The city, at your door.

Coop's Shot Tower stands under the glass dome, a piece of old Melbourne kept intact while the shops grew up around it. Walk five minutes north from Bennetts Lane and you're browsing 300 stores with the train right below your feet.

Caretakers Cottage is a century-old former caretaker's quarters on Little Lonsdale Street, right across the road from The Lane House and ranked among the world's 50 best bars. Behind the bar you'll find Guinness, a short cocktail list and British pub snacks.

Bourke Street Mall is Melbourne's main pedestrian shopping strip, home to flagship stores like Myer and David Jones. Watch for the trams. Locals do it without thinking; you'll learn fast.

A laneway narrow enough that you could shake hands with the table next to you, and full of coffee worth the squeeze. This is the Melbourne people mean when they talk about laneway culture.

Little Bourke Street has run as Chinatown since the 1850s gold rush, older than most of the buildings around it. Dumplings, yum cha, and a museum that tells you exactly how it got there.

State Library Victoria houses the stunning La Trobe Reading Room, with its octagonal dome and rows of desks beneath natural light. Entry costs nothing, and the light alone is worth the visit.