The 7 best walking tours in Melbourne

The first thing you'll be told on the Chocoholics tour is to pace yourself. Heed that advice because you're going to be tasting a lot of coverture chocolates and desserts over the tour. Your guide will take you through some of the city's dinkiest arcades and laneways in the search for Melbourne's finest chocolate, with tasting, discounts and insight from professional chocolatiers at every stop. You'll even learn how to taste chocolate like a pro. 

Time Out tip: The tour combines history with a selection of tasty chocolate desserts, some of which are locally sourced. You can also expect the occasional cheese, spice and even the odd detour. 

Take a journey into ancestral lands of the Kulin nation in this guided walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens. Kicking off at 11 am Sunday through Friday, this tour gives visitors insight into how the local people lived within different environments found within the gardens, from forest to rainforest and nearby wetlands. The tour includes a traditional Tanderrum smoking ceremony and Welcome to Country, and visitors discover traditional uses of plants for food, tools and medicine. The tour finishes with a refreshing cup of lemon myrtle tea. Tours are suitable for adults and children over five and begin at the Gardens’ Visitor Centre. 

Time Out tip: This is a great attraction if you prefer a more relaxed pace - great for a Sunday. 

Whether you're a tourist or a local, you're bound to discover something new about Melbourne on a Hidden Secrets tour. The laneways and arcades tour will take you in and out of Melbourne's famous back alleys, teaching you some interesting history along the way. Block Arcade and Royal Arcade are covered, as well as some much less well-known places. For example, did you know about EW Cole's giant three-storey book arcade? 

Time Out tip: Hidden Secrets also offers food-related tours, including a progressive degustation.

No trip to Melbourne is complete without visiting the ever-changing Hosier Lane, but there’s more to Melbourne Street art than that. Melbourne Street Tours run tours of the city’s urban art with practising street artists as the guides.

Time Out tip: You can help yourself to a selection of goodies along the way including fresh produce, beer, wine and soft drinks.

Locals might have seen the fluoro green wearing I’m Free Walking Tour guides hanging around the Arts Centre or State Library, but have you ever stopped to join them? As their name suggests this operator runs 100 per cent free tours of Melbourne’s sights and culture (you can also pay what you can afford). Try out their Melbourne Sights Tour to see a different side of the city. 

Shiver-inducing true stories are the specialty of Melbourne’s most popular ghost tour operators. Wander through Old Melbourne, explore Williamtown by lamp light, investigate the paranormal in Victoria's oldest morgue, or see if you can brave the Time Ball Tour rumour to be guarded by spirits.

Time Out tip: Catch these tours every Friday and Saturday. 

Once an important meeting point for the Kulin Nation and later a convent run by Irish nuns, this Abbotsford site has been through many guises over the years. 

Time Out tip: Abbotsford Convent periodically hosts a farmer's market where along with fresh produce, you can stop for a coffee and some pastries.