Ultimate Melbourne Walking Tour: History, Laneways & Culture

This was such a great introduction to Melbourne, I would strongly recommend to any visitors, thank you Hugo.

Excellent tour led by a knowledgeable guide. Tailored to our interest yet comprehensive and gave us a good understanding of Melbourne’s history. Thank you!

Great tour Hugo was great took us around all the inner city of Melbourne streets that we would never have found and gave loads of interesting information about the beginnings of Melbourne. We sopped for a drink which he took care of and never felt like we had walked for 3-4 hours ! So fun highly recommend Depot Adventures .

Great tour and loved our very engaging tour guide, John! We would have loved to have seen the Regent Theatre on the tour as well as St. Patrick's. But overall, the tour is a great overview of the city and all it offers.

Traveled solo to Melbourne for the first time and could not have chosen a better way to learn about the city - Our tour guide - Emily was extremely knowledgable and helpful during the tour. I met some amazing people and some key highlights included learning about the history of this city , visiting the street art-filled laneways and trying out Melbourne coffee. Highly recommend this city walking tour if you don't have much time to plan your own, have limited time in the city or are looking for an experienced local who can point out all the must-see spots like Emily did . Thank you Emily !

Great 3 hour walk through Melbourne starting at Gordon Reserve, coffee, Melbourne lanes and graffiti, trams, Royal Arcade and the Victoria Market ending with a beer at Bricklane brewing. Just the right amount of history with very little political commentary for context. Great job providing an intro to Melbourne.

A great way to learn about the history of the city, visit landmarks and the lane ways, as well as being introduced to the coffee culture of Melbourne. Bo was so knowledgeable about different aspects of the city - a great guide. We had a small group, which allowed for questions and sharing thoughts.

An excellent walking tour of Melbourne. Emily was a superb guide, extremely knowledgeable and a great story teller. Thank you Emily.

Hugo was an excellent guide. We really got to know the city. And we have enjoyed trying many of his recommendations.

Fortunately, it’s a big umbrella and Hugo is tall, so you won’t lose sight of him as he leads you thru Melbourne’s lanes and arcades. Very informative plus you get a coffee (try the Melbourne Magic) and a beer and some exercise as well. Who could ask for more?

A very laid-back exploration of Melbourne city streets and laneways. Our guide Hugo was very friendly and knowledgeable, and brought the group together to make for a very interesting, casual tour with highlights being the graffiti lanes and backstreets, with plenty of stops along the way to check out unusual local shops and eateries. Highly recommend!

We don’t usually do walking tours but was recommended this one after chatting to a couple from USA so thought we would give it a go! Beau was a great guide and had the right balance of humour and information. A good pace and plenty opportunities for photos. Finished at a pub with an opportunity to purchase food at good value. Group size was just right amongst the busy streets and would certainly try another one to get more insight than doing it yourself!

Our guide(Beau) was great! He was funny and was able to answer all of our questions. Learned a lot about Melbourne history. Only downfall was for the most part presented from colonial point of view. I understand why but readers need to know other tours are available from an aboriginal perspective (I didn’t) so they can allow time to book both.

You couldn't have a more knowledgable, entertaining or charming guide than Beau! A quintessential Melbournian who brought his amazing city to life for us - we enjoyed every minute in every corner, building and lane way! Don't miss this must do way to experience a taste of Melbourne!

Great tour, Emily our guide was superb & we learned so much about Melbourne we want to return already! The art in the lanewaays was stunning & without the tour we’d have passed it by. Beautiful city with plenty to do & wonderful coffee

Beau did an amazing job presenting the history, laneways and culture of Melbourne. His presentation was clear, concise and very informative. I really came away with a far deeper understanding of Melbourne. As a serious photography hobbyist, Beau’s organization of the sites that we visited presented me with the opportunity to capture some amazing images. Thank you Beau for guiding this tour. I heartedly recommend this tour for anybody planning to visit Melbourne.

