Melbourne is a sprawling city, but with a relatively compact city centre, so you can easily explore many of the sights on foot in a day. However, you’ll probably find you can’t avoid using public transport when travelling to the beaches or national parks.

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Public transport in Melbourne is operated by Public Transport Victoria (PTV), which operates the city’s trains (metro), trams and buses.

Detailed information is available on the official websiteptv.vic.gov.au.

Tickets and fares

In Melbourne, a singlemykifare applies to all modes of transport – trams, PTV buses, city trains/underground and V/Line trains within zones 1 and 2.

Free trams in the city centre – Free Tram Zone

Within the Central Business District – the heart of Melbourne – you can travel by tram completely free of charge!

The entire city centre and the Docklands area are part of this zone, and if you’re travelling by tram only within the Free Tram Zone, you won’t pay any fare. So you won’t need to tap your Myki card (or, in future, your own contactless card) on the reader at all.

If you start your journey within the Free Tram Zone and travel outside it, or vice versa, you’ll pay the standard fare.

This zone also applies to the historic tram route 35, which never leaves its boundaries. You therefore do not pay any fare for travelling on the historic tram either.

The Free Tram Zone applies to trams only! If you use the underground, trains or buses in this area, you must pay the standard fare.

Other zones

Fares are divided into zones, but in practice, as a passenger, you don’t need to worry about this at all. The system calculates the fare automatically, choosing the most cost-effective option for the passenger.

Melbourne is divided into zones 1 and 2.

The basic fare of $5.50 applies to any journey within Zone 1 or when travelling between Zones 1 and 2. If you’re travelling only within Zone 2, the fare is cheaper.

However, Zone 2 only extends to the outskirts of Melbourne.

Fare prices

Public transport tickets in Melbourne are relatively cheap and the fare system is very straightforward.

• 5,50 aud – 2 hours (unlimited transfers), for journeys within Zone 1 or Zones 1 and 2
• 11 aud – maximum daily fare on a working day (known as the ‘daily cap’), calculated by calendar day, not 24 hours from the first journey
• 7,60 aud – maximum daily fare at weekends and on public holidays, calculated by calendar day, not 24 hours from the first journey
• 55 aud – 7-day pass

If you are travelling only within Zone 2 (the very outskirts of Melbourne), you will pay 3,50 aud for a 2-hour fare. As a tourist, you will practically never need to use a full-day or 7-day fare for Zone 2 alone.

You can find a detailed and up-to-date fare table on the official website:ptv.vic.gov.au/fares/metropolitan-fare.

Concessionary fares for children and senior citizens

The following categories of passengers are eligible for reduced fares, known as ‘Concession ’, which are 50 per cent of the standard fare:

• Children aged 5 to 18 (including overseas visitors)
• Senior citizens (only those with permanent residence in Australia)

Children under 5 travel free of charge in Melbourne.

How to pay your fare – the myki card

At present, to pay your fare, you need to purchase a myki card at 6 aud or pay via Google Pay. Mobile payments are currently only available on Android mobiles and not on iPhones.

When purchasing a myki card, you must choose from two options:

• myki Money – you can top up the card with any amount of money, which is then deducted gradually according to the fares listed above
• myki Pass – you can load a 7-day or annual pass onto the card

You can top up yourmyki Money card at any time.

• Tram – You must tap your card on the validator inside the tram only when boarding. Many passengers (including locals) also tap their card when alighting; however, in this case, they run the risk of the fare being calculated incorrectly. It is explicitly stated both on the trams themselves and on the official website that when travelling by tram, you should only ‘tap’ your card when boarding. If you are travelling solely within the Free Tram Zone, you do not need to tap your card on the validator even when boarding.
• Trains/underground – you must tap your card on the turnstile or validator when entering and exiting the station.
• Buses– you must tap your card on the validator inside the bus when boarding and alighting.

Detailed information is available on this page:ptv.vic.gov.au/travel-with-myki.

Where can I buy and top up a myki card?

You can buy a myki card at many locations:

• Vending machines at some tram stops and at all train and underground stations – you can pay by card or cash at these
• All 7-Eleven shops
• The PTV information centre at Southern Cross station

However, you cannot buy a physical myki card at Melbourne Airport.

You can top up your physical card at the locations mentioned above, as well as via the PTV mobile app.

How do I pay by mobile?

If you do not wish to use a physical myki card, you can pay via your mobile phone and save 6 aud on the card issuance fee.

At present, payment is only possible via Google Wallet, so this service is only available to users of Android mobile phones, not Apple devices.

Your mobile must be equipped with NFC technology, and when you tap your mobile against the validator, always make sure that the myki card is selected for the current payment.

You can find detailed information about paying by mobile phone here:ptv.vic.gov.au//mobile-myki.

Can I pay with my own contactless card?

This option is not currently available in Melbourne and is due to be launched in 2026.

Can I pay the fare in cash?

No. To pay your fare, you must buy and top up a myki card (you can do this with cash).

Trams in Melbourne

Trams are the main means of transport for getting around the city centre, to the Docklands district or to the nearby beaches of St Kilda and Port Melbourne.

Melbourne has the world’s most extensive tram network in terms of the number of kilometres of track.

Tram services are very frequent, with individual routes running every 5 to 8 minutes on weekdays and every 7 to 12 minutes at weekends.

