In this section you will discover our tips for places to stay in Melbourne. Check out the best hotels in Melbourne that we can personally recommend.

Where to stay in Melbourne

Melbourne's relatively small Central Business District (CBD) has the most accommodation.

Housing within the CBD should be the first area you look for hotels. The CBD is where most of the sights and attractions are located, and virtually all tram and train lines intersect here to reach all the beaches and other attractions outside the CBD.

You won't find anydangerous neighbourhoods in Melbourne.

Tips for the best hotels

The cheapest classic downtown hotels with private bathrooms in the room cost around 150 usd.

Cheap hotels with good accessibility

• ibis Styles Kingsgate *** - Standard corporate hotel 5 minutes walk from Southern Cross right in the centre
• YTI Garden Hotel *** - very cheap hotel on popular Hardware Lane full of restaurants and bars right in the middle of the centre
• Punthill Apartment Hotel **** - apartment hotel near Flinders Street station

Hotels overlooking the Yarra River

The views of the Yarra River with its monumental skyline full of skyscrapers are one of the most iconic places in all of Australia. Choose a hotel with this majestic view.

• The Langham Melbourne *****
• Crown Towers Melbourne *****
• Quay West Suites Melbourne *****

Hotels in the Docklands

The trendy Docklands is one of Melbourne's most pleasant places to stay. Promenades along the water full of restaurants, nice views, good tram access and a quieter environment than the city centre itself are the advantages of Docklands.

• Docklands Private Collection ****
• Vibe Hotel Melbourne Docklands ****
• Quest NewQuay ****

Hotels by the beaches

Although Melbourne is a city of long beaches, you won't find many hotels right on the beach.

Rather, there are wide streets and pedestrian promenades along the beaches and low-rise residential developments.

For example, the following hotels are very close to the beaches:

• The Prince **** - the nearest hotel to St. Kilda Beach
• Quest Brighton on the Bay **** - a quiet part of Brighton about 1 km from the famous Brighton Bathing Boxes

Hotel prices in Melbourne

Melbourne is definitely a cheaper city than Sydney or Brisbane.

The big differences between prices are in high season (December-February) and low season (June-September).

In the off-season, i.e. winter, expect the cheapest 3* hotels to be around 90 aud per night.

In summer (December-February), prices from 150 aud upwards are common.

Hotels in Melbourne from cheapest

Where we stayed - our tip

We needed to choose a hotel close to Southern Cross station and also wanted to be right in the centre.

As I was mainly choosing good value for money and preferred a well-known chain, I chose the ibis Kingsgate ***.

The hotel has somewhat older facilities and especially the common areas are very old and not very well maintained. However, the rooms were clean and comfortable.

The downside is very slow wi-fi and poor breakfast - the free choice is exclusively sweet food. You can order a full English breakfast for an extra charge 6 aud.

View rates and availability at ibis Kingsgate