Afternoon in Melbourne: Booze and History Tour

Badge of ExcellenceMelbourne, Australia

Booze Makes History Better Melbourne History with a drink in hand Tour

3 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Raise a glass to Melbourne's history while bar-hopping among some of the best watering holes in town. Hear tales of the Gold Rush, rebellions, royals, and Olympians while a fun-loving guide shows you how locals unwind. Order your drink of choice at a typical Aussie pub, a hidden speakeasy, a cozy wine bar, and another buzz-worthy surprise bar. It's a safe and social way to partake in Melbourne's famous bar scene while meeting fellow travelers.

Get a taste of Melbourne nightlife on a boozy bar hop and history tour
Kick things off on a Historical note at the Old Treasury Building – where we kept all that gold during the Gold Rush!
Pop into pubs, wine bars, speakeasies, and cocktail lounges with a sociable guide
Get top tips on other places to eat and drink during your stay in Melbourne

What's Included

Experience Melbourne’s unique bar scene with a friendly local English-speaking guide
Learn about Melbourne’s history with a drink in-hand
Try drinks at three unique Melbourne establishments (drinks non included in the tour price)
Discover hidden bars known only to local Melburnians
Get tips on what else to see, do and eat during your stay

Because everyone’s drinking preferences and tolerances are different, rather than include drinks, we keep our tour price low and allow you to purchase drinks as you go. Most establishments accept bank cards, but there is occasionally a minimum spend. You may wish to bring cash if you want to avoid this.
Drinks, food
Tips/gratuities for your guide

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Sir William John Clarke Memorial
Spring St, Melbourne VIC 3002, Australia
Sir William Clarke Memorial Statue, Corner of Spring St and Treasury Place (next to the Old Treasury Building) Find the exact meeting point with what3words: ///bounty.gift.allow

Start time

03:00 PM

End point

Melbourne VIC 3004, Australia
City - Central Business District, within the free tram zone

What To Expect

Old Treasury Building

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Caretaker's Cottage

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Little Lon Distilling Co.

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Chinatown

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Most establishments accept bank cards, but there is occasionally a minimum spend. You may wish to bring cash if you want to avoid this.
Melbourne is known to have four seasons in one day – please check the weather report and dress accordingly!
For your Intrepid Urban Adventure you will be in a small group of a maximum of 12 people.

Near public transportation
Travellers under 18 years of age are not permitted to join this tour.
Most travelers can participate
While we strongly recommend that all travellers are vaccinated against COVID-19 to reduce the risk of transmission and avoid putting undue strain on healthcare services, vaccinations are not a requirement to join an Intrepid Urban Adventures tour.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

58 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 58 reviews

boozy history

Adam_H, Apr 2024

We had a great time. Tristan was very knowledgeable and a wealth of information. Would recommend this tour to anyone.

Amazing, comprehensive tour with a local!

Phil_B, Apr 2024

Absolutely terrific tour! Tristan was a great guide and very knowledgeable! We went to some great bars. Ones that we wouldn’t have found by ourselves. Tristan’s local knowledge was invaluable. The history of the area was comprehensive and very interesting. Thanks for a great afternoon!

Carafes Cocktails and Culture!

Lin_G, Apr 2024

Fabulous afternoon, our tour guide Tristan was so knowledgeable and enthusiastic and went over and above for our tour. Group was small so he became our guide and photographer! Having a cocktail, whilst listening to the story of the establishment, made it a special afternoon.

Great pub tour

Billly_C, Apr 2024

Tristan was a well informed guide and made the tour very enjoyable. He made great pub selections and we definitely recommend the tour.

Enjoyable

Lori_E, Feb 2024

Great time had by all! Interesting and fun! Lots of information provided by tour guide ! It poured rain, but that’s Melbourne!

This walking tour was delightful!

PattiJo_W, Sep 2023

Tristin was a first class tour guide. He was well prepared, professional and a great story teller. We enjoyed learning all about Melbourne’s history and visiting the “hidden” bars. This was a wonderful walking tour and we found so many places to visit again. Tristin was informative, warm and a joy to be around.

Fun and nformative

Julie_B, Jul 2023

Anna was an amazing guide, friendly, knowledgeable and knew all the great spots to take us to. Well worth it. Loved it ☺️

Great experience

Sophie_K, Jan 2023

Local Tour guide was very knowledgeable and adapted the bars to our preferences. The tour group was very small, did expect it to be slightly larger and would’ve liked at least one drink to be included in the price of the tour. It was a great way to see the city and learn tips from a local.

Personalised histories of Melbourne

Joshua_P, Dec 2022

Tristan was a great guide and really personalised the tour for us. We could tell he knew so much of the history of the city and was really tailoring the tour to our preferences. We really like the stories he brought to life and the people who have lived here previously. Also it was a great selection of bars that we wouldn't have found ourselves

Interesting tour with...

Sivakumar_A, Aug 2022

Interesting tour with visits to some backlanes as well. Our guide Nicole was awesome! The bars were nice and unique in their own ways.

Phenomenal experience

Andrew_C, Aug 2022

Great tour, great tour guide (Anne) with a lot of knowledge and stories. Phenomenal experience. Drinks were great as well, and the service at the places we went to was great as well.

Australian tour shines!

Jemele_H, Aug 2022

Anna was our tour guide and we was exceptional — knowledgeable, personable, and funny. She took us to some great spots and especially loved the lesson on the street art in Melbourne. My husband and I enjoyed her company immensely. She is a gem.

Got ripped off

Kevin_T, May 2022

Nothing to share. It was canceled and supposed to be rescheduled for Friday. Was told I would receive a confirmation email. Never received any email. Plus tried to get in contact with Viator. Still no contact.

Hidden gems in Melbourne

Joanne_S, Apr 2022

We discovered some great places to go, hidden amongst city buildings. We had a fantastic tour guide named Joseph who was very knowledgeable and gave us lots of information on Melbourne. It was a perfect day for our tour and we thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. Would recommend this tour.

Great Afternoon Exploring Vibrant Fun Hidden Bars

Sue_T, May 2021

We had a very interesting and informative afternoon with V ! We loved the bars we went to. The drinks were yummy too. V has a wealth of information about the history of Inner City Melbourne’s early days. She particularly showed us and discussed with us how women who had no other choice set up successful businesses in order to survive.

Not much history.

sharon, Feb 2020

Not much history but saw four interesting/boho bars. Pleasant enough guide but was a little disorganized. The last bar wasn’t even open so we had to scramble to another.

Nice way to find hidden bars

evanstd, Jan 2020

Thank you Nicole for a great afternoon in some hidden bars with a bit of history learnt along the way. Also, thanks for the tips for future visits.