Melbourne Uncovered: Hidden Bars and History Tour

Uncover the hidden bars and rich history of Melbourne on this engaging tour. Explore the city’s unique bar scene, sip drinks at three amazing venues, and learn fascinating historical anecdotes.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Old Treasury Building - We begin next to the Sir William Clarke Memorial next to the Old Treasury Building. A symbolic area of Melbourne and home to our Parliament. The order of the venues may change, but together we will visit a variety of our favourite local watering holes, these may include a classic craft beer establishment, a laneway bar, a hidden speakeasy. Everyone has their favourite drink but you’ll be encouraged to try something different on this tour. Many of Melbourne’s most popular bars are in tiny, hidden laneways and survive on word of mouth alone.
    Melbourne’s bar scene is ever-changing, so one of the bars will be chosen by your guide on the day, depending on the group’s desires, the weather, and what is trending in Melbourne at the time.

If you’re still thirsty by the end of the tour, don’t forget to ask your local guide for some more recommendations, so you won’t have to worry about a dry mouth for the rest of your stay in Melbourne.

  • Caretaker’s Cottage - Depending on the weather, your drinking preferences and what’s open on the day, your guide will choose 3 amazing bars to take you to. One of our favourites is a hidden Cocktail bar behind an historic church
  • Little Lon Distilling Co. - A thriving red light district, brothels, opium and gambling dens, Melbourne certainly had an interesting past! There’s plenty of history to uncover on this tour, but don’t worry it’s not the boring history lesson you got in school!
  • Chinatown - Depending on your interests your tour could end up in any part of the city. One of our favourite places to take guests though is to the many hidden laneway bars of Chinatown!
What's Included
  • Explore hidden bars exclusive to locals
  • Tour with a local English-speaking guide
  • Learn Melbourne’s history over drinks
  • Receive personalized recommendations for your visit
  • Visit three distinctive Melbourne bars (drinks not included)
What's Not Included
  • 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
Additional Information

Forget history textbooks and dull guidebooks. We’ll uncover the real characters and hidden history of Melbourne/Naarm (and maybe a secret bar or two!) that have shaped marvellous Melbourne into what it is today. Experience the city’s unique bar scene with a local guide and enjoy a drink at three fantastic venues. By the end of this tour, you’ll see that history is indeed better with booze (not that there was ever any doubt)!

  • 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.
  • Travellers under 18 years of age are not permitted to join this tour.
  • 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.
Location
Sir William John Clarke Memorial
Spring Street
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
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(62 Ratings)
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Donna_s
Jun 30, 2024
Will be doing more - This was a great tour. Our guide Tristan was wonderful. Lots of drinks, laughs and great company. Will be choosing another one next visit.
Review provided by Viator
Julie_r
Jun 25, 2024
Great tour for an afternoon - Tristan took us for a tour of Melbournian history and introduced us to some amazing little bars whilst doing so. We enjoyed every moment of the drinks, locations and story telling. Thanks Tristan!
Review provided by Viator
Vicky_h
Jun 21, 2024
Great time! - It was great seeing parts of the city up close. I laved the unique pubs and talking to the other people on the walk. Tristen was wonderfully entertaining with lesser known history of Melbourne. Would highly recommend this tour
Review provided by Viator
Carolyn_g
Jun 17, 2024
Fun entertaining day - We all had a fantastic time with Tristan. He was very knowledgeable and entertaining. Plenty of laughs were had. Would highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Adam_h
Apr 22, 2024
boozy history - We had a great time. Tristan was very knowledgeable and a wealth of information. Would recommend this tour to anyone.
Review provided by Viator
Phil_b
Apr 17, 2024
Amazing, comprehensive tour with a local! - 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!
Review provided by Viator
Lin_g
Apr 6, 2024
Carafes Cocktails and Culture! - 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.
Review provided by Viator
Joannebs3931zd
Apr 4, 2024
History and Booze - the Melbourne Story - Tristan was an amazing guide to all things historic and booze related. A fun and laugh filled afternoon. Thoroughly recommend this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Billly_c
Apr 1, 2024
Great pub tour - Tristan was a well informed guide and made the tour very enjoyable. He made great pub selections and we definitely recommend the tour.
Review provided by Viator
Alasdair
Mar 6, 2024
Secret bars in Melbourne - Great tour went to bars and places we would never have found and got told some good history about melbourne and Australia over a few drinks
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 12 guests
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September 2024
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