Visiting Melbourne with kids
Melbourne with kids is a city of close-together museums, gardens and river paths, with bay beaches a tram ride away. Weather changes fast, so each plan here has an indoor stop or two and the rainy-day plan stands on its own.
Pick a day
Each plan is five or six stops in a sensible order, with the photo, price, ages and hours pulled from the listing itself. Mix and match: a rainy-day stop fits any day.
Your first day
Your first day in Melbourne with kids
A first day in Melbourne with kids: Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne Museum, the Royal Botanic Gardens, SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium and the NGV.
5 stops · starts at Queen Victoria Market
A rainy day
A rainy day in Melbourne with kids
A wet day in Melbourne with kids: Melbourne Museum, the NGV, Entermission VR escape rooms, Kingpin Crown and the Melbourne Star wheel.
5 stops · starts at Melbourne Museum
A beach day
A beach day in Melbourne with kids
A beach day in Melbourne with kids: Williamstown Beach, Port Melbourne Beach, South Melbourne Beach, Maritime Cove playground and MSAC's wave pool.
5 stops · starts at Williamstown Beach
A free day out
A free day out in Melbourne with kids
A free day in Melbourne with kids: Royal Botanic Gardens, ACMI at Fed Square, the free City Circle Tram, The District Docklands and Dights Falls.
5 stops · starts at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne
With toddlers
Melbourne with toddlers and under-5s
Melbourne with toddlers: Ron Barassi Senior Park, SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium, Fitzroy Swimming Pool, Billy Lids Playland and Middle Park Beach.
5 stops · starts at Ron Barassi Senior Park
With teenagers
Melbourne with teenagers
Melbourne with teenagers: Melbourne Skydeck, Kingpin Crown, ArtVo, The Mystery Rooms escape rooms and BOUNCE Inc trampolines in Glen Iris.
5 stops · starts at ArtVo
Melbourne with kids at a glance
| Best for | Families who like museums, food and a city base; strong in any weather |
|---|---|
| How long | 4 days (museums day, bay day, Dandenongs or Phillip Island day, zoo or aquarium day) |
| Best time | March to May for settled weather; summer for the bay; winter is fine because so much is indoors |
| Budget tip | Museums are free for under-16s, the galleries are free, the bay beaches and parks are free; the zoo, aquarium and Puffing Billy are the paid days |
| Rainy day backup | Melbourne Museum and Scienceworks, ACMI, the aquarium, the State Library |
| Getting around | Trams and trains on a myki card; the free tram zone covers the CBD. A car for Phillip Island, the Dandenongs and the surf coast |
When to go: seasons and busy times in Melbourne
The next school holidays run 19 Dec 2026 to 27 Jan 2027 (Victorian Department of Education); that is when the big-name places are busiest and accommodation costs most.
| Season | Months | Best for | How busy | Parent tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | Dec–Feb | Bay beaches, splash parks, Dandenong walks on cooler days | Busy | Forty-degree days arrive with no warning. Water play in the morning, a free gallery or library after lunch. |
| Autumn | Mar–May | Botanic gardens, Yarra walks, the Dandenongs in colour | Steady | Melbourne's most reliable weather. Mild, still days and the bay is still warm enough in March. |
| Winter | Jun–Aug | Free museums and galleries, indoor play at libraries, puddle walks | Quiet | Cold and grey but rarely wet all day. Dress for it and the playgrounds are empty. |
| Spring | Sep–Nov | Gardens, wildflower walks, the first beach days | Steady | Four seasons in a day; pack a jumper and a hat. The spring school holidays are busy at the city attractions. |
Worth the trip: what families rate highest in Melbourne
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Queen Victoria Market Melbourne
Queen Victoria Market is Melbourne's historic marketplace, trading since 1878 on the edge of the CBD.
★ 4.5 (61,047)
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National Gallery of Victoria Melbourne
The National Gallery of Victoria has two venues: NGV International at 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, and The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia at Federation Square.
