Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne

The Royal Botanic Gardens are Melbourne's great green room, a landscape of rolling lawns, ornamental lakes, old trees and themed plant collections set on the slopes beside the Yarra, a short walk or tram ride south of the city centre. The gardens date from 1846, and their character owes most to William Guilfoyle, the director who, from the 1870s, reshaped a scientific garden into a picturesque landscape of curving paths, vistas and carefully framed views across water. Today they cover about 38 hectares and are one of the finest botanic gardens in the world, with collections of Australian plants, a fern gully, a rose garden, succulents, a herb garden and a restored reservoir known as Guilfoyle's Volcano, planted with drought-tolerant species and reached by a spiral path with views of the skyline. Entry is free, and the gardens are open every day from early morning until evening, so they suit any schedule: a morning walk, a lunchtime picnic, a lazy afternoon on the grass with a book. For families, the Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden is a joyful space of tunnels, bamboo forests, water play and kitchen gardens, though it keeps its own opening days. Next door, the Shrine of Remembrance, the state's grand war memorial, offers one of the best views of the city from its balconies, and around the whole precinct runs the Tan, a 3.8-kilometre gravel path that is Melbourne's favourite running loop. Come for an hour or a whole day; either way, this is where Melburnians go to slow down.

Planning a visit is easy because there is almost nothing to plan. The gardens open at 7:30am daily; from October to the end of March they stay open until 7:30pm, and from April to September they close at 5:30pm. The Visitor Centre near Observatory Gate opens from 9:30am to 5pm and is the place for maps, guided walk information and a cafe. There are ten gates, so you can enter from whichever side suits you: Observatory Gate on Birdwood Avenue is the most convenient, a walk of a few hundred metres from tram stop 19 on St Kilda Road, which is served by many routes. Since the Metro Tunnel opened, Anzac Station on St Kilda Road has made the gardens easy to reach by train as well.

A good loop takes about two hours. From Observatory Gate, walk down through the fern gully to the Ornamental Lake, where black swans glide past the island, then climb to Guilfoyle's Volcano for the views. Return via the rose garden and the Australian Forest Walk. If you have children, plan around the Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden, which opens at 10am and is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays outside school and public holidays, and also closes for part of winter. Pack a picnic or buy one from the cafes; there are few better places in the city to spend a warm afternoon.

The neighbours are worth your time. The Shrine of Remembrance, a monumental memorial to Victorians who served in war, is free to visit, and its balcony offers a sweeping view straight up St Kilda Road to the city. The Tan track circles the gardens and the adjoining Kings Domain, and you will see runners on it at every hour of the day. Government House, the governor's residence, sits within the domain, and the Sidney Myer Music Bowl hosts outdoor concerts in summer. Combine the gardens with the NGV in the morning and a walk back to Southbank along the river, and you have one of the best free days in Melbourne. Special ticketed events, such as outdoor cinema and theatre in summer, take place in the gardens; check the official site if you are visiting in the warmer months.