St Kilda accommodation: Should I stay at the beach in Melbourne?

Probably not. Melbourne’s appeal lies in its city centre, but there is a decent argument for staying in beachside suburb St Kilda. St Kilda accommodation offers reasonably easy access by tram to the Melbourne CBD attractions.

Unlike Sydney, Melbourne’s star attraction is its city centre. Here, the warren of street art-packed laneways is a pleasure to explore. The tiny alleys contain numerous cafés, bars and restaurants, while the main streets are good for museums and shopping.

Melbourne’s beaches are not as appealing as Sydney’s, either. There’s no surf, as the protective barriers of Port Phillip Bay stop swells getting up. The sand is murkier too. Even the better beaches such as Sandringham Beach or Mordialloc Beach aren’t as photogenic as Sydney’s ocean sweeps.

14 fantastic experiences that make the most of your free time in Melbourne

Get the very best views – on a hot air balloon flight over the city.
See the changing colours of the river – on a sunset kayaking tour – with dinner. (Highly recommended ✅)
Feast and see the sights at the same time – on a four course dinner cruise along the Yarra River.
A genuinely excellent street art tour, led by prominent street artists. (Highly recommended ✅)
The also superb Aboriginal heritage, plants and bush food tour in the Botanic Gardens. (💲 Great value 💲)
Best of Melbourne bike tour – you can see more on two wheels than walking.
Hidden laneways bar crawl OR foodie discovery tour OR chocolate and dessert tour.
Combo ticket for Australian Sports Museum and MCG tour.
Hassle-dodging advance tickets for the Melbourne Skydeck, Melbourne Zoo, the Ice Bar (with cocktails) and Sea Life Aquarium.

Things to do in St Kilda

When you say ‘the beach’ in Melbourne, it generally means St Kilda. There are others further around the bay, but they’ve not got as much going on and are trickier to get to.

St Kilda has its down-at-heel sections, but on the whole it’s lots of fun. Penguins can be spotted emerging from the sea at night, Luna Park offers old school amusement park rides and Acland Street is dotted with cake shops.

There’s also a strong cultural scene in St Kilda, with venues such as the Prince Bandroom and the Esplanade being long-standing favourites for live music.

But if it’s better to stay in Sydney CBD than the beach, why on earth would you pick to stay at the beach in Melbourne? After all, Melbourne has the better city centre and worse beaches.

👇 7 great day trips while you’re in Melbourne 👇

Great Ocean Road tour – with koalas 🐨.
Brighton Beach, Moonlit Sanctuary and Phillip Island tour – with penguins 🐧.
Yarra Valley wine tour – with gin, cider and cheese 🍷.
Grampians National Park tour – with bushwalks and LOADS of kangaroos 🦘.
Mornington Peninsula tour – with hot springs bathing 🛀.
Wilsons Promontory tour – with all manner of native wildlife 🦘🐨.
Dandenong Ranges steam train ride – plus wildlife at Healesville Sanctuary and chocolate-tasting in the Yarra Valley.

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Why choose St Kilda accommodation?

Well, there’s a perverse argument for staying at the beach being a better bet in Melbourne than in Sydney. And it’s largely about transport. In Sydney, getting to any of the beachside suburbs from the centre means a pig of a bus ride, or changing from train to bus.

In Melbourne, however, several direct trams connect the CBD to St Kilda. The 3, 3a, 12, 16, 67, 78 and 96 trams all stop in various parts of St Kilda. It takes about 25 minutes to get there, depending on which part of the city centre you’re coming from.

Luna Park in St Kilda will be a familiar sight if you stay at the beach in Melbourne. Photo by David Whitley/ Australia Travel Questions

That’s a less onerous commute for visiting the city centre from the beach than Sydney offers. And while central Melbourne has many more accommodation options than St Kilda, staying in St Kilda accommodation and taking the tram to the CBD isn’t an entirely stupid proposition. Although if you want to focus on hip neighbourhoods close to the CBD, such as live music pub-heavy Fitzroy, then obviously staying centrally is a better bet.