★ 4.7 (25,095)
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Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne South Yarra
Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, on Birdwood Avenue on the edge of the CBD, covers 38 hectares with more than 8,500 plant species.
★ 4.8 (19,703)
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Melbourne Museum Carlton
Melbourne Museum is a natural and cultural history museum in Carlton Gardens, offering exhibits that explore human history, life sciences, Indigenous cultures, and…
★ 4.6 (18,921)
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Melbourne Skydeck Southbank
Melbourne Skydeck is the observation deck on Level 88 of Eureka Tower in Southbank, which it describes as the highest in the Southern Hemisphere.
★ 4.5 (17,623)
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Werribee Open Range Zoo Werribee South
Werribee Open Range Zoo, run by Zoos Victoria, is about 35km west of Melbourne off K Road, Werribee South, and is open daily 9am to 5pm with last entry at 3.30pm.
★ 4.5 (16,072)
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Peninsula Hot Springs Fingal
Peninsula Hot Springs is a geothermal mineral springs venue at Fingal on the Mornington Peninsula.
★ 4.5 (15,183)
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Healesville Sanctuary Healesville
Healesville Sanctuary is a Zoos Victoria native wildlife sanctuary on Badger Creek Road, Healesville, about an hour's drive from the Melbourne CBD through the Yarra…
★ 4.6 (11,557)
The free days
Six free places parents rate highest. All free things to do in Melbourne.
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Dights Falls Abbotsford
Dights Falls, at 112A Trenerry Crescent, Abbotsford, is a heritage site on the Yarra River where an artificial weir crosses a natural rock bar.
★ 4.6 (351)
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1000 Steps Kokoda Track Memorial Walk Upper Ferntree Gully
The 1000 Steps, officially the Kokoda Track Memorial Walk, is a steep walking track in Dandenong Ranges National Park.
★ 4.7 (2,157)
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Williamstown Beach Williamstown
Williamstown Beach is a clean, wide sandy Port Phillip Bay beach on the Hobsons Bay Coastal Trail, with lifeguards on patrol during the summer months.
Patrolled Summer months · All-abilities access · ★ 4.6 (997)
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Half Moon Bay Beach Black Rock
Half Moon Bay is a small, crescent-shaped bay beach at Black Rock, partly protected and known for the wreck of HMVS Cerberus a few hundred metres offshore.
Patrolled Summer · All-abilities access · ★ 4.6 (697)
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Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne South Yarra
Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, on Birdwood Avenue on the edge of the CBD, covers 38 hectares with more than 8,500 plant species.
★ 4.8 (19,703)
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National Gallery of Victoria Melbourne
The National Gallery of Victoria has two venues: NGV International at 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, and The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia at Federation Square.
★ 4.7 (25,095)
If it rains
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National Gallery of Victoria Melbourne
The National Gallery of Victoria has two venues: NGV International at 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, and The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia at Federation Square.
★ 4.7 (25,095)
-
Melbourne Museum Carlton
Melbourne Museum is a natural and cultural history museum in Carlton Gardens, offering exhibits that explore human history, life sciences, Indigenous cultures, and…
★ 4.6 (18,921)
-
Melbourne Skydeck Southbank
Melbourne Skydeck is the observation deck on Level 88 of Eureka Tower in Southbank, which it describes as the highest in the Southern Hemisphere.
★ 4.5 (17,623)
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Le Mans Entertainment Dandenong South
LeMans Entertainment at 55 Waterview Close, Dandenong South, is an entertainment complex with go-karting, Zero Latency free-roam virtual reality, a multi-level laser…
★ 4.8 (6,795)
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Arts Centre Melbourne Southbank
Arts Centre Melbourne at 100 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, is a performing arts centre including Hamer Hall, the Theatres Building with the Ian Potter State Theatre and the…
★ 4.7 (8,089)
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SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium Melbourne
SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium is on the corner of Flinders Street and King Street on the Yarra River in the city.