We had a wonderful tour with our guide, Scott, and six other people. Scott has a great sense of humor and told us stories of the history, famous places and people of Melbourne and Australia. We ended the tour at Captain Melvin's, a pub/restaurant, for lunch. Scott treated to our first drink. Captain Melvin's has a "tourist lunch" sampler platter of kangaroo, emu and wild boar that several people tired and they shared a bite with the rest of us so we could say we tried them. The walk was easy, the pace relaxing, and Scott pointed out interesting places, like a secret speakeasy down one of the lanes. At the end of the tour Scott gave us a map that showed the places we had seen as well as other suggestions of things we might like to do and see.

Meeting place was very easy to find. As it turned out only 3 of us were on this tour, the tour guide Emily making it 4. It therefore felt a very personal tour of the city. I doubt I would have seen half the amount had I done a tour myself. Was never expecting to see Ned Kelly's suit of armer for example, that was really unexpected. And Emily's knowledge of the local history was great, I learnt lots. I didn't know for example that Australia was the first country to introduce full voting rights for all men, regardless of whether they owned property. A fact I learnt on this tour. It was great that the tour ended at a bar restaurant, especially one which gave us the opportunity to try out some uniquely Australian food, Kangeroo Pie and Emu are not something you would normally find on the average menu. Anyway I would definately recommend this tour.

Great walking tour with John. Come prepared with a jacket n an umbrella for a fine tour of Melbourne

An excellent tour - John was fantastic. Excellent knowledge of the Australian history and Melbourne. Particularly enjoyed hearing about the growth of Melbourne. His recommendations for shopping and places to eat were excellent. The itinerary took us to a number of very interesting areas. Highly recommend Depot Adventures - John made the tour very enjoyable.

AMAZING! Great way to get a taster of Melbourne. Our guide was brilliant, passionate and informative. Highly recommend.

Great experience to get acquainted with Melbourne its history and present day culture and vibe. A quick highlight that gives you the tools to check out more.

Delightful, informative and fun walk through Melbourne’s central district. Hugo was awesome - kept our attention for the three plus hours.

Beau did a great job of making history, architecture, and culture come alive. He took us to some of the most interesting spots I’ve seen in my two days in Melbourne. Plus an experiential visit to coffee culture and Australian beer — a great tour!

My tour guide Hugo did a great job! He was very knowledgeable, professional, and communicated very well. He did everything on the itinerary as expected. Highly recommend him, the tour company, and the tour.

This walking tour was the perfect amount of time. The tour gave us a glimpse into the various parts of the city with some great commentary on the history and culture. The coffee and pub drinks were very tasty. Hugo was very friendly and extremely knowledgeable in Melbourne. He was very attentive to his guests to ensure everyone had an enjoyable experience.

Great insight into Melbourne history and sights. Fantastic for Australian residents and overseas visitors

My sister and I were really impressed with Emily our tour guide. The tour was well thought out, relaxed, informative and hugely enjoyable. Emily was humorous, amazingly educated, flexible and comfortable within her role. Definitely recommend this tour and especially Emily. Emily clearly had a lot respect for aboriginal culture and showed consideration of the multiculturalism of Melbourne highlighting small family and women owned businesses. I learnt so much about the history and culture of Melbourne. Thank you :)

A good learning experience, lots of walking and Street art, some amazing architecture. Well worth it. Would recommend.

This was a great experience to learn about Melbourne! It was great to learn by walking and seeing the sites. Beau was knowledgeable and fun.

Excellent insights into the history and hidden gems of Melbourne and Victoria. Places and stories that you would never find without such a wonderful guide

Be prepared for weather changes, wear comfortable walking shoes as it’s a good walk of about 7000 steps.

This trip is an ex excellent culture and history adventure in Melbourne. Emily was a wonderful guide and gave great information and recommendations for further exploring. Well worth doing this tour.