Useful tram routes

Tourists most often use the following tram routes:

• From Southern Cross station
  • Lines 89 and 96 towards the city centre via Bourke Street and the Royal Exhibition Building
  • Lines 11, 12 and 109 towards the city centre via Collins Street, Parliament House, Fitzroy Gardens and St Patrick’s Cathedral
  • Lines 12 and 96 towards Albert Park and St Kilda
  • Bus 109 towards Port of Melbourne and the northern end of South Melbourne Beach
• From Flinders Street Station
  • Bus routes 3, 5, 6, 16, 64, 67 and 72 towards the Shrine of Remembrance and the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria
  • Bus routes 35, 70, 75 towards Docklands
  • Bus 16 towardsSt Kilda
  • Line 1 towards the middle ofSouth Melbourne Beach
  • Bus 75 towardsFitzroy Gardens
• From Melbourne Central station
  • Bus routes 3, 5, 6, 16, 64, 67 and 72 towards the Shrine of Remembrance and the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria
  • Bus 30 towardsDocklandsand theRoyal Botanic Gardens Victoria
  • Bus 16 towardsSt Kilda
  • Bus 1 towards the middle section ofSouth Melbourne Beach

You can find a map of all tram routes in PDF format on the official website:ptv.vic.gov.au/maps.

Timetables and operating hours

Individual routes usually run from 5.30 am to 12.30 am on weekdays and Saturdays, and from 7.30 am on Sundays.

On the nights from Friday to Saturday and from Saturday to Sunday, services run until around 2.00 am.

Full details of the timetables can be found on the websiteptv.vic.gov.au/timetables.

How do I pay the fare?

If you are travelling only within the Free Tram Zone in the city centre (see map and information above), you do not pay any fare.

Otherwise, once you board the tram, tap your myki card on the validator by each door.

You do not need to tap your card again when you get off!

Stops on request

All tram stops are on request.

If you are standing at a stop, wave at the approaching tram to get it to stop.

If you wish to alight, press the red ‘stop’ button or, on older trams, pull the blue cord.

City trains / underground

Although Melbourne does not have a traditional underground network, this is effectively replaced by a dense network of city trains.

In the central areas, trains run as frequently as the underground, and within the city centre they often run underground.

However, given the relatively small size of the city centre, you’ll mainly use the trains for journeys to the suburbs, whilst tourists will primarily travel by train to more distant beaches or national parks.

We provide detailed information on trains in a separate chapter entitled ‘The Melbourne Metro’.

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Buses

Bus services mainly serve the outskirts of Melbourne and are not particularly useful for tourists.

Bus routes are shown on the maps of the individual metropolitan areas:ptv.vic.gov.au/metropolitan-local-area-maps.

For example, you can take bus route 688 to travel to Dandenong Ranges National Park.

Tourists also use route 901, which runs from Broadmeadows city train station to Melbourne Airport, to save money on the expensive direct SkyBus service.

Timetables and operating hours

Individual services usually run from 5.30 am to 12.30 am on weekdays and Saturdays, and from 7.30 am on Sundays.

Buses usually run every 10–15 minutes in the city centre, but on the outskirts they often run only once or twice an hour.

On Friday nights and Saturday nights, services are extended until around 2.00 am.

Full information on timetables can be found on the websiteptv.vic.gov.au/timetables.

How do I pay the fare?

Tap your myki card on the reader when boarding and alighting.

You can board through any of the doors.

Stops on request

All bus stops are on request.

If you are standing at a stop, wave to the approaching bus to get it to stop.

If you wish to alight, press the red ‘stop’ button.

Taxis, Uber, Bolt

There are plenty of taxis on the streets of Melbourne, but outside the city centre there are relatively few, and you cannot rely on being able to hail one by waving on the street.

Taxis usually wait outside large hotels or major transport hubs.

Maximum fares are set by a city by-law:

• The flag-fall charge between 9.00 and 17.00 is 5,10 aud
• The flag-fall fare between 17:00 and 09:00 is 6,35 aud (on Friday and Saturday nights, as much as 7,60 aud)
• 1 km travelled (if the speed exceeds 21 km/h, the fare ranges from1,982 aud to 2,426 aud
• 1 minute’s journey (if the speed is less than 21 km/h) costs from 0,694 aud to 0,849 aud

Fares can always be paid by card or in cash.

In Melbourne, the alternative taxi service Uber also works well and usually offers lower fares than traditional taxis. Download the app and book a car anytime, anywhere:

• Uber (Appstore / Google Play)

Uber’s availability is significantly better than that of regular taxis.

Bike-sharing apps

A good alternative to walking and public transport for getting around the city is a bike.

A major advantage in this respect is the fact that Melbourne is a relatively flat city and the cycling infrastructure is of a decent standard.

We do not particularly recommend cycling in the city centre, where there are no dedicated cycle paths, but along the coast and in the suburbs, a bike or scooter is often the quickest way to get around.

At present, there is one main app for bike and scooter sharing here: Lime.

• Download the Lime app via Google Play
• Download the Lime app from the App Store

Parking in Melbourne

If you’re planning to hire a car in Melbourne, we recommend doing so on the day you’re leaving the city to set off on a road trip, for example along the Great Ocean Road.

Driving in Melbourne isn’t all that difficult, as the streets are wide and the traffic isn’t usually too stressful. However, visitors often find it tricky to navigate the system of one-way streets, and the directional signage within the city isn’t of a very high standard.

What’s more, Melbourne’s public transport is among the best in the world, so you won’t need a car just to get around the city.

If you do decide to drive around Melbourne, you’ll probably be most concerned about parking.

Street parking and car parks along the beaches usually incur a charge, even outside the city centre.

Payment is always cashless only; the easiest way is via the EasyPark mobile app.

Parking rates vary by location from 4 aud to 7 aud per hour, and outside the city centre there is usually a maximum daily rate of around 10 aud.

Detailed information on parking is available on the official city website:melbourne.vic.gov.au/where-to-park.