Good Morning Melbourne!

Melbourne hits different in the morning. As the city wakes from its slumber, sleepy workers, vendors, and tradespeople rush to get caffeinated. And why not, in the greatest coffee city in the world?

Your experience will begin at an iconic cubbyhole café, where you’ll learn just how to order a Melbourne coffee — and even the off-menu special known only to locals.

Next, you’ll do a bit of shopping at the largest open-air market in the Southern Hemisphere. It won’t just be shopping, though — we’ll meet some local vendors and buy some charcuterie. We’ll have a quick nibble now, but save most of it for the tour’s grand finale.

Of course, any visit to the market is incomplete if it doesn’t include a hot, sugary doughnut — so we’ll make sure to get that as well.

Next up: the tram. Morning in Melbourne is so closely tied to the sound of the “ding ding” that it’s how a lot of Melburnians wake up, to the whirring of giant 19th-century iron and steel behemoths. We’ll hop on one of those trams before heading beneath a sneaky little tunnel to emerge alongside the ancient Yarra River.

Walking by one of the preeminent arts institutions in Australia simply won’t do, so we’ll head inside the National Gallery of Victoria for a quick peek before continuing onward.

We’ll quietly reflect at the stunning Shrine of Remembrance — a pyramidion built with the city plan in mind.

Finally, we’ll plop down at the Royal Botanic Gardens to feast on the charcuterie we picked out at the Queen Victoria Market.

Now that’s what I call a morning!