Carlton

Revisit student life with the uni kids, discuss the Il Globo headlines over espresso with the Italian stalwarts, take in a slice of Federation history, eat 'til you're fit to burst and take a walk through an Asian village to meet the resident elephants.

The past and the future
Visit Australia's first parliament, the World Heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building in the Carlton Gardens. Pay homage to Phar Lap and Melbourne of yore – colonial and Indigenous – at the neighbouring Melbourne Museum. Roam the exhibits at Melbourne Zoo for a dose of childlike wonder.

Italian dreams
Taste la dolce vita in 'Little Italy' – Lygon Street. Study the coffee grounds to glimpse the beginnings of the city's café culture, and fill up on steaming bowls of pasta, pizza and delicious gelati.

Bookish types and cinephiles
Head further down Lygon Street to find the bookshops, boutique and bars of a university neighbourhood. See writers speak at Readings book store, window-shop the local and international designer shops, or catch an arthouse flick at Cinema Nova.

How to get there
By tram: Number 1 or 8 heading north from Swanston Street.

By bus: Number 200, 201, 203, 205, 207 or 253 from Melbourne Central.