The Ultimate Girl's Weekend in Melbourne

Before even considering a girls weekend in Melbourne, be warned, this bustling cosmopolitan city is not called the shopping capital of Australia for nothing! You will need an expandable suitcase, or perhaps even a spare one!

Any girl’s weekend away requires strategic planning, especially when Melbourne offers so much variety! Below is a list of ideas to get your ultimate girls weekend started. Feel free to follow our guide to the letter, pick and choose suggestions or ask our We Know Melbourne Concierge team for personalized recommendations. Enjoy shopping, eating, drinking, and pampering your way around Melbourne.

FRIDAY

• In the mood for shopping? Of course you are!  Kick-start your weekend exploring some of Melbourne’s historic arcades and groovy laneways, you’ll find a huge selection of chic boutiques offering everything from the latest designer fashions to vintage jewellery and eclectic accessories. Just minutes from the hotel you will discover gems such as The Royal Arcade, The Block Arcade and The GPO, whilst right next door to us are the wonderfully restored Myer and David Jones department stores, both fresh from their extensive makeovers.
• If you live for a bargain, next on the agenda is a short tram ride to South Wharf where you will find the DFO Shopping Centre adjoining the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. Everything and anything can be purchased from clothes, shoes, bags and accessories, and best of all; everything on sale is at great discounted prices!
• After all that shopping you will have worked up a healthy appetite, so drop your bags back at the hotel and make your way towards the top end of Bourke St to Self Preservation. This lovely café is also an art gallery and jewellery store so whilst waiting for the delicious home-style Mediterranean fare to land on the table, you might have time to pick up something special to take home. Self Preservation is located 70 Bourke St, Melbourne City.
• What better way to spend a Friday afternoon, especially one when you’re usually busy wrapping up the working week, than spoiling yourself with a relaxing spa treatment at Aurora Spa Retreat, one of Australia’s most luxurious boutique spa retreats.  Imagine how you will feel after their signature Kitya Karnu treatment, an indulgence which includes treats such as a desert salt exfoliation, nourishing hair treatment & scalp massage, revitalising facial and finishes with a refreshing toning mist… mmm, pure bliss! Aurora Spa Retreat is located at  2 Acland St, St Kilda.

FRIDAY NIGHT

• After you have floated back to the hotel and dressed up in one of your newly purchased outfits, it’s time to head out on the town for a very Melbourne, very girly, very Friday night out…
• Begin the evening at Manchuria, a dimly lit exotic Asian inspired bar with killer cocktails to match – it’s perfectly designed to make you feel elegant and sexy.  Manchuria is located at 7 Waratah Place, Melbourne City.
• When it’s time for dinner, a short taxi ride will deliver you to Lygon St in Carlton, the very heart of Melbourne’s Italian community. You will be amazed by restaurant after restaurant offering enticing aromas, authentic Italian fare, wonderful wines, romantic street side dining, vibrant music, and a general buzzing atmosphere straight from the backstreets of Rome. Grab a copy of our We Know Melbourne guide to Lygon St to help you choose from the many restaurants on the strip, or venture straight to D.O.C on nearby Drummond St where the fantastic pizza and flirty Italian waiters never fail to entice!  D.O.C is located at 295 Drummond St, Carlton.
• End your Friday night with a night cap at Money Order Office (M.O.O.), an intimate and moody basement wine bar hidden in one of Melbourne’s famous laneways. Best of all, it’s just a hop skip and a jump from M.O.O. back to your oh-so-comfortable bed at the hotel. Money Order Office can be found in the Basement level at 318 Little Bourke St, Melbourne City.

SATURDAY

• Just a few blocks up Swanston St is the awesome State Library of Victoria. Start you day here at Mr Tulk, a groovy café in a beautifully renovated space within the 19th century wing of the library.  Named after the Library’s first Chief Librarian, enjoy the great quality food at the long table reminiscent of an old style reading room.  328 Swanston St, City.
• Melbourne is the perfect city for serious shoppers, so make sure you have some comfy shoes on and get set for a big day on the retail trail discovering 3 of the streets that give credence to Melbourne’s claim as the shopping capital of Australia
• Take a tram ride to Bridge Rd in Richmond.  This is where the factory outlet shopping craze began, and many believe Bridge Rd still has the best range of bargain outlets, with shops offering all styles of fashion, accessories and even home wares.  If you’re in need of sustenance to keep you going, Bridge Rd also has a great selection of cafes, including the iconic Richmond Hill Café & Larder.
• Next stop is Chapel St, where it’s time to up the glam stakes - take a copy of our We Know Melbourne guide to Chapel St to help you navigate your way through this fabulous area.  The South Yarra end of Chapel St is wall-to-wall upmarket boutiques, where you will find the very latest fashions, not just in the store windows but also on the backs of the passing parade of fashionistas. Yes ladies - Chapel St is the place to see and be seen!
• As you make your way along Chapel St to the Prahran end, the mood changes to a slightly more bohemian vibe – and if your tummy is rumbling then the shabby-chic atmosphere of Borsch Vodka & Tears is the place to take a break from shopping.  The hearty Eastern-European fare goes perfectly with their extensive vodka menu. 173 Chapel St, Prahran.
• Turn into Greville St, Prahran and you will find yet another incredible shopping precinct.  Greville St, whilst small, showcases a cosmopolitan gallery of unique shops offering something for everyone. Rich, colourful fashions, eclectic gifts, books, jewellery and music stores entice the avid shopper.
• Back to the hotel to admire your new purchases and begin preparations for the night ahead. Our friendly porters will be waiting to assist you with getting all those shopping bags to your room!