An absolute An absolute 5 star tour. So pleased that we did it. Our guide, Emily, was a delight, so clear, natural and knowledgeable about Melbourne. Some tours can sound a bit ‘AI generated’, but not Emily. Even better was her respectful explanations of Australia’s Indigenous people and the many cultures and nationalities that make up today’s Melbourne. Such a pleasure to hear. The three hours flew past and yet we saw and learned so much of the City of Melbourne. The Laneways coffee and finish at the lovely old pub were great touches. If you are here for a holiday, this is the perfect tour to do on day 1. For the rest of your stay, you will never wonder about where to go, eat, visit or whatever. A joy of a walking tour. 👏👏👏

An absolute An absolute 5 star tour. So pleased that we did it. Our guide, Emily, was a delight, so clear, natural and knowledgeable about Melbourne. Some tours can sound a bit ‘AI generated’, but not Emily. Even better was her respectful explanations of Australia’s Indigenous people and the many cultures and nationalities that make up today’s Melbourne. Such a pleasure to hear. The three hours flew past and yet we saw and learned so much of the City of Melbourne. The Laneways coffee and finish at the lovely old pub were great touches. If you are here for a holiday, this is the perfect tour to do on day 1. For the rest of your stay, you will never wonder about where to go, eat, visit or whatever. A joy of a walking tour. 👏👏👏

Hugo was a great guide and I throughly enjoyed the whole tour. We learned a lot of fun and interesting things about the city and saw many places I wouldn’t have found on my own, for certain! I would highly recommend taking this tour in the first day of your visit because it gives you a great baring of the city and a list of fun places to come back and visit after the tour!

Really good experience, great guide, met cool people and did some great exploring. I recommend doing this tour as soon as you get here!

Great tour, Beau was awesome... remember its a walking tour, and ya do get around... but its awesome.

I do these walking tours in every city I visit. This one was another great one. What made this special is our guide. Hugo, is such a passionate soul , his story telling and ability to interact with each and everyone made it fun and personal. The same buildings and alleys that I’d crossed over the last few days were now taking to me. The time just passed by. The coffee break and the wrap up at the pub makes it so perfect.

Wonderful tour! Fun and informative. Hugo was terrific! Definitely recommend!

Charismatic and friendly guide (Hugo). Excellent introduction to Melbourne and its history (Do this tour at the start of your vacation). Good recommendations for bars, eateries, and activities. Not super strenuous. Good pace for seniors (which I am) even with bad knees (which I have).

Hugo was a top notch tour guide. As part of it all we explored both new and old parts of the city got to experience, local cuisine, local , and a willingness to answer all of our questions. We got to taste modern Melbourne, but also experience history. One of our party had mobilities issues and he worked in seamlessly so that she was able to have the full experience. To top it off many hours after our tour ended I was taking pictures of myself near the state library. He recognized me came over offered to take a picture, remembered where I was from, and worked it in with a brief introduction to the current group. I would definitely take a tour led by him again.

Guide was incredible- knowledgeable and welcoming. The tour took us to lots of local favorites and not the touristy traps. 1000% recommend.

We had a wonderful walking tour today with Hugo. Was an exceptional guide with detailed information about Melbourne landmarks and history. Is great value for a 3 hour guided tour with coffee and beer at a couple of stops along the way. Highly recommended. Thanks very much Hugo.

Excellent tour. Easy walking. Time to explore. Fun guide. Great sights!! Hugo was fun and did introductions at the beginning which is so important.

An amazing way to walk around the CBD and learn about the history and inner secrets of Melbourne. Hugo was an amazing guide, patiently answering all our questions and taking care of us. The group was small and vibrant which enhanced the overall experience. The stopovers for coffee.and drinks is well timed and conveniently handled by the organizers. We were lucky that the weather on the day was perfect for the tour. Definitely a must do when visiting Melbourne for the first time.

Tour guide was excellent (i absolutely forgot his name). But, he was very knowledgeable of the city, its history; the great places to see/visit. It is a tour I have recommended to others.

Beau was a great guide and showed us the true Melbourne. Quirky laneways and grand arcades were part of the tour. The coffee break and the beer at the end of the tour were great ways to relax with the other participants.

John was an amazing guide. He made the tour feel like a stroll through the city with a friend. He gave a ton of details and tips that only the locals would know which made the rest of our trip even better. Pace was good and he really tailored the experience to the interests of our small group (in the rain!!). The only thing I’d do differently is book this sooner in my trip so that I have all the insights during our visit.