Getting around Melbourne
Trams, trains and tap-and-go fares, from the airport to the suburbs
Melbourne is a tram city. Inside the city centre the trams are free, and beyond it you pay by tapping a bank card, phone or watch on the reader, with no ticket to buy first. Trains reach further and faster into the suburbs, and buses fill the gaps between them. There is no airport train, so your first ride is a bus or a car. A car earns its keep only for the hills, the coast and the wineries, not for the city itself.
- Get about by: tram — free inside the city centre's Free Tram Zone.
- Pay with: a contactless bank card, phone or watch; a myki card for children and concessions.
- From the airport: SkyBus to Southern Cross, or the 901 bus and a train for one ordinary fare.
- Hire a car only for: the Dandenongs, the Yarra Valley, the coast and Phillip Island.
How this page was madeWe rode the 109 tram from Box Hill into the city in February 2026 and hired a car at the airport; those parts are ours. Everything else — the airport links, fares, the Metro Tunnel and the night services — comes from Transport Victoria and the other sources named on the page.
Last updated 22 October 2026
From the airport and other gateways
Melbourne Airport, at Tullamarine, has no railway yet: an airport line is under construction and is not expected before the early 2030s. Four ways into the city remain, and the table sets them side by side. We hired a car at the airport and drove out to Box Hill; for a stay in the centre, the bus is simpler.
| Option | Where it takes you | Time | Fare basis | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyBus | Southern Cross Station, on the western edge of the city centre | About 30 minutes, traffic allowing | A separate SkyBus ticket; not part of the myki fare system or the half-price fares | You still need a tram or taxi from Southern Cross to most hotels |
| 901 bus, then a train | Broadmeadows Station, then the Craigieburn line into the city | About 55–75 minutes | One ordinary 2-hour fare — tap on the bus and the train | Slower, and awkward with large bags |
| Taxi or rideshare | Your door | Depends on traffic | Metered fare, plus a $4.50 airport fee and road tolls | No dependable fare published; with children, see the child-seat rules below |
| Hire car | Anywhere | Depends on traffic | Daily hire, plus the CityLink toll on the airport freeway | Parking in the city centre is costly; you do not need a car there |
Avalon, Southern Cross and the sea
Avalon Airport, near Geelong, is linked to Southern Cross by SkyBus's Avalon service, timed to meet the main flights; allow about 90 minutes.
Southern Cross Station is where V/Line regional trains and coaches arrive, and trams leave from the streets outside. The Spirit of Tasmania sails from Geelong, about 70 km away, not from Melbourne: foot passengers take a V/Line train from Southern Cross to North Shore or North Geelong and a taxi to the terminal. Cruise ships berth at Station Pier, where the 109 tram starts its run into the city.
If you land late, a taxi or rideshare from the rank is the fallback once SkyBus stops. For journeys from Melbourne to other Australian cities, see getting around Australia.
Choose how to move
| Mode | Best for | Coverage | Payment | Hours or frequency | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tram | Almost every trip a visitor makes in the inner city | The city centre and the inner suburbs, out to St Kilda and Box Hill | Free in the Free Tram Zone; elsewhere tap a card or myki | Frequent through the day; some routes all night on Friday and Saturday | Slow in traffic, and most stops are not step-free |
| Train | Longer trips into the suburbs, and the Metro Tunnel stations | Lines radiating from the city centre to the outer suburbs | Tap a card or myki on and off | Check first and last trains in the planner; some lines all night at weekends | Radial: going between suburbs often means going via the city |
| Bus | Gaps between rail lines, and the airport's 901 | The suburbs | Tap a card or myki | Varies by route | Less frequent than trams and trains |
| Walking | The city centre | The grid of streets inside the Free Tram Zone | Free | Any time | The grid is compact; the suburbs are not |
| Taxi or rideshare | Late nights, luggage, early flights | Everywhere | Card or app | Any time | Fares rise with traffic, and freeway tolls are added |
| Car | Day trips to the hills, the coast and the wineries | Everywhere | Tolls through a pass or your hire company | Any time | Hook turns, trams and costly parking in the centre |
Melbourne has one of the largest urban tram networks in the world, and it is the reason a visitor rarely needs anything else. We found the 109 into the city fast and frequent — quicker than a car would have been.
Pay, transfer and navigate
Tap a card, or carry a myki
Since June and July 2026 an adult paying the full fare can tap a contactless Visa or Mastercard, phone or watch on the reader on every Metro train, tram and bus. Tap on as you board and tap off as you leave.
The charge can take up to three days to reach your account. There is no cash fare: you cannot pay the driver or buy a paper ticket. Children and anyone on a concession fare still need a myki, Melbourne's own travel card: buy one for $6 at a 7-Eleven, a staffed station or the airport, and add money to it. A phone version, Mobile myki, works on Android only.
| Fare | Normally | Until 1 January 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 2-hour fare, zones 1 and 2 | $5.70 | $2.85 |
| Daily cap | $11.40 | $5.70 |
| Trams inside the Free Tram Zone | Free | Free |
| Weekday train journey finishing by 7.15am | Free | Free |
| A myki card, if you need one | $6 | $6 |
Since 1 June 2026 fares have been half price on Melbourne's trains, trams and buses. We found no announced extension, so from 1 January 2027 expect the normal column above — check before you travel.
