Melbourne

Pub Crawls & Bar Tours

Melbourne is one of the world's great bar cities, but you'll have hard time finding these bars. Tourists frequent Flinders Street, Swanston Street, and Elizabeth Street — places that can be the worst tourists traps in Melbourne.  To find the truly great bars, you must venture out into the areas your mother told you to avoid — dark, dingy, scary laneways. Inside, you'll find secret speakeasies, some marked only by a simple light post. Some bars masquerade as something else, and access is only granted if you know the secret password.  These bars don't advertise because they don't need to — word of mouth carries their business. To find the best bars of the moment, you need a local with a finger on the pulse of what's hot...  Join your local guide and discover 4 great bars in 3 hours. Get access to drink specials available only for your group. Meet local bartenders and bar owners and hear about what makes them so passionate. Get a special, customized map with recommendations for other bars to visit in Melbourne. Whatever you do, come thirsty!

Begin your tour at the Sir William Clarke Memorial next to the Old Treasury Building — a symbolic area of Melbourne and home to its Parliament. The order of the venues may change, but together with your guide you will visit a variety of favorite local watering holes. These may include a classic craft beer establishment, a laneway bar, a hidden speakeasy, and a rooftop bar.  Everyone has their favorite drink but you’ll be encouraged to try something different on this tour. Never tried whiskey? You'll be taken to a place where you can discover its charms. Want to check out some local wines? With the Yarra Valley just a stone’s throw away, it would be a sin not to taste some of the delectable wines in the region. The craft beer scene is currently exploding in Melbourne yet beer has always had a rich history in the city. You’ll learn about the standard pour sizes of Victorian beers and how beer nearly led to all alcohol being banned during the gold rush. Visit some of Melbourne’s most popular bars and have the opportunity to try concoctions from the following: A classic Aussie pub. Throw back a pot or a pint, as here’s where you’ll learn about the standard pour sizes of Victorian beers.A cocktail bar. Melbourne has some of the best mixologists around, but most of them are hidden in tiny, hidden cocktail bar laneways and survive on word of mouth alone. Visit a speakeasy-style bar and learn about how and why Melbourne’s laneway scene developed.Rooftop bars are a favorite place for Melbournians to gather and not just in summer. During winter, some rooftops add a marquee and heaters and carry on regardless. You’ll visit one of the most eclectic rooftop bars in the city.

Calling all beer fanatics! Looking for the perfect beer tour in Melbourne? You got it. Explore the best of the Melbourne brew scene on this thirst-quenching beer odyssey. Meet your guide in the up-and-coming Smith Street Precinct, and head straight to the first pub - no messing about! As you sip your first tasty brew, discover the roguish history of Melbourne's favorite drink, including alcohol bans at football matches and the famous "six o’clock swill." Sample some of Australia's finest tipples at the next bar which specializes in Aussie-made libations, then head to an increasingly renowned microbrewery to savor a cold one while watching the brewers at work. This unique place also makes its own gin, coffee and cheese! Finally discover secret watering holes at Melbourne's Laneway craft beer hotspot. From here you can carry on your evening with some recommendations from our local guide, or if you’re in too much of a beer/food coma, your guide will also be able to point you in the direction of your accommodation.

Explore the eastern side of the Melbourne Central Business District, home to some of our most famous and interesting laneways. This is the side of Melbourne most tourists and some locals never see.  Learn about the earliest founders, the cause of Melbourne love affair – and later fall out – with drinking, the rise of street art, a tragic case of miscarried justice, the 1851 gold rush, secret men’s clubs, and much more. Stop for drinks at three of Melbourne’s best bars, plus pass by a dozen or so more for you to jot down and visit another time. Spend about 30-45 minutes in each bar so you are not feeling rushed. Finally, receive a mystery gift at the end of the tour.

Join an experienced guides on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night and taste a great cocktail in one of Melbourne’s hidden bars. Many of the best bars in the city are easily overlooked if you don’t already know where they are. A plain doorway could lead to a venue with a great vibe and wonderful drinks. Let MELTours show you what many people often miss. Discover the hidden bar culture with an experienced guides and visit a number of venues around the city center where you'll be treated to 2 complimentary, fabulous cocktails. During the course of the evening you will visit up to 10-15 bars as the guides usually select venues during the tour depending on the group. The best size being 9 where you'll have access to all of the city center venues. Get ready to see a more interesting and alternative side of Melbourne.