Melbourne Tours
Melbourne Walking Tour: Uncover Hidden Laneway Bars
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Melbourne Walking Tour: Uncover Hidden Laneway Bars

By Depot Adventures
Recommended by 97% of travelers
97% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
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About
Come thirsty on this Melbourne walking tour, where you’ll join a local guide and discover four hidden bars. Places like Above Board, the Whisky Den, Bodega Underground, and Jungle Boy are just a few of the possibilities, depending on availability. Meet local bartenders and bar owners, take advantage of drink specials, and receive a customized map and recommendations to further explore Melbourne’s bar scene.
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation

Ages 18-99, max of 12 per group
Duration: 3h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More

Highlights
  • Bar hopping tour of Melbourne: wine, beer, and cocktails
  • Get access to drink specials only offered on this tour
  • Customized map includes guide recommendations
  • Small-group tour with a maximum of 12 participants

  • Local, English-speaking guide
  • Small group tour with a maximum of 12 participants
  • Drink specials
  • Customised map of more bars to explore
What's not included
  • Food and drinks (available to purchase)
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off


Start:
  • Gordon Reserve, 74-108 Spring St, East Melbourne VIC 3002, Australia
    Starting Point is Gordon Reserve (74-108 Spring St East Melbourne) Gordon Reserve is the small park opposite the Hotel Windsor. Go to the Windsor Hotel. Cross the street to the park with the fountain. Look for your guide with a blue umbrella.
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.

    • Not wheelchair accessible
    • Stroller accessible
    • Service animals allowed
    • Near public transportation
    • Infants must sit on laps
    If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 46516P5

    • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
    • Minimum age is 18 years
    • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
    • A maximum of 12 people per booking
    • Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
    • This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
    • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers

    • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

    If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 46516P5

    From
    $60.92
    per adult
    Select date and travelers

    Similar experiences

    Itinerary
    • 74-108 Spring St, East Melbourne VIC 3002, Australia
      Starting Point is Gordon Reserve (74-108 Spring St East Melbourne) Gordon Reserve is the small park opposite the Hotel Windsor. Go to the Windsor Hotel. Cross the street to the park with the fountain. Look for your guide with a blue umbrella.
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    About the operator
    Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
    • Depot Adventures
      3,459
      Australia
      Joined in June 2014
    • janetbQ3596UP
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Excellent guide, excellent tour!
      Hugo was an excellent guide - friendly, professional and knew everything about Melbourne. The actual tour was also excellent - just the right amount of walking, exploring and information. And some fabulous recommendations. Thanks Hugo!
      Written October 9, 2024
    • neilstaff0rd
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      HUMOUROUSLY LEARNING
      I have visited Melbourne many times, and thought I Knew the city but from the start Hugo showed us hidden secrets and told many interesting stories about the history and background of Melbourne. The tour was taken at a leisurely pace, giving time for group discussion, anecdotal tales, and some terrible jokes. Additionally Hugo gave us some great tips of other things to do and see, which took up the next 2 days. A brilliant 3 hours well-spent.
      Written October 7, 2024
    • beerwitch
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Awesome!!
      Thanks Hugo!! Amazing insight as I’ve never to Melbourne before I highly recommend and please ask questions to stump this guy 😂😂
      Written October 5, 2024
    • joeharper
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Excellent walking tour
      Hugo was very interesting and informative. Had a lovely tour of Melbourne seeing all the things we’d never have discovered. Highly recommend.
      Written October 3, 2024
    • cliffordh730
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great Melbourne walking tour
      Hugo was a fantastic guide. Exceeded my expectations. He gave interesting explanations of local history and current Melbourne culture.
      Written September 23, 2024
    • egorr151
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Fun food tour, great for exploring the downtown
      Mark was a wonderful host - very knowledgeable about the city and a great conversationalist. He will introduce you to a few nice local food spots, all while walking with you around downtown. Great tour to orient yourself in your first few days in Melbourne!
      Written September 23, 2024
    • mrucinsky
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Memorable walking tour of Melbourne
      First stop on my arrival in Melbourne. Excellent overview of the city, exploration of the laneways, and interesting tips from a local. Fantastic way to get oriented with the city and all it has to offer, I couldn’t recommend enough. Our guide Laura was fantastic and provided a warm welcome to everyone in the group.
      Written September 2, 2024
    • jenicec607
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great Walking Tour
      We had our walkabout with Dave and he gave us some great historical info and stories of the area to start off our trip to Sydney. We already scheduled a bridge climb and opera tour so he graciously readjusted our walk to other areas of the city. He also gave us suggestions on places to eat.
      Written August 22, 2024
    • Getaway38816115730
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      First walking tour 👌🙌, loved it, 💯%, 🙏
      We are in Melbourne for a week and thought we would kick it off with a walking tour to get a lie of the land and Melbourne's history. I have never before done a walking tour though having now experienced one, would thoroughly recommend. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Laura, our guide, is a local. She is knowledgeable and passionate about her home town and we honestly learnt so much that we would have overlooked and not been aware of. It has enriched our visit to this beautiful city 🏙️ ♥️ Thanks so much Laura for your passion!
      Written August 22, 2024
    • juliesO5409HR
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      180 minutes of enjoyment
      Above and beyond our expectations and thoroughly enjoyable and informative tour. Hugo was our guide who had a warm and welcoming disposition and put us readily at ease from the moment we first met. He got us to introduce ourselves to our fellow walkers from the get go and we were delighted to be sharing this experience with such a lovely group - eight of us in total. Hugo made the whole experience interesting, factual and inter-active. We always try to partake in a walking tour when we visit anywhere new but this was one of the best we have undertaken - thank you Depot Adventures and bravo to Hugo for his enthusiasm and hard work in putting together such a great tour.
      Written August 17, 2024
    • Navigator36383757665
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Fantastic tour/history lesson!
      Beau was an amazing tour guide, he had heaps of information for us. Not only did Beau have information on the history of the city, but the buildings and people too and the tour itself was absolutely amazing!! Fantastic and couldn't recommend highly enough, Beau especially, made the tour very memorable
      Written August 16, 2024
    • Lee M
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Walking tour of Melbourne
      Laura our guide was informative, inclusive and entertaining. We saw places we would probably never have found ourselves. Learned a lot on the colonisation of Melbourne. Found out about the history of the oldest buildings. Loved the tour of the street art lanes. All in all a very good experience with a terrific guide. Lee and Dennis
      Written August 14, 2024
    • hayleyt2020
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      thanks, Beau, for showing us around your city
      Beau was a great guide. very knowledgeable and very much a people person. had a great time walking around Melbourne with him. learnt a lot, and not just about Melbourne, his general knowledge was great.
      Written August 14, 2024
    • Daydream95917
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Thanks Mark for a great tour
      Great tour thanks to our wonderful guide Mark! Incredible informative and interesting with some great tips as well for some bars !
      Written July 28, 2024
    • D9651CBdeans
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great Overview of Places and People, Past and Present
      This was a wholly enjoyable experience and a very good way to get introduced to the basic layout and attractions of the heart of this vibrant city. Hugo, our guide and a leader in the company, was thoroughly knowledgeable and an amiable companion. While the tour's historical focus generally is on the colonial era, Hugo was careful to include much on the experience and contributions of First Nations peoples before the arrival of the English and other Europeans. The walking group is manageable at no more than 12 guests (ours was 8) and the pacing is good. I readily would book another tour with Depot Adventures--and may do that on this trip.
      Written July 25, 2024
    See all 3,459 reviews
    These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

    Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

    Popular mentions

    5.0
    5.0 of 5 bubbles422 reviews
    Excellent
    396
    Very good
    17
    Average
    5
    Poor
    2
    Terrible
    2

    jbs
    Boise, ID10 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nov 2022
    Melbourne is such a vibrant city - one of its unique features is the presence of great cafes, bars, and restaurants hidden in plain sight (and some hidden well out of plain sight). Hugo was engaging, knowledgeable, and friendly. This was a highlight of our trip to Melbourne. Our only regret is that we did this on our last day instead of our first day. We would have loved to revisit some of the great places introduced to us by Hugo. I've seen some reviews that reference the cost of the experience. We found the cost of the tour itself to be VERY reasonable (personally, I think he could charge more). And the drinks along the way cost what they cost. If you order great cocktails at every stop, a person can expect to spend $100 AUD. If you order beers...expect to spend less. Either way, this is a great tour...and I highly recommend it.
    Written November 27, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Frank A
    Brisbane, Australia7 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jan 2020
    These are the bars that a lot of Melburnians wouldn't know about. The walk took us to a number of bars with a different theme and drinks from Pisco Sours to Espresso Martinis. Some drinks are a bit pricey but that doesn't detract from the experience.
    Written February 5, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Hi Frank, Thank you for such a wonderful review. It's heartening to hear about and yes, it's so easy to walk past these bars and not notice. It's one of the things that makes Melbourne unique. Don't be shy to join us on any of our other tours, everyday we have Free Walking Tours around the city that are another great way to find new tidbits about this diverse city. Many kind thanks Kev
    Written February 14, 2020
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Marcus P
    Toronto, Canada4 contributions
    2.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nov 2022
    This was a hugely underwhelming experience, in part because our impression from other reviews set high expectations for the evening. Our group was a little unlucky as our guide was relatively new to the company - and while he was pleasant he didn't provide much information about the bars we were going to, the route we were taking or much of anything else about the city. The bars, of which there were 4 randomly selected from a list of 10-12 I believe, were good. At least 2 of them were - and somewhat 'hidden'. But I feel like a simple Google search could have provided the same return.

