
First drink included
The laneway bar tour
Most reviewed
- Length3.5 hours
- Bars4 independent
- GroupUp to 12
Guides
Language
Currency
Find open dates$90 and up · free cancelSpot your stop
Melbourne Independent Laneway Bar Tour with Drink Included
★ 4.9 · 558 written reviews
Summary
A walking bar tour in Melbourne leads you to laneway bars you would walk past, and on Friday and Saturday nights trains and some trams run all night.
Night essentials
Open 54 stops
Tap a route first, then a pin or stop, for its note and Google Maps.

The small park opposite the Hotel Windsor where some of the afternoon bar walks begin.
Google MapsListed as the oldest building in Melbourne, in a lane off Collins Street.
Google MapsA hotel built in 1861, before the station across the road.
Google MapsAbove the lane, a feathered portrait by Adnate and Shida from 2012; the container bar Section 8 below.
Google MapsRobot Bar, full of vintage Japanese robot figures.
Google MapsFashion, cake and a basement bar under the lane.
Google MapsArlechin takes no bookings: walk in from 5pm, Tuesday to Saturday.
Google MapsStreet art below, a piano bar upstairs.
Google MapsLive music and a late licence on AC/DC Lane.
Google MapsA 1929 theatre and one of the best places in the country for a live band.
Google Maps
Opposite Flinders Street Station: brunch tables down the middle of the lane, street art, and small shops such as a Florentine stationer.
Google MapsA narrow, crowded alley of cafes and bars; note the Spanish Moorish Majorca Building on the corner, from 1928.
Google MapsThe lane behind the Block Arcade; its line is the reason the arcade bends.
Google MapsNamed after the fabric factories of the 1860s, now small designer and shoe shops.
Google MapsThe old rag-trade lane, with the Nicholas Building at its Swanston Street end.
Google MapsThe city's best-known street art lane, repainted so often that pieces vanish overnight.
Google MapsAustralia's first street named after a rock band, with a lightning bolt instead of the slash.
Google MapsHome of the bar that started the laneway revival, with Mike Makatron's Jungle Funk mural at the entry.
Google MapsA long lane of outdoor tables and live music; Kirk's recalls its 1840s horse trading.
Google MapsA rare survivor of the industrial city, now green with plants and cafes.
Google Maps
Opposite Flinders Street Station: brunch tables down the middle of the lane, street art, and small shops such as a Florentine stationer.
Google MapsA narrow, crowded alley of cafes and bars; note the Spanish Moorish Majorca Building on the corner, from 1928.
Google MapsCrepes and banh mi, and a look up at Bible House of 1898.
Google MapsAn Art Deco arcade that opens into the Nicholas Building of 1926.
Google MapsNamed after the fabric factories of the 1860s, now small designer and shoe shops.
Google MapsGlass roof and a mosaic floor laid with tiles from Europe; the Collins Street side was finished in February 1892.
Google MapsAustralia's oldest surviving arcade, built in 1869; Gog and Magog have struck the hours since 1892.
Google MapsA long lane of outdoor tables and live music; Kirk's recalls its 1840s horse trading.
Google MapsStreet art below, a piano bar upstairs.
Google MapsA double-storey shipping container bar with a rooftop.
Google MapsArtist Mirka Mora once worked here; today the balconies spill greenery.
Google MapsCoffee roasters and a shop for shoes, haircuts and suits.
Google MapsA rainbow-lit arcade with a direct way into Emporium and the GPO.
Google MapsFashion, cake and a basement bar under the lane.
Google MapsA green wall leads to a lantern-lit pizzeria; Emporium's floors of shops are at the far end.
Google Maps
Glass roof and a mosaic floor laid with tiles from Europe; the Collins Street side was finished in February 1892.
Google MapsAustralia's oldest surviving arcade, built in 1869; Gog and Magog have struck the hours since 1892.
Google MapsEdwardian Baroque of 1911 linking Collins Street and Flinders Lane.
Google MapsAn Art Deco arcade that opens into the Nicholas Building of 1926.
Google MapsA 1924 cinema with lit ceilings by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin.
Google MapsArt Deco of 1932 and Melbourne's first building with escalators; mosaic arcade at street level.
Google MapsThe lane that leads to Presgrave Place, with a tiny vegan jaffle kiosk.
