Why Melbourne feels built for wandering

Before visiting Melbourne, I always heard people describe it as the most walkable city in the country. I honestly thought it was an exaggeration, but after spending a few days there I kind of understood what they meant.

A lot of cities are built around destinations. In Melbourne, most of the enjoyment came from the spaces in between. Walking through artsy laneways, discovering coffee shops, and accidentally ending up in areas I wasn't even planning to visit.

Laneways everywhere

Melbourne has many more laneways than what's displayed on Instagram or Tik Tok. There's lots of undiscovered ones, all usually containing a small coffee shop or restaurant, along with some nice street art.

Accidentally finding these places became part of the fun. After a while in the trip, Google Maps was ignored and we just walked in the general direction of the destination.

Coffee culture

The coffee is better in Melbourne. A large part of Melbourne tourism is marketed by their coffee. Also the general atmosphere of the cafe's are much more relaxing than in Sydney. They feel more social and less of a transaction. You can lose track of time just by siting at a cafe in Melbourne.

Walking around feels natural

Melbourne has good transportation, but really it's not a necessity. The layout of the CBD made navigation easier. For most places in Melbourne CBD, the difference in driving vs walking time is negligible. Initiatives like free transport for May don't really affect the government too much because of this.

Different areas feel like different cities

The variance in culture between different areas was very distinct. One prime example was Fitzroy and Southbank. Fitzroy was more creative and alternative, while Southbank was more modern and polished. Despite only being 10 minutes drive from one another, there was a big difference in community and style.

Every area that was explored had a different style. The high variation made exploration and walking much more enjoyable.

My take

Wandering is important during travel. It feeds into our primal instinct to explore, which is a good break from typical work routine and screens. Too much structure in travel makes it feel like a chore, and doesn't give you the same level of relief.

Cities like Melbourne support this, and are generally better experienced without any strict planning.