Melbourne Bars & Laneways Walking Tour
Discover the untold story of Melbourne’s boozy past
Hear about the winery that tried to pay Olympic athletes in bottles, the secrets of the former red light district and how a love-hate relationship with booze has shaped the city of Melbourne over centuries.
After months of research, we combined Melbourne’s best laneway bars with her most interesting (and alcohol-related) stories to create Hidden Bars & Laneway Legends: a guided walking tour through the Melbourne CBD, combining historical storytelling, hidden laneways and bar visits.
Join more than 2,700 people who have done this tour since 2017!
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Learn Melbourne's Boozy Past
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3 Hidden Bar Visits
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100% Money Back Guarantee
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2.5-3 Hours
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12 or less
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Tues-Thurs-Sat
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Tour Inclusions
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Your Expert Host
Let one of our expert hidden bar and history guides show you a different side to Melbourne.
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3 Hidden Bars Visits
Visit three brilliant and very different hidden bars you never would have found yourself!
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Melbourne's Drinking History
Learn about Melbourne’s famous barmaids, the queen of sleaze and the booziest happy hour of all time!
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Ticket Options
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Best Price
$74.99 – Simply order your drinks at the bar and pay your own way.
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Best Value
$134.99 – Receive a beer, wine or basic spirit at each bar ( i.e. 3 drinks per person, per tour).
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Ultimate Experience
$175.99 – Order bespoke and specialty cocktails from each bar, you’re in charge tonight! ( i.e. 3 drinks per person, per tour).
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Ultimate Experience Ticket Bonuses
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Get Expert Tips
After you book, contact our expert team for any food, entertainment or other Melbourne recommendations.
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DHT Bars Map
Get access to our exclusive bar map of Melbourne, with all of our favourite hidden spots just for you to explore.
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Our Partners
More than $140 worth of value included from Alcotraz, Naked Wines, The Whisky Club, Grip6 and Clementine’s.
What happens after I book?
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Instant
Email confirmation of your booking with key details including meeting point.
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Two Days Prior
We’ll send you several pre-tour reminders with any important updates.
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Day of Tour
Receive a same day text with Google Map directions to the starting point, your guide’s name and phone number.
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Ghost Tour Fun and informative tour of Melbourne's spooks and great bars. Lenny was a great guide!read moreread less
Bryn M17/07/26 - Stories, Bars & Bevvys in Melbourne If you're thinking about getting a drink in the city, definitely consider this tour. The variation of bars we visited gave us a full range of the charm Melbourne has to offer. Our tour guide, Jay, was a natural and enthusiastic storyteller, leading us through tales of history and culture while being extremely down to earth and approachable like catching up with a friend who'd moved to a different city. He was also very considerate, actively and eagerly making sure everyone was comfortable. The walk itself is pleasant as you venture through buildings of old and towers of new, giving you the chance to witness Melbourne's character and understand how it developed as a city. Of course, the bevs are banging too. 100% recommend.read moreread less Rohan J17/07/26
- BOOK THE HIDDEN BARS & CREEPY TALES! If you’re eager for hidden stories and haunted histories with a cheeky bevy here and there, then this is the tour worth going for. Thanks to Jay, not only did we unveil and appreciate Melbourne’s past and founders, me and my family had an experience filled with nonstop twisted historical facts. And who doesn’t like a couple of jokes and giggles along the way. Highly recommend, and had an amazing time with Jay.read moreread less
Nathan J16/07/26 - History, laneways and Tucked Away Bars Wow! Jay was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! His level of knowledge was exceptional, with interesting stories at each stop. We got to see parts of the city we would never have found, tucked away bars and historical sites. Totally recommend this tour - ask for Jay when you book!read moreread less Sophie C15/07/26
- Perfect way to discover fascinating legends and interesting facs about Melbourne I like the whole concept of the tour. In just 3 hours, I learned so many fascinating legends and interesting facs about Melbourne that I had't discovered during my 5 months of living here. Absolute worth every dollar!
Our tour guide Jay was fantastic - knowledgeable, funny, and incredibly engaging. He created a great atmosphere throughout the tour, and I really enjoyed the selection of hidden bars we visited. He also recommended several other bars that I'm looking forward to checking out another time. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and I would highly recommend it!read moreread less Amar B11/07/26 - A great experience! A great experience! Lots of fun history of how booze has led this city over it's time, while also being shown great locations for a drink along the way. The guide, Tom, was fun, energetic and knowledgeable. Would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in history or being the person who can take someone around the city and show them hidden gem locations.read moreread less Madi B05/07/26
- Exploring hidden corners Brilliant way to explore the unknown corners of the city. Jay, our guide, was knowledgeable, informative but, most importantly, entertaining. He filled the night with tales from both the past and present. He took us to three bars that we would never have found and tailored them to suit us. The night was filled with laughter, great vibes and cool cocktails. This tour was a highlight of our trip.read moreread less Simone B28/06/26
- Creepy History Drinking Tour We had the best time with Lenny on our tour yesterday. So many good stories and facts about the dark side of Melbourne. Stopped at 3 awesome bars 🙂read moreread less Emily R28/06/26
- Perfect whiskey and gin experience Wow what a fantastic way to explore some beautiful Melbourne bars and taste delicious whiskeys and gins. Brigitte entertained us and informed us of the history at the same time - her knowledge and passion for the subject was amazing. Would definitely recommend the tour.
Special mention to our "nemesis" tour guide Jay who ran the laneway tour at the same time - that's the next tour on the list.read moreread less Janine C18/06/26 - Top class bar crawl! Michael was a cool guide and a lot of fun plenty of stories and historical anecdotes. We enjoyed three top bars, and a couple of them would never have been found! Recommendread moreread less
Holly L11/12/23
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Final Details...
Frequently Asked Questions
Which bars will I get to visit?
From laneway bars to rooftops and hidden speakeasies, every tour is slightly different. We work with more than 20 different bars, and we like to rotate through the bars we visit so no one tour is the same!
Are drinks included?
Depends on the ticket price – we have options for both.
Do you do private versions of this tour?
For sure! You’ll find all the information you need to book a private tour on our private tours page. Our tours are great for birthday parties, corporate events, or just getting together with friends for a fun night out.
Are tours wheelchair accessible?
Yes, with a but. We’ll need you to contact us before you book so we can make sure the bars we select for your tour date are wheelchair friendly
How much walking is involved?
This tour is our longest at about 2km of walking in total.
How long does a tour last?
This tours last for about three hours, all up, although they can go for up to four hours if we have delays or if everyone is just having a really swell time!
That includes about 1.5 hours of walking (no more than 10mins without stopping) and 1.5 hours of socialising/bar visits.
During that time you’ll visit three of the city’s best bars, with 30-40 minutes at each bar to try some delicious drinks and soak up the atmosphere.
Of course, we finish our tour at the final bar, so you’re welcome to stick around there for as long as you want!
Does the tour include food?
How long do we stay at each bar?
We stay at bars 1 and 2 for about 30mins – enough for one drink. We appreciate that feels like a small amount of time, but if we stayed any long the tour would be too long, and we wouldn’t get to see everything! We finish the tour at our final bar, so you are free to stay on after the tour has finished.
Looking for more options?
See our guide to the best Melbourne walking tours.