later options!

12. Melbourne Laneways and Hidden Bars Tour

We love exploring Melbourne’s charming laneways at night, and this hidden bars tour is perfect for uncovering lots of local gems that tourists normally miss.

What’s great about this tour is that it gives you lots of variety, so you’ll be able to try plenty of Aussie wine and beer, as well as specialty cocktails at a fun speakeasy bar! We also think it’s cool that your guide selects the final bar of the evening according to your group’s tastes, interests, and general vibe, so every tour is unique! 

Our guide, Ian, was great and really got involved with the group. And I swear, there’s probably not a bar in Melbourne that he doesn’t know about, so it’s worth asking for some recommendations to check out after the tour. We were in a group of about 12 people, which was big enough to feel lively, but small enough that we could all get to know one another. 

The tour costs $89 AUD without drinks, or $149 AUD with a drink at each bar included. We would recommend opting for the latter as it definitely saved us money! 

Don’t miss Melbourne’s best bars – book this tour of the laneways here!

13. Visit the Ice Bar 

When you think of Melbourne, you probably don’t think of freezing cold temperatures, but I still highly recommend a visit to the Ice Bar! It’s such a fun, silly experience and we enjoyed it way more than we expected to. So if you’re looking for a unique spot to grab a drink one night, look no further! 

After gearing up with coats and gloves, we got 45 minutes to spend in the Ice Bar, although there is the option to leave early if you get too cold! A photographer will come in with you to snap photos, as it’s too cold in there to have your phone out for long. We really enjoyed the mini photoshoot we did and couldn’t stop laughing, and you’re under no obligation to buy the photos afterward. 

The last entry time is at 9 pm and the Ice Bar has limited capacity, so you need to book tickets before you go. Standard tickets cost $48 AUD and include one cocktail on arrival, but there are different packages available. For example, for $90 AUD the Premium Plus package includes a cocktail, an ice shot, a photo, and a souvenir glass to take home. Best of all, we got to the ice shot out of a ski! 

Secure your spot by reserving your tickets in advance here!

14. Visit The LUME

If you’re looking for a cultured evening in Melbourne, then the LUME is the obvious choice. It’s a futuristic digital gallery that puts on some really cool digital exhibitions that incorporate light, sound, AI, and virtual reality. 

At the time of writing, they’re hosting an incredible Van Gogh exhibition that allows visitors to see his artwork like never before! However, the exhibits change all the time, but it’s worth checking out which exhibition is on when you’re in town. I remember that they did Claude Monet in 2022, and an amazing First Peoples show in 2023, which focused on Aboriginal Australian art. 

We spent about two hours here, and the last admission time available is 7:30 pm. So it makes for a great date night while in Melbourne!

Tickets for the LUME cost $50 AUD per person. That may seem expensive since you can visit the more traditional National Gallery of Victoria for free in Melbourne, but I promise you, the art exhibitions here are unlike any you’ve ever seen before! 

Reserve your tickets in advance here with free cancellation options 24 hours before you go!

15. Melbourne Hidden Bar and Cocktail Tour

Melbourne’s laneways conceal lots of hidden gems, but this bar and cocktail tour helped us uncover some of them, with the help of a local guide! We found so many amazing spots that we would have missed by ourselves because as much as we love the lanes, they do tend to hide their treasures pretty well. 

We’ve mentioned a few different bar tours in this blog, but we think that this one is the best choice for anyone on a budget. It costs $89 AUD per person, and then we purchased our own drinks as we explored the laneways. This saved us money because we were able to opt for cheaper drinks rather than paying a lump sum for expensive cocktails and wines.

The price of the tour included some bar snacks along the way and we absolutely loved visiting all of the secret bars and speakeasies. Our guide, Ethan, also gave us a fun and informal history of the lanes along the way. He even gave us a map of some of Melbourne’s other hidden bars at the end, so we were able to carry on the night with our group! 

The tour runs from Thursday to Saturday and starts at 4:45 pm. It lasted for about three hours, and we got some wings and pizza along the way, but we’d recommend having a big meal at lunchtime to line your stomach properly beforehand!

Dates are limited, be sure to book this tour in advance so you don’t miss out!

16. Melbourne Magic Show: Impossible Occurrences

If you’re looking to have your mind blown, then the Impossible Occurrences magic show should do the trick. We were amazed from start to finish throughout this 80-minute magic show and time just flew by!

The surprises are half the fun so we won’t spoil too much, but it is mesmerizing and one of the most impressive magic shows we have ever seen. 

The show takes place every Friday night at the Marriott Hotel, and it’s a fairly small, intimate venue, which works perfectly since the magician, Luke, gets the crowd involved! We were impressed by how elegant the performance room was. Magic shows can sometimes be a bit tacky, but this was a really classy, old-school performance. I’m still trying to work out how he did it! 

Tickets for the show cost $40 AUD and I recommend booking in advance because they usually sell out. There are performances at 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm, and it’s best to arrive at the hotel 15 minutes early. We got there about half an hour early so that we had time to grab drinks beforehand to enjoy during the show. 

This show is likely to sell out – reserve your seats before you go here!

17. See a comedy show

Melbourne has a vibrant comedy scene and there are a couple of clubs worth checking out while you’re here. The Comic Lounge is one of our top choices, as it’s only a 5-minute drive or 25-minute walk from the CBD. It’s a big venue and they host comedy performances from Tuesday to Saturday every week. You can usually just turn up on the night but if you check the calendar and see something specific, you can grab tickets online in advance to secure your spot. 

