St. Kilda Pier is one of Australia's most famous urban beaches and a very popular leisure district.

In St. Kilda, you can enjoy the wide beaches with fine, light sand, stroll along St. Kilda Pier for views of Melbourne's distant city centre and, if you're lucky, see penguins!

View Melbourne beachfront hotels

Just about a 10-minute walk from the beach, you'll have a blast at the historic Luna Park.

Penguins at St. Kilda Pier

St. Kilda Pier is one of the most iconic places in Melbourne. The first pier was built back in 1853 and in 1904 the famous St. Kilda Pavilion, a kiosk with a restaurant and café, was built at the end of the pier and still serves its original purpose today.

St. Kilda Pier

Australian Little Penguins nest on the stone quay that continues on from the pier and protects the yacht harbour.

You can see them here all year round, but they are most active in the early evening and at night.

During our visit we were lucky enough to see only one sleeping penguin.

Australian Little Penguin

Penguin-watching trail on St. Kilda Pier

Beaches and swimming

The coastline of St. Kilda is lined with sandy beaches and a few restaurants and bars just south of the pier.

The entrance to the water here is very gradual and showers and free toilets are also available.

However, in high season, St. Kilda Beach is one of the busiest in Melbourne, and it's worth walking a little further to Port of Melbourne Beach (towards the centre) or further south to Elwood Beach.

St. Kilda Beach

Hotels in St. Kilda

St. Kilda is the perfect place to stay if you want to live in a big city and by the beach.

The area around Fitzroy Street is also very lively with plenty of restaurants and shops and this is where you will find most of the hotels. We choose the ones with the best value for money: