The Central Business District of Melbourne is the place where most people come to and stay when they go to Melbourne. The skyline can be seen from quite some distance away, for example when coming from the airport on the sky bus, but it is not a very pretty sight. All buildings seem to be thrown together without a real plan behind it, with something that appear to be large holes between the high risers. Indeed, during the 70s and the 80s of the previous century, the city boomed and many old and historical buildings in the centre were torn down to make space for large glass office buildings as in many other parts of the world. Some Melbournians came to the rescue of the historical sites, leading the way for the current uncontrolled and unplanned look of the city. Next to the highest tower in the city, the Rialto tower, you can still find 3-story early 20th century buildings.

But, once you are walking around in the CBD, it becomes much nicer. The historical buildings like the Flinders Street Station, St. James Cathedral or just the early 20th century living blocks (a few stories high) are contrasting well with the modern skyscrapers still looking shiny and new. Other old interesting buildings not yet mentioned are the ANZ bank, the town hall and Victoria State Parliament building, the Old Treasury and the Windsor Hotel. Close to the CBD you can find a large Chinese population around Chinatown as well as big groups from Greek, Italian or Vietnamese origin.

During summer, regular open-air performances are held like music performances or street theater. Melbourne is also called the "Sports capital of Australia" due to its innumerable sport stadiums for all sports you can think of: cricket, soccer, rowing, horse racing and world famous for the Formula 1 Grand Prix or the Australian Open tennis tournament held in Melbourne every year.

In the evening, there are lots of restaurants to be found here, like in Chinatown or Little Italy but Aussie cuisine is easy enough to find. Later, you can go to a pub or try the nightclubs which can be found on the top floors of many high risers.