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Oh! I do like to be beside the seaside!
So goes the popular music hall tune of the early 1900s, and you can’t help but hum it as you explore the foreshore in Melbourne’s fabulous seaside suburb of St Kilda. Back when the song was recorded in 1909, Melburnians flocked to the whimsical St Kilda Sea Baths for their sunny, salty pleasure. It was a time when neck-to-knees swimwear was de rigueur, and men and women swam in segregated ocean baths that jutted out into Port Phillip Bay.
Fast forward more than a century and a scaled-back version of the St Kilda Sea Baths remains to this very day. A visit to the complex — which now houses a spa, gym and a selection of bars, cafes and eateries — to look at the historical photographs on display there is a must-do. Melburnians continue to converge on St Kilda Beach on a good day and the charm of this quintessential, slightly offbeat seaside enclave is still well worth singing about.
Here’s a checklist of our top ten things to do in St Kilda.
Watch our video of ten top things to do in Melbourne:
Top 10 Things to Do in MELBOURNE, Australia, 2026 | Ultimate Melbourne Travel Guide for First Timers
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1. Do a self-guided walking tour
Walking is where it’s at when getting to know St Kilda. The main tourist strips of Fitzroy Street and Acland Street are linked by the semi-circle sweep of the Esplanade (where most of the historic seafront landmarks can be found), while freewheeling down any residential street will reveal myriad architectural treasures. If you prefer some structure to your roving, download the St Kilda Foreshore Trail self-guided walking tour map and guide. It covers around four kilometres and provides fascinating detail on sights of note along the way.
2. Stroll along St Kilda Pier
No visit to this part of Melbourne would be complete without a meander along St Kilda Pier. The latest incarnation of this iconic structure opened in late 2024 at a cost of $53 million. While it looks the business, the kiosk at the end is not original; the almost century-old structure was gutted by fire in 2003. However, the reconstruction is superb. There are plenty of ways to enjoy the pier; buy an ice cream from the kiosk, admire the boating hardware on display at the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron, take a ferry to Port Melbourne and Williamstown, toss in a line, or just dangle your legs over the edge and drink in the stunning city skyline view.
3. Meet the resident little penguins
While thousands of visitors to Melbs trek down to Phillip Island to see the world-famous Penguin Parade, it’s possible to enjoy a sunset encounter with the region’s pint-size celebrities much closer to home — and for free (for now, at least). A colony of little penguins resides on the breakwater at the end of St Kilda Pier and while a booking is required, there is no charge to access the newly constructed viewing platform. Note that feeding, touching, the use of torches, and flash photography are not permitted. The latter can stun the birds and cause them to desert their chicks, and no selfie is worth that.
4. Smile at Luna Park
Next to the pier, St Kilda’s most prominent landmark is arguably Luna Park. Guests have been entering the amusement park through the toothy grin of the much-photographed Mr Moon, framed by opulent Moorish-style towers, for well over a century. Luna Park is home to a mix of old-time and new rides and attractions, including the Great Scenic Railway — the oldest continuously operating wooden roller coaster in the world — and the Carousel — which is listed on the Victorian and National Heritage Registers.
The park is open on weekends, public holidays, and during Victorian school holidays, but is closed on weekdays during school terms. Check the website for details.
5. Eat cake
St Kilda’s Acland Street has long been known for its continental cake shops. Built on the back of European-Jewish migration to the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne from war torn Europe, Acland Street saw its first cake shop — Monarch Cakes — open in 1934. Many others followed suit. While today only three or so pastry shops remain along the strip, they’re an enduring link with the past (and Monarch still bakes its Polish cheesecake using an original recipe).
It’s also worth boarding the number 16 tram for the short ride from Acland Street up to Carlisle Street in Balaclava (past the majestic St Kilda Town Hall) to visit Glick’s bagel shop. Founder and Polish-born holocaust survivor Mendel Glick passed away in 2017.
6. Stop and smell the flowers
Walk off your crumbly indulgences with a stroll in the sublime surroundings of the St Kilda Botanical Gardens. This has to be one of Melbourne’s best kept secrets, and on weekdays, save for a bunch of ducks and the odd gardener, you are quite likely to have the 6.4 hectares all to yourself. One of only two suburban botanic gardens established in the 19th century in Victoria (the other is in Williamstown), today the layout of the gardens remains largely faithful to the original design. The ornate wrought iron gates are open from sunrise to sunset.
7. See some theatre…
There’s an undeniable and somewhat indefinable edge to life in St Kilda, and the precinct’s entertainment offerings generally like to push the mainstream boundaries. Experimental and fringe theatre works have long found a platform at Theatre Works in Acland Street. It’s worth booking a ticket even if you know nothing about the show you’re seeing.
8. …or live music
If live music is more your artistic cup of tea, check who’s playing at the Palais Theatre. At one time this was Australia’s largest picture palace, and today it hosts everything from stand-up comedy and drag, to burlesque, bands, and the odd bit of ballet. Live music fans will also love visiting the ‘Espy’ (Esplanade Hotel) of RocKwiz fame.
9. Dine at a local institution
St Kilda has no shortage of ritzy, glitzy restaurants, but it’s much more fun to seek out the affordable culinary staples long loved by locals. Banff Cafe has stood on Fitzroy Street for longer than anyone cares to remember, and serves up bargain-priced pizzas and pastas, washed down with no-frills-beakers of wine. Leave your personal space requirements at the door. Over on Acland Street, Claypots serves up incredible and affordable seafood concoctions in, well, clay pots — just as it has done since 1998. Hit up any helpful local for more recommendations.
10. Shop for a handmade souvenir
If you’re in the market for a meaningful memento of your stay in St K, make haste to the Esplanade Market — held every Sunday along the Upper Esplanade. The market only allows products handmade by vendors (at least partially) to be sold at its one hundred-or-so stalls. From crocheted cushion covers to tie-dyed tea towels, you’re sure to pick up a completely unique souvenir.
The writer travelled as a guest of TFE Hotels.
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Additional images: Bigstock
About the writer
Adam Ford is editor of Top Oz Tours & Travel Ideas, and a travel TV presenter, writer, blogger, and photographer. He has travelled extensively through Europe, Asia, North America, Africa, and the Middle East. Adam worked as a travel consultant for a number of years with Flight Centre before taking up the opportunity to travel the world himself as host of the TV series Tour the World on Network Ten. He loves to experience everything a new destination has to offer and is equally at home in a five-star Palazzo in Pisa or a home-stay in Hanoi.
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