Start your immersion into Melbourne’s neighborhoods with a fully guided day experience with eco-adventure operator Wild Adventures Melbourne (WAM!) and its Positive Impact Adventure tour. Or travel virtually all around the seven continents with the BBC Earth Experience as you view breathtaking audiovisual footage at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. MCEC, next to the Yarra River, lies in the South Wharf neighborhood.

National Gallery of Victoria © Tktktk | Dreamstime.com

Rydges Melbourne, in the city’s vibrant East End Theatre District, underwent an extensive transformation to offer guestrooms, suites and apartments. Entertainment abounds for visitors here, from big-name, blockbuster productions to local comedy gigs, literary talks and more. Many of the neighborhood’s theaters date back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Grab a bite and a drink at numerous new restaurants and bars in the city. Melbourne’s heritage-listed Neo-Gothic old Stock Exchange building transformed into an elegant European-inspired restaurant called Reine & La Rue, centrally positioned in Melbourne’s Central Business District. Visitors find plenty else to captivate their attention in the CBD, from National Gallery of Victoria and Old Melbourne Gaol to Melbourne Skydeck.

If travelers itch to explore neighborhoods outside of Melbourne, other destinations in the Australian state of Victoria boast plenty to see and do. An hour from Melbourne, Geelong Arts Centre reopened to host the best music and theater performances. While there, plan the perfect vineyard escape with a stay in the new luxury pods at Mt Duneed Estate, an iconic Geelong winery. Geelong highlights local produce from Golden Plains, Otways and Moorabool Valley.

Hop on and hop off at one of the 10-plus stops with Hop It Bellarine and enjoy multiple wine tastings and stunning views. Or head to Victoria’s High Country for a unique stay at Alpine Nature Experience Hypedomes, sustainably built with simplicity and luxury in mind.