Meanwhile, if you’re looking for some comedy on a Monday night, the Spleen Bar in the CBD hosts stand-up comedy every week! It’s a dive bar serving up great cocktails and yummy bar bites, so it’s a chilled-out place to enjoy a comedy show and lots of big names have performed here on their way up. 

Related Read: Traveling on a budget? Check out our free and cheap things to do in Melbourne blog for some fun activities that won’t break the bank!

18. See a show at the Paris Cat Jazz Club

There’s only one place for jazz in Melbourne: the Paris Cat Jazz Club! It was the city’s first jazz club and they’re open from Tuesday to Sunday, with four performances on Friday and Saturday nights.

We love the fun and lively atmosphere here and they have some great musicians, from talented tribute acts to well-known jazz musicians across the globe. 

Tickets are sold at the door, but you can reserve them in advance online if you’re worried about missing out – check their website here. There’s a tapas menu so you can grab a bite to eat here, and guests are seated during performances so it’s a very civilized affair!

We love live music so for us, this is an ideal spot to spend a night in Melbourne. It stays open until 10 pm most nights or until midnight on Saturday night. 

Other Things to do While You’re in Melbourne

Now that you have our top recommendations for things to do in Melbourne at night, it’s time to fill up your daytime agenda! There’s so much to do in this city, we wrote a full post about our can’t-miss Melbourne activities, but we’ll highlight the top five things to do here:

• Drive the Great Ocean Road – This 240-kilometer (150-mile) scenic drive follows the southern coastline and is one of the most epic things to do in Melbourne. We joined this guided tour so we could stop at the iconic areas, like the Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, and Apollo Bay, while someone else did the driving so we could enjoy the views! This day trip from the city was our favorite Melbourne experience. 

• Explore the Melbourne Gardens – The Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria was another great way to escape the city, without leaving the city itself. This garden is home to over 8,500 species of plants and has been around for over 170 years. It’s simply gorgeous, and spending a few hours strolling through the gardens makes for a lovely afternoon. There are often special events going on, so check the website here before you go!

• Rent a boat and float down the Yarra River – If you haven’t seen enough of the Yarra River yet, rent a boat and explore it for yourself! That’s right, you can be the captain of your own ship (more like a dingy) and spend 1 to 4 hours cruising the river. On a Boat rents the boats and they are really easy to use, you don’t even need a boating license!

• Explore St Kilda – This cute beach town is just 15 minutes from downtown Melbourne, and is a great place to grab a coffee and take in those ocean views! St Kilda is famous for its coffee scene, there are many to choose from – but our favorite is Galleon Cafe. If you’re visiting on the weekend, check out Esplanade Market for some unique souvenirs or Luna Park, super fun for families!

• Go on a wine tour – The stunning Yarra Valley wine region is just over an hour’s drive from Melbourne’s CBD, and we loved taking this full-day wine tour to check it out! In addition to wine tasting, we could choose to stop by a distillery, brewery, cheese factory, chocolate shop, or a cidery.

Where to Stay in Melbourne

After all these fun nighttime activities, you’ll need somewhere comfortable to rest up! Melbourne has heaps of accommodation options and there’s something to fit every budget. Check out our top picks from luxury hotels to budget-friendly hostels – here’s what you need to know!

The Langham Melbourne – $$$

For an elegant stay – think marble staircases, fountains, and chandeliers – The Langham Melbourne is the perfect place. The hotel is in the middle of Melbourne overlooking the Yarra River. You’ll get beautiful city views from the hotel’s restaurant and from the indoor pool. It’s also within walking distance of a number of top attractions.

Rooms here start at $300 – $400 AUD per night. Check availability and reserve a room here.

Grand Hotel Melbourne – $$

Stay in the Melbourne Central Business District at this historic hotel that has plenty of character. The studios and apartments at the Grand Hotel Melbourne give you more space than a typical hotel and even include a kitchen. You can also take advantage of the heated indoor pool and the fitness center with a sauna. Plus, it’s just a few minutes’ walk to Crown Casino, Southbank, Docklands, and more.

A studio starts at around $200 AUD per night and can be reserved through Booking.com here.

Space Hotel – $

You don’t have to sacrifice style for money at this hostel. The Space Hotel is a modern hostel with lots of extra guest amenities like a gym, a hot tub, and even a mini-theater. You can head to the rooftop terrace to relax and enjoy the views. The hostel is conveniently located in the Central Business District and is not far from the Queen Victoria Market and Chinatown.

Accommodation options include both private rooms and shared dorm rooms. A bed in a dorm starts at $55 AUD and private rooms begin at $100 AUD. You can reserve a spot in advance through Booking.com or Hostelworld.com.

Thanks for reading!

The fun doesn’t have to stop when the sun goes down, as you can see there is so much to do in Melbourne at night! We could have added even more to this list, but this is a great start, especially if you have limited time in the city.

If you found this blog helpful, be sure to read our other Australia blogs. We’ve traveled and lived all over this beautiful country and love helping plan your adventures. Check out these related reads before you go to inspire your travels!

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How to Spend 3 Days in Perth: An Itinerary from a Local!

Our One-Day Melbourne CBD Itinerary to See All the Sights!