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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Jay is a mine of information! Great afternoon walking the lanes and hearing some fabulous tales. Jay shared his knowledge with passion and an endearing love of Melbourne and it's history. Great chatting about travel and favourite reading genres over a Ginger Rogers and an Aviation at our last venue. Wear walking shoes, and very highly recommended.read moreread less
Naomi G26/07/26 - Creepy tales were awesome Jay was great. The bars we went to were cosy and full of character. The journey to each bar was filled with fascinating history (creepy tales) of the people and places we were passing. Jay was passionate about his city of Melbourne and had many fascinating anecdotes - very pleasant way to spend a Saturday night.read moreread less Kathleen H25/07/26
- Birthday celwbration Our tour was very interesting and Jay made it very enjoyable.read moreread less
Liz D25/07/26 - amazing The tour was amazing but Jay, our tour guide, truly made the experience unforgettable. His vast knowledge of Melbourne’s past and present history was sensational and his storytelling ability was incredible. It felt like walking through a movie! I would definitely recommend it. 10/10!read moreread less Bianca V21/07/26
- 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 - 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).