Rooftop Bars & Ripping Tales Tour
Rooftop bars blend with tall tales on this CBD tour.
Melburnians have always loved drinks with a view – from Australia’s first rooftop bar in 1969 to the rooftop boom following changes to smoking laws in the 2000s.
Following months of extensive research, we selected some of our favourite rooftop bars and combined them with Melbourne’s most interesting alcohol-related tales to create a unique and memorable experience of sky-high Melbourne.
From our booziest Prime Minister to divas taking champagne baths, join us for an unforgettable afternoon.
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Visit 3 Rooftop Bars
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Ripping Stories
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CBD Start & Finish
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2.5-3 Hours
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Small Groups (12ppl)
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$140 Bonus Value
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Tour Inclusions
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Visit 3 Rooftop Bars
Your tour host will handpick three of Melbourne’s best rooftop bars. You’ll have a beer, wine, cocktail, low shelf spirit or soft drink at each venue.
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Unearth Melbourne's Boozy History
You won’t get this kind of history from any other tour: from golden beginnings to divas taking dips in champagne baths, wine prescribing doctors, pistols & pinot and drunken PMs, we uncover the boozy side of Melbourne’s past.
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Unlock the DHT APP
Exclusive for our guests, the DHT App unlocks more of Melbourne’s unique history including content, bar maps and more.
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Bonus Goodies!
More than $140 worth of extras! Naked Wines ($100 off).The Whisky Club (free gift with purchase). Grip6 Wallets ($10 off). Clementine’s (gift with purchase over $50).
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Get Expert Tips
Need some help with other parts of your Melbourne trip? Contact Ben the Boss and he’ll email you back some custom recommendations!
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"Drinking History Tours is a Melbourne gem...get on it."
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"If you find walking tours too sober and pub crawls declassé, this is the walk for you."
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"The perfect combination of history, humour, socialising and, of course, drinking."
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Great experience with this tour! We did the Drinking History - Legends and Laneways Tour on our first evening in Melbourne, and it was a great way to start our trip while learning about the city. Bridgette (Crazy Cat Lady) was an excellent host - informative, personable and funny with some great stories (and even better cat photos if you ask!)
Really enjoyed all the places we went to, and even returned to one later in our trip. Would 100% recommend to anyone visiting Melbourne!read moreread less
Samantha J07/04/25 - Must do in Melbourne! Dr Crazy Cat Lady (Brigette) was a fantastic knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide! Amazing hidden bars and spooky stories throughout the tour, a must do in Melbourne, 10/10.read moreread less Dee B29/03/25
- 3 hours well spent This is the second tour of Melbourne that we have done and it was as good as the first.
We were fortunate to have Bridgette (Crazy Cat Lady) as our guide on both occasions. She is extremely knowledgeable and tells some great stories about Melbourne, the laneways and bars and the dark past.read moreread less Footo4425/03/25 - Another informative tour This is the second time we have had Bridgette as our tour guide and her knowledge of all things Melbourne is fantastic. From the historical facts to urban myths and legends, she tells a great story whilst showing you places you would otherwise never discover on your own. Highly recommend!read moreread less Dreamer61335922/03/25
- Amazing! Bridget was a fantastic guide - super knowledgeable and fun. Would 100% recommend to anyone visiting Melbourne, it is a must!read moreread less Megan S22/03/25
- Fab afternoon out Bridgette was fantastic. Full of knowledge, fun facts and laughter. We thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon. Great pubs and she saved the best til last!🍸❤️read moreread less V2705QFamandah22/03/25
- Fun Melbourne tour Our tour guide, Brigette, was fun, bubbly, fantastic and knowledgeable.
Great tour. Will definitely recommend and try some of your other tours.read moreread less Walter L14/03/25 - Perfect activity for solo or groups: interesting stories, fab drinks and a lovely guide! Brigette is a gun, thank you so much for a fun evening! I highly recommend this tour for visitors as well as locals (like me) who might be curious about local history, creepy stories or just getting to know the city bar scene better! Loved how well the creepy, historical stories tied in with the bars. Our guide was really engaging and funny, I learned a lot while having lots of laughs and delicious drinks - what more could you want!read moreread less Maria K12/03/25
- Fun and Informative Our evening was truly enlightening. Brigette, our guide, showcased her vast knowledge of Melbourne's bars, laneways, and historic buildings. We stumbled upon unique bars, but regrettably, did not record their locations. For those in Melbourne, this tour is highly recommended.read moreread less Fish777206/03/25
- 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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Our Guarantee
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ONLY GOOD BARS
We only take you to bars we really like (no kickbacks or commissions).
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MONEY BACK GUARANTEE
If you don’t have one, we’ll give you your money back.
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FLEXIBILITY
If you need to cancel 24 hours before your tour, you’ll get a refund or a gift voucher.
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Final Details...
Frequently Asked Questions
Which bars will I get to visit?
We work with more than 6 rooftop 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 a gentle 1km of walking. The pace is not designed for elite athletes – a basic level of fitness will do!
How long does a tour last?
This tours lasts ~2.5 hours, all up, although they can go for up to 3 hours if we have delays or if everyone is just having a really great 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.
I want to buy a gift card! How does that work?
Sure! So gift cards can be bought on this page, by selecting “Buy Gift Card” instead of “Book Now”.To redeem your gift card, simply return to this page, select “Book Now”, choose your date and enter the Gift Card voucher code at checkout.You can buy gift cards for any tour, but sadly, we can’t sell single value cards (i.e. $100 Gift Card).
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A FULL BELLY
The tour includes a drink at each bar, but not food, so please eat before the tour..
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RAIN, HAIL OR SHINE
The tour departs regardless of what the Thunder God throws at us.
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APPROPRIATE CLOTHING
Take a jumper/jacket or your hat/sunscreen. Wear comfortable footwear (no thongs, but sandals are fine).