Google MapsA rainbow-lit arcade with a direct way into Emporium and the GPO.
Google MapsThe lane behind the Block Arcade; its line is the reason the arcade bends.
Google Maps
The city's best-known street art lane, repainted so often that pieces vanish overnight.
Google MapsOff Hosier Lane; even the bins here are painted over.
Google MapsAustralia's first street named after a rock band, with a lightning bolt instead of the slash.
Google MapsBig murals by Fintan Magee and Steen Jones, and one of the last Banksy rats.
Google MapsLisa King's giant sleeping woman on the wall of Brunetti.
Google MapsA miniature outdoor gallery of framed works on the walls.
Google MapsAbove the lane, a feathered portrait by Adnate and Shida from 2012; the container bar Section 8 below.
Google MapsA winding lane off Little Bourke Street with colourful murals.
Google MapsA tiled mosaic for Legacy House and a towering mural by Jaz Mishap at the end of the alley.
Google MapsNamed after Blender Studios, an early home of the city's street art scene, off Franklin Street.
Google MapsHome of the bar that started the laneway revival, with Mike Makatron's Jungle Funk mural at the entry.
Google Maps
Australia's oldest train station site; the present building was completed in 1910. Meet under the clocks.
Google MapsA hotel built in 1861, before the station across the road.
Google MapsCompleted in 1870 in bluestone and Tasmanian freestone; free tours are offered.
Google MapsAustralia's oldest surviving arcade, built in 1869; Gog and Magog have struck the hours since 1892.
Google MapsGlass roof and a mosaic floor laid with tiles from Europe; the Collins Street side was finished in February 1892.
Google MapsListed as the oldest building in Melbourne, in a lane off Collins Street.
Google MapsOpened in 1854; Ned Kelly's armour is on display.
Google MapsMelbourne's prison from 1845, run today by the National Trust.
Google MapsIts exhibition traces how the city boomed after the 1850s gold finds.
Google MapsArt Deco of 1932 and Melbourne's first building with escalators; mosaic arcade at street level.
Google Maps
A First Peoples arts centre founded in 1985, open daily from 10am.
Google MapsThe river camp installation: an eel path, message sticks and ancestor stones by the river.
Google MapsNamed after a Wurundjeri elder; voices play as you walk across.
Google MapsWhere people gathered from the 1890s to the 1960s to hear Aboriginal speakers.
Google MapsA traditional Kulin meeting place; a paving inlay reproduces a William Barak painting.
Google MapsA 31-storey building whose balconies form a portrait of William Barak.
Google MapsIndigenous art from the NGV collection at Federation Square.
Google MapsMeet at the Visitor Centre for the First Peoples-led plant walk, 10:45am on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
Google MapsBunjilaka, the place of Bunjil, inside Melbourne Museum.
Google Maps© OpenStreetMap contributors, map data
A walking bar tour in Melbourne gets you through doors you would walk past. Here is how the bar walks compare, which lanes come alive at night, and how to get home.
Editorial team, melbournelanewaystour.com · Updated November 8, 2026 · 7 min of reading
Quick look
Melbourne's best bars do not want to be found by accident. The City of Melbourne puts it simply: the bar scene rewards the curious, behind unmarked doors, at the top of stairwells and at the end of dark alleys.3 A shopfront can be a disguise. At Mill Place Merchants, what looks like a sewing shop hides a vintage speakeasy behind a mirrored wardrobe door.4
Some bars sit below the street. Beneath Driver Lane is a bar under a laneway, with over 400 bottles of spirits.5 Others hide in plain sight: Robot Bar, deep in Bligh Place, is decorated with vintage Japanese robot figurines, and Section 8 is a converted shipping container bar in a car park.6,7 Each one is easy to miss in daylight and obvious once you know where to look, which is the whole charm of drinking in the grid.
This is why a guided bar walk works so well here. The hard part of a night out is not choosing a drink but finding the door. A guide who walks you through the right alley at the right time turns a confusing grid into an evening that flows, and leaves you able to find your way back on your own. Take a bar walk on your first evening and the rest of the trip is for returning to the bars you liked best.