★ 4.2 (18,753)
Where families stay
Holiday parks and resorts listed on this site, with the pools, playgrounds and jumping pillows that matter to kids.
| Place | Kind | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Park Hyatt Melbourne | Stay | Melbourne |
| Silverwater Resort | Resort / hotel | San Remo |
| Discovery Parks - Melbourne | Stay | Braybrook |
| BIG4 Ingenia Holidays Queenscliff Beacon | Stay | Queenscliff |
| BIG4 Melbourne Holiday Park | Holiday park | Coburg |
| BIG4 Crystal Brook Tourist Park | Holiday park | Doncaster East |
Kids eat free in Melbourne: which night, where
37 pubs, clubs and restaurants in Melbourne give kids a free meal on set nights, each checked on the venue's own page. The full list is on the kids eat free in Melbourne page.
| Night | Where | When and who | Deals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Beretta's Langwarrin Hotel (Langwarrin) Manhattan Hotel (Feast Buffet) (Ringwood) Rosana Bistro and Bar (Holiday Inn Werribee) (Werribee) | Under 11 Under 4 see listing | 13 |
| Tuesday | Manhattan Hotel (Feast Buffet) (Ringwood) Rosana Bistro and Bar (Holiday Inn Werribee) (Werribee) Stomping Ground Brewery (Moorabbin) | Under 4 see listing 12pm-3pm · with an adult main | 12 |
| Wednesday | Manhattan Hotel (Feast Buffet) (Ringwood) Riviera Hotel (Seaford) Rosana Bistro and Bar (Holiday Inn Werribee) (Werribee) | Under 4 see listing see listing | 11 |
| Thursday | Manhattan Hotel (Feast Buffet) (Ringwood) Rosana Bistro and Bar (Holiday Inn Werribee) (Werribee) Stomping Ground Brewery (Moorabbin) | Under 4 see listing 12pm-3pm · with an adult main | 9 |
| Friday | Manhattan Hotel (Feast Buffet) (Ringwood) Rosana Bistro and Bar (Holiday Inn Werribee) (Werribee) Brownstone Brewery (Doveton) | Under 4 see listing 12 years and under | 3 |
| Saturday | Manhattan Hotel (Feast Buffet) (Ringwood) Rosana Bistro and Bar (Holiday Inn Werribee) (Werribee) Welcome to Thornbury (Northcote) | Under 4 see listing 12pm-2pm | 5 |
| Sunday | Manhattan Hotel (Feast Buffet) (Ringwood) Rosana Bistro and Bar (Holiday Inn Werribee) (Werribee) Kingston Hotel (Richmond) | Under 4 see listing 12pm-3pm | 12 |
| Every day | Mesh at Crown Promenade (Southbank) Kickin' Inn (Broadmeadows, Highett, Port Melbourne) Novotel Melbourne Preston | 6:30am-10:30am weekdays, 7am-11am weekends · 3 & under · dine in All day · 8 and under · dine in 3pm-7pm · 12 and under · with an adult main | 5 |
Questions parents ask
- Where should a family stay in Melbourne?
- Southbank or the CBD edge for walking to museums and the river; St Kilda for a bay beach and Luna Park; a holiday park in the suburbs for a pool and a jumping pillow.
- Is Melbourne good for toddlers?
- Yes: the children's galleries at the museum and Scienceworks, the botanic gardens' children's garden, the bay beaches and the big playgrounds fill three days without a ticket. See the toddler day plan.
- Which day trip is best?
- Phillip Island for the penguins (go late, stay for the parade), the Dandenongs for the steam train and a forest walk, or Werribee for the open-range zoo. Each is 60 to 90 minutes by car.
- What about Melbourne weather?
- Four seasons in a day is real. Pack layers, plan an indoor stop every day, and treat a sunny day as a bay day. The museums are free for kids, so a wet day costs nothing.