The best city walks in Melbourne

Melbourne has won the “World’s Most Liveable City” award so many times that they almost stopped making the list. There’s lots that contributes to this, but one of the biggest reasons is that the entire place is covered in parks! 

With almost 480 hectares of parkland scattered across the city, you’re not short on options for short city walks. Add the fact that the metropolis is covered in street art, then you've got a terrific place to get lost. Melbourne is covered in walking trails, parks and gardens and all sorts of popular walks. But here are a few of our favourites.

The Tan Track

If you’re reading this article as a Melburnian then you may as well skip to our next walk. You undoubtedly already know all about The Tan. 

For everyone else, The Tan is an absolutely iconic short track around the Royal Botanical Gardens. Originally this track was constructed for horses in the early 1900s but has since become a special part of Melbourne’s CBD. 

The walk starts on the south-side of the Yarra River before making a lap around the Botanical Gardens, so the scenery you’ll see along the way is very pretty! This track is now iconic for runners and is now lit up the majority of the day and night. Which makes it the perfect option to get your steps up whenever you feel like it.

The Yarra Trail

Sitting at 18km each way, The Yarra Trail certainly isn’t the easiest track you’ll ever walk. But by all means don’t let the length dissuade you. As you can take the track both ways you can easily join and leave at any point along the way. On top of that, it’s flat as anything so easy to walk and has a bunch of activities available along the way. 

The track starts at Southbank in the CBD and makes its way up all the way around Yarra Bend Park, Warrigal Park, Birrarung Park and Westerfolds Park. This walk is your chance to get a bit of a nature break, only a short walk away from the city.

Yarra River short city loop

Want to have a riverside walk but don’t want to hoof it 18km up the road on The Yarra Trail? Then the Short City Loop is for you! 

This walk starts at Flinders St Station right in the heart of the city. Take this opportunity to take in the hustle and bustle of the city. Melbourne is regularly the world’s most livable city, and the atmosphere around Flinders St is a good example why. 

Head out the station and take a right, past Federation Square. Here you’ll cross the river for the first time. Head down along the Southbank boardwalk. As a side note, if you can make it the whole way to the next point of this walk without stopping, we’ll be very impressed. Southbank is covered with amazing bars, shops and restaurants. So go exploring! From there you’ll come up to the Crown Casino where it’s time to cross the bridge again.

The other side, while quieter, is almost as vibrant as Southbank! Head back towards Flinders St Station and take it all in along the way. 

Port Melbourne to St Kilda 

We LOVE this walk! It’s one of those ones where you’ll just get lost in the sunshine taking in the views of the Melbourne Docks. Then all of a sudden you’ll have arrived in St Kilda with a bit of a sweat on and 10,000 steps on your Fitbit thinking “how did that happen?” 

Along the way are a plethora of cafes and lifesaving clubs, so take a break to take it all in! You’ll also get to see some of Melbourne’s Iconic heritage architecture and if you go on the right day, you’ll finish with the markets in St Kilda (and might get to witness a drum circle on the beach). 

Start at Port Melbourne’s foreshore and follow your nose. There’s a path the whole way, so if you get lost, something has gone terribly terribly wrong. 

Dights Falls Trail - Yarra Bend Park

Just outside the CBD in Fairfield lies this absolute hidden gem of a track. A few steps in and you’ll immediately forget about the rat race and start to reconnect with nature. At only 4km’s long, this is the ultimate citytrack escape. 

This track starts at Kanes bridge and follows the gorgeous Yarra River along to the falls. Chances are, you’ll enjoy this walk so much that you’ll continue strolling and end up checking out the entirety of this epic park. 

Even though we’ve outlined a few of the best places to go strolling around Melbourne in this article. Our favourite thing about Melbourne is it’s “getlostability” (how easily it is to get lost because you’re absolutely loving your surroundings) 

 

If you’re just discovering Melbourne our number 1 top recommendation is to strap on a pair of good quality walking shoes (so you can go as far as you like without worrying about your feet) from Vitasole and go discover it your own way. 

If you’re a Melbournian, our second favourite thing about Melbourne is that just when you think you’ve seen it all, you discover something amazing. Our advice for you is to do exactly the same but take the road less travelled. You never know what you might find!