Bar walks side by side
| Walk | From | Time | Drinks | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laneway bar tour | $48 | 3.5 hrs | First drink | Gordon Reserve |
| Bars and stories | $62 | 3 hrs | A drink | Gordon Reserve |
| Hidden bar and cocktail | $62 | 3 hrs | Not stated | In the city |
| Bars and creepy tales | $46 | 3 hrs | Not stated | Queen Victoria Market |
| Weekly bar crawl | $18 | 5 hrs | 4 drinks | Inside the venue |
| Ghost walk | $27 | 1.5 hrs | None | Young and Jackson |
From prices and terms as each listing states them; the bar route of the laneway tour changes daily.
The walking bar tour in Melbourne with the most reviews is the Independent Laneway Bar Tour, with 558 reviews. Its route through 4 independent bars is chosen fresh each day, the first drink is poured at the opening bar, and the evening lasts 3.5 hours with up to 12 guests. It starts from $48, meets at Gordon Reserve opposite the Hotel Windsor and runs mid to late afternoon.
The Local Laneway Bars and Stories walk, sold on GetYourGuide, likewise includes a drink, meets at Gordon Reserve and runs 3 hours, from $62. The Hidden Bar and Cocktail Tour keeps a small group of up to 10 for 3 hours; its listing warns that many venues are reached only by stairs and asks you to bring photo identification.
For a looser night, a weekly bar crawl packs 4 venues, 4 drinks and club entry into 5 hours, from $18. The Hidden Bars and Creepy Tales walk starts at Queen Victoria Market and offers a free map of bars on request. A beer-focused walk in Parliament Gardens is for adults only: travellers under 18 years cannot join.
How long the night lasts
Durations as each listing states them.
The popular bars in Melbourne fall into a few tribes, and the oldest are pubs. The Mitre Tavern holds the listing as Melbourne's oldest building, and it has served alcohol for about 150 years.12,13 Young and Jackson has been serving since 1863, and the painting Chloe has hung on its walls since 1909.14 Captain Melville sits inside Mac's Hotel, a bluestone pub from 1853 that the city calls Melbourne's oldest.15
Then come the rooftops. Good Heavens is called the biggest rooftop bar in the CBD.16 Another rooftop is a Melburnian rite of passage, reached by seven flights of stairs or a grungy but working lift, and it is walk-in only.17 QT's rooftop bar sits on the 11th floor on Russell Street.18 Rooftops fill fast on warm evenings, so go early for the sunset or book where booking is possible.
The laneway bars are the third tribe, and the one that defines the city at night. Bar Ampere serves late-night snacks until 3am, seven nights a week.10 Arlechin in Mornane Place takes no bookings: walk in from 5pm, Tuesday to Saturday.8 On Warburton Lane, good nights end around the piano at Murmur Piano Bar.19 Small rooms like these fill quickly, so arrive early or be ready to move on to the next lane.
Choose your night
Pick the line closest to the night you have in mind.
If I want great small bars I would never find
The laneway bar tour
A fresh route each day through 4 independent bars.
If I want a party on a budget
The weekly bar crawl
Club entry plus 4 drinks at 4 venues, all in 5 hours.
If I want cocktails in a small group
The hidden bar and cocktail tour
Up to 10 people for 3 hours; bring photo ID.
If I do not drink
The ghost walk
1.5 hours of stories from the Young and Jackson Hotel.
If I want live music
AC/DC Lane and the music walk
The free self-guided music walk is approximately 3.5km.11
Three kinds of night

First drink included
Most reviewed

Club entry included
Budget night out

Stories after dark
No drinking needed
Music is the other half of the night. The City of Melbourne says the city counts more live music venues per person than anywhere else in the world.1 Its free music walk runs for about 3.5km, roughly 90 minutes on foot, taking in concert halls and back lanes.11 Walk it in the late afternoon and you will finish just as the first sets start, with a list of rooms to come back to after dinner.
The heart of it is AC/DC Lane, which became the first Australian street named for a rock band; naming rules do not allow a slash, so the city added the giant lightning bolt.30 Cherry Bar there has live music and a late-night licence and is a favourite of touring musicians.92 Among the bigger Melbourne live music venues, the Forum was built in 1929, and Curtin House on Swanston Street, an Art Nouveau building from 1923, hosts The Toff in Town.93,95
Music here has a political edge too. In 2010 the SLAM rally put an impromptu concert on the steps of Parliament House to protest rules that were forcing city music venues to close.96 And the street is a stage: the Pierce Brothers and Tash Sultana once busked in Bourke Street Mall, where Tones and I also got her start.97,98
Price the night
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ViewFrom-prices on GetYourGuide, shown at the ECB reference rate. Your exact price is confirmed during booking.