SATURDAY NIGHT

• Get frocked up and get ready for Saturday night Melbourne style!  Begin with a glass of good wine or a beautiful cocktail in our bar, Cocoon – it’s stylish, chic and oh so Melbourne!  From 5.30pm to 7.30pm is The Cocktail Hour when you’ll be able to sip on one of our seasonal cocktail creations for just $12.
• Next stop is an early dinner somewhere stylish, a little intimate, and a little seductive to get you in the mood for a night out on the town. Some options that are sure to fit those descriptions include:
  • Portello Rosso – look for the red doors which are your entry into this laneway gem that serves fine Spanish tapas.  15 Warburton Lane, City.
  • Izakaya Den – a secret basement space hides this funky place where you’ll dine on fabulous Japanese food.  114 Russell St, City.
  • Il Solito Posto – the tiny basement style room hums with the buzz of good conversation from a crowd clearly in love with great Italian food on offer. Basement, 113 Collins St, City.
  • Comme Kitchen – a sophisticated space where you will dine on rustic Mediterranean food whilst enjoying fine drinks from the chic bar.  7 Alfred Place, City. 1 Hosier Lane, City.
• After dinner, take in a show… there are always choices galore in a cultural city like Melbourne, such as:
  
  • A Musical – The city’s theatre district is home to historic venues such as Her Majesty’s Theatre, Regent Theatre and Princess Theatre, all of which are just a few minutes walk from The Swanston Hotel.
  • A Stage Play – The Arts Centre at Southbank is the heart of Melbourne’s cultural scene and has a full program of varied plays and other events.  St Kilda Rd, Southbank.
  • Live Music -  The intimate Paris Cat Jazz Club is the ideal venue to wind down with some smooth live jazz. 6 Goldie Place, City.
  • Don’t let the night end yet. Stop in at Toff In Town, billed as a Stage & Carriage Bar, this rather unique addition to the Melbourne nightscape offers a refined and glamorous setting for a nightcap. The private booths complete with table service are the ultimate luxury after a long day on your feet. Just a short stroll from The Swanston Hotel, 252 Swanston St, City.

SUNDAY

• Sunday, the perfect day for a sleep-in!  However if you are feeling energetic, there’s no better start to the day then a lovely brisk walk along the Yarra River and through the Royal Botanic Gardens.
• When it’s time for breakfast, head back to the city and take in a relaxing breakfast on Degraves Street, one of the lanes that started the laneway fad in Melbourne and still a very popular place for breakfast and coffee with scores of cafes to choose from. Perhaps also pick up a cupcake or two from Little Cupcakes for a treat later. 7 Degraves St, City.
• Take Tram #16 along St Kilda Rd and head out to the beach & bay side suburb of St Kilda, famous for it’s bohemian past and now a haven of trendy and alternative shops, cafes and bars. The heart of the suburb is Acland St, famed for its European cake shops and vibrant cafes.
• On Sunday, The Esplanade Market becomes the hub of activity in St Kilda.  With over 100 stalls, these markets really impress. Pick up some funky clothes, beautiful jewellery or some original art, and if you’re lucky you may also get to see some talented bicycle and fire-twirling performers.
• After the markets, take a stroll down leafy Acland St to the Linden Gallery, one of Melbourne’s leading and most loved small centres for contemporary art. The gallery is housed in a Victorian era mansion and consists of five gallery spaces and artist's studios.  26 Acland St, St Kilda.
• Lunchtime, head for the Prince Of Wales Hotel complex on the corner of Acland & Fitzroy Sts. Pose as a hip local and luxuriate in a long Sunday lunch at either of these 3 great restaurants that sit side by side, all with alfresco dining areas spilling onto Acland St:
  
  • Il Fornaio – a rustic bakery, café and restaurant with an excellent menu of Mediterranean inspired food.  2 Acland St, St Kilda.
  • Chinta Blues – one of the popular Chinta family of restaurants, this place does consistently good Malaysian hawker style food.  6 Acland St, St Kilda.
  • Lau’s Family Kitchen – from the family that created the famous Flower Drum Restaurant, comes this more casual and relaxed restaurant that serves simply great Cantonese food. 4 Acland St, St Kilda.
  • After lunch, back onto Tram #16 and make tracks for the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) at Southbank. Wander dreamily through an amazing array of international art exhibitions… the perfect way to while away a Sunday afternoon.
• After all that exercise and culture, ease into a lazy Sunday afternoon. First, stop by Mag Nation and browse or buy something from the more then 4,000 magazine titles they stock. 88 Elizabeth St, City.
• Then it’s a quick walk to Koko Black, a European style chocolate ‘salon’ where you can end your weekend indulging in some of the very best chocolate you will ever experience!  Shop 4, Royal Arcade, 335 Bourke St, City.

And if you couldn’t quite manage to fit all of that into one weekend, well you can always organize a follow up visit. For apart from our list above, there is plenty more shopping, 100’s of cool cafes, new restaurants & bars popping up weekly and an ever changing array of theatre and concerts to keep you entertained.  Melbourne truly is the perfect place for a girls weekend away!