    Pros were that some snacks were provided at a couple of the bars, and if you choose to go with the drinks bundle you may make some savings if you're a cocktail drinker.
    Written November 14, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Heya Marc, thanks so much for leaving this review, which contains a lovely complimentary statement - that your expectations were high because of our great reviews. The guide you went on a tour with was not up to our standard, and we're no longer working with them. In the meantime, I'd love to have you on the tour once again to meet — even exceed your expectations. Can you email me at hello@depotadventures.com with your booking reference number and I'll set this up. Cheers, John
    Written December 7, 2022
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Jeffry b
    Essendon, Australia13,593 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Mar 2023
    In Melbourne's inner city, the location for bars is often in laneways, hidden away and out of sight. How "Melbourne" to have a bar that you need a guide to find. If you don't have time to wander around Melbourne's inner city looking for a hidden bar, it's a good idea to get a guide. Some are almost impossible to find on your own.
    Written March 12, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Jessie J
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Oct 2023 • Couples
    Hugo our tour guide, did an excellent job. He met us, even though we were the only two scheduled for that afternoon. He showed us a total of six bars which were all hidden gems. This included the White Hart, the music room at the Her bar and beneath driver lane. While these exact bars may change, each had a hidden feature or a special quirk that made them memorable. We also were able to ask Hugo a lot of questions about Melbourne and Australia, in general, which was a real highlight of our trip. Totally recommend the tour He even gave us a map of the bars we visited and further suggestions for dinner.
    Written October 20, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    So pleased you had a great time with Hugo. Hope you got to do some more exploring and had a fabulous time in Melbourne.
    Written October 26, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Fiona D
    Brisbane, Australia13 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Apr 2023 • Solo
    A fabulous afternoon discovering 4 hidden bars we would never have stumbled across ourselves. A good amount of time (about 30 mins) is spent in each location in order to enjoy your drink and get to to chat to your fellow explorers. Each of the bars visited is chosen for its unique and quirky character, giving a true sample of the Hidden laneway bar scene. Our guide Hugo - is a proud Melbournian who has a great sense of fun and is keen to share his extensive local knowledge. We would recommend this tour for anyone who enjoys a beverage and is keen to learn about this ‘hidden’ side to Melbourne. Thanks Hugo, Mark and Fiona.
    Written May 5, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Janine H
    Tasmania, Australia15 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Feb 2020
    We spent a fantastic afternoon discovering unique and quirky very hidden little bars. I did this tour with 3 of my closest girl friends and we all had a wonderful time. Our guide Kevin was great! Cocktails were awesome and the history lesson added to the experience. We were also served some tapas at two bars. There were people from all over the world on this tour and they all seemed to be having an enjoyable time. Well done!
    Written February 9, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Shellie F
    Melbourne, Australia5 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Apr 2024 • Couples
    Had a great afternoon with our guide Ian and all the wonderful people we met. Discovered some hidden gems and Ian's knowledge of Melbourne's history was impressive. Watching elite mixologists crafting delicious cocktails was an experience in itself! Ian's tips and list of other hidden bars meant that those of us who wanted to continue on after the tour finished had plenty of other hidey holes to try! A fantastic experience for Melbourne locals and visitors alike.
    Written May 26, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    shelley332000
    Toowoomba27 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jul 2024 • Family
    My sons and I had a great tour with Hugo, discovering some beautiful hidden pubs we would never had found ourselves. Hugo was engaging and informative, and we enjoyed the whole evening. The three hours just flew and some delicious snacks were provided to top off the evening. Thank you Hugo for a great tour and for the useful tips. Would highly recommend this tour for anyone looking to do something a bit different and fun in Melbourne.
    Written July 24, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    cjsuga70
    Melbourne, Australia16 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    What a fantastic day we had on the hidden bars tour - it was so great learning about the history of the bars we visited & such a surprise to see where these hidden gems were. We had a lovely friendly group of 9….lots of laughs were had & delicious cocktails enjoyed. We were lucky to have Depot owner John as our tour guide…who’d have thought a guy from Minnesota would have such a wealth of knowledge about Melbourne! John was organised, informative, fun & looked after the group really well. After posting some pics on FB, I’ve had several friends asking about the tour & whether it’s a good thing to do - I highly recommend doing it!
    Written January 21, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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