A night in the laneways
Mid afternoon
Gordon Reserve, opposite the Hotel Windsor.
From 5pm
Arlechin opens its doors from 5pm, Tuesday to Saturday.8
After 10pm
Gimlet's cheeseburger is only served after 10pm.9
Until 3am
Bar Ampere serves snacks until 3am, seven nights a week.10
Fri and Sat
Trains and some trams run through the night.2
Chinatown is the easiest place to begin an evening. Little Bourke Street is only the start: a maze of laneways and alleys leads to tiny bars and iconic restaurants.99 A short walk east, the Princess Theatre faces Parliament and is said to be haunted by an opera-singing ghost called Federici.100 A show at the theatre and a drink in a nearby lane make an easy evening at this end of town.
Some bars tell the city's history as they pour. Yarra Falls takes its name from a waterfall that was an important Indigenous meeting place and was still blasted away in 1883, and a water feature behind the bar recalls it.101 Stories like that are what a guide adds to a drink, and they are what you remember the next day.
If you prefer stories to cocktails, the Ghosts, Murder and Mystery walk gathers at the Young and Jackson Hotel for 1.5 hours, rain or shine, from $27. Pair it with an early dinner in the laneways, and you will have seen the city in both its moods. It is also the gentlest option for a mixed group where not everyone wants a late night.
Video

WAY AWAY on YouTube · The video stays unloaded until you press play.
Down a dark alley, up a stairwell or behind an unmarked door - Melbourne's bar scene rewards the intrepid.
Carry photo ID on any night out. The Hidden Bar and Cocktail Tour asks guests to bring photo identification to prove legal drinking age, and a beer walk turns away travellers under 18 years. Keep the document on you all evening rather than in the hotel safe, since a new venue can ask again at the door.
Door staff decide who goes in. The weekly bar crawl tells guests to dress for bars, since entry is at the discretion of the door staff. Neat and casual clothes suit most laneway bars. Dress up a little for a cocktail bar or a rooftop, and keep a jacket handy for the walk between venues, since the evening air in the lanes can turn cool quickly.
Think about access before you book. Many hidden bars are reached only by stairs, which the cocktail tour states plainly. The Local Laneway Bars and Stories walk is marked wheelchair accessible. In an emergency anywhere in Australia, the number to call is 000.102 Save it before you go out, along with your hotel address, and agree a meeting point with friends in case the group splits up between bars.
Getting home is simple if you check the clock. Trams normally run from 5am until midnight on Monday to Thursday, and later on Friday and Saturday nights.94 On Fridays and Saturdays, trains and some trams and buses run through the night.2 On a weeknight, though, the last tram matters: check your route home before the third bar, not after the fifth, and keep a little battery for the journey planner.
No ticket is needed for trams inside the free zone, which spans the central grid and Docklands between Spring, Flinders and La Trobe streets.103 Outside it you need a myki, and failing to show a valid one to an inspector can lead to a fine.104 Touch on at the start of each trip.105 Choosing a hotel inside the zone means the walk home is short and the tram ride, when you need one, is free.
If your flight leaves early, Skybus leaves every 15 minutes from 4am to 1am, and the trip takes about 35 minutes.106 A taxi between the city and the airport costs about AUD 60.107 Plan the last bar around the last tram, and the night ends as well as it began. Taxis and rideshare are the fallback if you miss it, and the walk from most central hotels is short anyway.
FAQ
Yes: the laneway bar tour covers 4 independent bars across 3.5 hours, with the first drink included.
The small park opposite the Hotel Windsor; look for a guide with a blue umbrella.
The laneway bar tour runs from mid to late afternoon.
One bar tour asks for photo identification to prove legal drinking age.
Trams normally run 5am to midnight Monday to Thursday, later on Friday and Saturday.94
Trains and some trams and buses run through the night on Fridays and Saturdays.2
Sources
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