City weekend: Melbourne on the Yarra.

Who it suits

This trip suits anyone with two or three days and no wish to hire a car. The galleries, the river and the evening precinct at Crown Melbourne are all within walking distance of the Southbank hotels.

Stay in one of the three Crown hotels if you want the shortest way home. Stay in one of the apartment hotels ten minutes away if you want a kitchen.

Getting there

• Melbourne Airport at Tullamarine is 22 km from the city.
• No train or tram runs to the airport. The Skybus links it with Southern Cross Station every 15 minutes between 4 am and 1 am, and the trip takes about 35 minutes.
• Trams are free inside the central city and Docklands zone. Outside it you need a myki card.
• Pack layers and an umbrella. Melbourne's weather is known for being unpredictable.

By day

• Arts Centre Melbourne, under its spire, holds the Theatres Building and Hamer Hall and stages more than 1,000 performances and events a year.
• NGV International on St Kilda Road shows the National Gallery of Victoria's European, Asian, Oceanic and American art.
• Melbourne Skydeck in Southbank has the highest observation deck in the southern hemisphere.
• Southgate, on the Yarra opposite Flinders Street Station, is a riverside dining precinct on three levels.
• Laneways such as Hosier Lane, with their street art and hidden cafes, are among the city's best known experiences.
• The free City Circle tram loops the centre with a historical commentary.