The Free Tram Zone
Trams are free inside the city centre, roughly from Queen Victoria Market and Docklands to Spring Street and from the market down to Flinders Street and Federation Square; signs at stops mark the edge, and the official map has the exact boundary. Do not tap on inside the zone: a tap charges a fare. A trip that begins or ends outside it needs a fare for the whole journey.
The heritage City Circle tram, route 35, loops the zone for free from about 9.30am to 5pm; the day we tried, it was full to the doors.
The Metro Tunnel and the planner
The Metro Tunnel opened in November 2025, adding five stations: Arden, Parkville, State Library, Town Hall and Anzac. Anzac, on St Kilda Road, is the first train station close to the Shrine of Remembrance and the Royal Botanic Gardens. Plan every trip on transport.vic.gov.au, Transport Victoria's site and app, which also carry live disruptions; its phone line is 1800 800 007.
One ordinary journey: Box Hill to Queen Victoria Market
This is the trip we made in February 2026, set out with today's rules.
- Board the 109 at Box Hill and tap your card on the reader by the door. Box Hill is outside the Free Tram Zone, so this is a paid trip: one 2-hour fare.
- Ride into the city. The 109 runs from Box Hill through the inner east and along Collins Street in the city centre.
- Tap off as you leave the 109 inside the city centre.
- Change to a tram heading for the market — inside the zone, so do not tap on. We found the change easy.
- Get off at Queen Victoria Market. Coming back, the trip ends outside the zone, so it needs a fare: tap on when you board the 109, even inside the city centre, and tap off at Box Hill.
When the default does not fit
Pick your circumstance, or show all five.
Luggage, or reduced mobility
Trams are the hardest part of the network with bags or a wheelchair: 41% of trams are low-floor and 29% of tram stops have level access, the Victorian Auditor-General reported in November 2025. We could not confirm how many train stations are step-free; Transport Victoria's accessible travel pages and its phone line, 1800 800 007, help plan a step-free trip. With large cases, SkyBus to Southern Cross and a short taxi ride is simpler than a tram.
Late at night, or an early flight
We could not find current official first and last service times; Lonely Planet (December 2025) gives trams until about 12.30am from Sunday to Thursday and 1am at weekends, and trains from about 5am. Check your route in the planner. On Friday and Saturday nights the Night Network keeps some trains, trams and buses running all night; check your route on the planner. For a dawn flight, SkyBus's own site shows its first services at about 4am; before then, book a taxi or rideshare.
With a bicycle
Bicycles are allowed on Metro trains, except at the first door of the first carriage. Trams take folding bikes only. Our guide to cycling in Melbourne covers where to ride and the rules you must follow.
Driving in the city
Two rules catch visitors. At a hook turn, signposted mainly in the city centre, you turn right from the far left lane: pull forward on the left, indicate right, and turn when the lights on the street you are entering change. And trams have priority: never pass a tram that has stopped to let people off; wait behind it until its doors close and the road is clear.
The freeway from the airport is part of CityLink, a toll road with no booths. A Linkt 24-hour pass covers it ($8.72 for the Tullamarine section alone, checked 22 October 2026); in a hire car, ask how the company bills tolls before you drive off, because their fees can exceed the toll.
If something goes wrong
What to do when a journey goes wrong.
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| Your card will not tap | Try another card or your phone; if none works, buy a myki at a 7-Eleven or staffed station. Travelling without a valid fare risks a fine. |
| You tapped on inside the Free Tram Zone | Tap off again inside the zone, which refunds the fare. |
| Disruption or replacement buses | Check live disruptions on the Transport Victoria app or site before you set off; planned works are posted in advance. |
| You missed the last service | On Friday and Saturday nights look for a Night Network route; otherwise take a taxi or rideshare. |
| A stop or station is not step-free | Ride on to the next accessible stop and call 1800 800 007 for help planning the rest. |
| You are stranded beyond the trains and trams | Check the planner for a bus; failing that, take a taxi or rideshare. Transport Victoria answers on 1800 800 007. |
| You left something on board | Call Transport Victoria on 1800 800 007 for the operator's lost-property contact. |
Travelling with children
Children cannot use tap-and-go: it is for full-fare adults only, so a child needs a myki. Since 1 January 2026 Victorian children aged 5 to 17 travel free with a $5 Youth myki; the government's announcement speaks of Victorian passengers, and we could not confirm whether visiting children qualify, so ask at a staffed station. We could not confirm what a visiting child who does not qualify pays, or the rule for children under five; Transport Victoria's line, 1800 800 007, can tell you.
With only 41% of trams low-floor, a pushchair is hard work on many tram routes; we could not confirm which stations have lifts, and the accessible travel pages list them. Taxis need not supply child seats: a baby under one may travel on an adult's lap in the back, and older children need their own seat and belt. Rideshare cars are treated as private cars, where every child under 16 needs the right restraint or booster.
A final word on getting around Melbourne
Melbourne makes the tram the obvious choice and then makes it easy: free in the centre, a tap of a bank card beyond it. Leave the car for the day trips, and let the 109 or its neighbours do the rest.
Andrew + Margaret
- Melbourne Overview
- Where to stay in Melbourne Decide
- Day trips from Melbourne Decide
- Phillip Island Highlight
- Getting around Australia Practical
- Transport Victoria — journey planner and disruptions Official
- Half-price fares to 1 January 2027 Official
- Tap and go with a bank card Official
- SkyBus — airport buses Booking
- Linkt — toll passes Practical
- Accessible travel on public transport Official