Flights to Melbourne

Flights > Australia > Melbourne > (MEL) - See also: Melbourne

Melbourne flights summary:

British Airways and Qantas offer flights to Melbourne. These airlines offer the advantage of being able to stay on the same plane for the journey, with stops in either Bangkok or Singapore.

More suggestions for finding cheap flights to Melbourne

Several other airlines offer connecting flights to Melbourne via hubs cities in the Middle East and Asia, with some passengers also choosing to fly west via the USA, although this is a much longer way round.

Mini Guide to Melbourne

Australia’s second city, the capital of the “garden state” of Victoria, has come to be regarded as a sports lover’s paradise. The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) was the venue for the first Test Match ever played in Australia, and has provided the backdrop to the nation’s cricketing heroics - and a fair few capitulations from touring sides - in the decades since. Yet even without cricket, Melbourne’s back pages could fill themselves. This was the birthplace of Aussie rules football; Albert Park plays home to the Australian Grand Prix; tennis’s Australian Open takes place here every January; and the city also awards horse racing’s prestigious Melbourne Cup.

Before those with an allergy to Grandstand or Sky Sports flee elsewhere: fear not - there’s more to Melbourne than sweaty jocks and betting slips. Much of the (non-sporting) action takes place around the city centre, home to a number of recent and, in some eyes, controversial developments, such as Federation Square, the new (transplanted?) heart of the city, which links the city’s business district to the Yarra River. For some, it’s a blank, bland tourist trap, for others a welcome space for future cultural cross-pollination: make up your own mind. Attractions with a greater pedigree include the National Gallery of Victoria, with its focus on Australian and Aboriginal art, the colossal Queen Victoria Market, and Old Melbourne Gaol, once the temporary residence of outlaw Ned Kelly.

Further out of town, you’ll find the Melbourne Museum, itself a much-debated institution, though permanent exhibits devoted to champion racehorse Phar Lap, a Children’s Gallery, and an IMAX cinema make it especially popular amongst younger visitors. Same goes for the Melbourne Zoo, and the coastal neighbourhood of St. Kilda, with its Adventure Playground and the amusements of Luna Park. Take note of the black clouds gathering overhead, mind: another prominent feature of Melbourne is its supremely variable climate, which inspired the local saying (and Crowded House lyric) “four seasons in one day”. Be ready for anything.

Melbourne Flight News

British Airways axing Singapore to Melbourne route - 21/12/2005
JSA continuation welcomed by BA, Qantas - 08/03/2005

Flights to Australia - Other Cities

Can't find any good value flights to Melbourne? Read our general guide about finding flights to Australia, or try one of the other cities in Australia mentioned below:

Other useful Melbourne travel websites

Melbourne International Airport - Official Website