Hosier Lane is the most famous and most photographed, with legal graffiti walls that change constantly. It sits just off Flinders Street, an easy walk from the CBD.
Discover Local Melbourne: What to Do Around Mercure Welcome Melbourne
At Mercure, we believe you shouldn't need a guidebook to feel like you belong somewhere. That's the idea behind Discover Local: since 1973, every Mercure hotel has been built around its neighbourhood, not just dropped into it — from the décor on the walls to the flavours on the menu. Step into any Mercure and our teams are on hand with the kind of tips you won't find in a guidebook: the market stall locals queue for, the bar where nobody speaks English, the walk that skips the crowds. They live here. They know. Discover Local isn't a generic city guide — it's a short, honest list of the restaurants, markets and neighbourhoods our own hotel teams actually recommend to guests, updated as the city changes around us. Below, you'll find our picks for Melbourne, an interactive map to help you find your way, and answers to the questions travellers ask us most. So — where will Discover Local take you?
Melbourne in 5 picks
Degraves Street
A narrow laneway packed with tiny cafes spilling tables onto the cobblestones. This is where Melbourne's coffee obsession lives — order a flat white and watch the city walk past at eye level.
Hosier Lane
Wall-to-wall street art that changes constantly, layered spray paint over spray paint. Come with no plan and just look up — some of the best pieces are on the walls you'd otherwise walk straight past.
Queen Victoria Market
Melbourne's oldest market, running since the 1870s, with produce halls, deli stalls and a Wednesday night market in summer with food trucks and live music. Go hungry and graze your way through.
Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
One of the world's largest cricket grounds and the spiritual home of Australian Rules football. Even outside match days, the stadium tour walks you through the members' areas and the sport museum.
Chapel Street
A strip of fashion boutiques set inside 19th-century buildings in South Yarra, mixing independent designers with trend-setting restaurants. It's a longer trip from the CBD but worth it for an afternoon of browsing.
FAQ
Yes — Melbourne's Chinatown on Little Bourke Street is one of the oldest Chinatowns in the Western world and is packed with restaurants ranging from quick yum cha to sit-down banquets.
On foot and without a fixed route. The laneways branching off Bourke Street and Flinders Lane hold most of the hidden cafes, bars and street art, and they're best discovered by wandering rather than following a map.
Where to sleep
See Mercure hotels in Melbourne, all within reach of these picks.