Flinders quarter

The facades of Flinders Lane are home to very trendy bars, hotels, apartments, and artisans and designers producing and selling eccentric to exquisite fashion and accessories, together with writers, architects and other creative souls.

The Flinders Quarter covers the areas between Spring and William, and Flinders and Collins streets. Once home to the city's clothing manufacturing industry, Flinders Lane is now a shopping destination for the hip and happening.

Only in Melbourne
The stretch between Swanston and Elizabeth streets is lined with boutiques like Christine, selling exquisite – and unique – fashion and accessories from around the world, and Alice Euphemia, a haven for experimental designs by young and emerging designers. A few steps away is the edgy fashion of Cathedral Arcade and the atmospheric Nicholas Building which has a diverse community of artists and artisans in residence.

Take home an artwork
The city's key commercial gallery precinct, Flinders Lane houses Australia's highest concentration of commercial galleries. Together with contemporary art and sculpture, a number of galleries specialise in Indigenous art, and Craft Victoria is a gallery and shop showcasing the work of the state's finest craftspeople.

Looking up Melbourne
Centre Place, Scott Place and Degraves Street have atmospheric hole-in-the-wall cafes and eateries. Look up as well as around – there's a number of roof-top bars at varying heights with fabulous city outlooks. At night be part of the in crowd and meander down one of the many laneways and alleys to discover some of the best bars in town.

How to get there
Free Melbourne City Tourist Shuttle: Stop 2. The complete trip includes 13 stops and takes approximately an hour and a half. The bus runs every 30 minutes between 9.30am and 4.30pm daily (excluding Good Friday and Christmas Day) and includes an on-board commentary.

By foot: Half a block north from Federation Square (about one minute).