Yarra Valley Tours & Day Trips

Yarra Valley tours are day trips from Melbourne, and most of them are 7 to 8-hour days that collect you in the city so nobody has to drive. Wineries and a long lunch sit at the centre of the range, with wildlife, steam trains, orchards and bike trails as alternatives. This page sorts the tours by the kind of day you want, within the wider Yarra Valley region.

Winery day tours with lunch

The classic Yarra Valley tour is a day of cellar door tastings with lunch at a winery, and the Yarra Valley wine tours collection groups them. The Yarra Valley Winery Tour with Lunch leaves from Melbourne's CBD with pick-ups from 9.15am and returns at about 4.30 to 5pm. It is a larger-group day on an air-conditioned bus with a guide, which includes a main meal, a glass of wine and tea or coffee at lunch.

The Yarra Valley Winery & Chocolate Tasting Tour with Lunch adds four wineries and a stop at the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie, with a CBD hotel pick-up around 9am or 9.30am. For a smaller group, the Yarra Valley Vintages and Villages Day Tour travels in a 15-seat vehicle, visits three boutique wineries, serves a two-course lunch with a glass of wine and leaves free time to explore Healesville.

Food, farm and wildlife tours

Food-led tours go beyond wine. The Yarra Valley Foodies Tour & Kangaroo Safari leaves Federation Square at 11.30am and covers a strawberry farm, sparkling wine at Chandon Estate, cheese at a local dairy, a tasting at Yering Station and chocolate and ice cream, before a sunset kangaroo safari. It gets back at about 8pm, and guests buy their own lunch at the winery restaurant.

Wildlife and railway days combine Healesville Sanctuary with the Puffing Billy steam train. In the Healesville Sanctuary and Puffing Billy Scenic Bus Tour, the sanctuary comes first, followed by Emerald Lake and the train. The Puffing Billy and Healesville Sanctuary Scenic Bus Tour reverses that order and adds chocolate tasting at the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie.

Trains, bikes and early starts

If you would rather ride than sit on a bus, the Yarra Valley Bike Tour with Lunch and Drinks is a guided 6-hour ride along the Warburton Rail Trail. It starts at Woori Yallock Station car park, stops for morning tea at the Carriage Cafe and lunch at a winery, and includes tastings at two wineries. You travel to the start yourself.

The Dandenong Ranges' heritage railway has its own tickets. Puffing Billy Belgrave to Lakeside return tickets cover a steam railway journey in open-sided carriages over four historic timber trestle bridges. For flexibility, the Melbourne to Yarra Valley Hop On Hop Off Bus Pass leaves the Grand Hyatt at 10.10am with four winery stops on a timetable. Early risers can book the Yarra Valley Hot Air Balloon Flight, Breakfast & Transfers, which meets at Federation Square before dawn and finishes with breakfast at Rochford Wines.

Day trips beyond the Yarra Valley

Some tours in this category head elsewhere in Victoria. The Mornington Peninsula Scenic Bus Tour takes in the Arthurs Seat Eagle chairlift, chocolate tasting and a winery lunch. In winter, the Lake Mountain Snow Play tour from Melbourne drives through the Yarra Valley to the snow, with a stop at the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie.

How to choose a Yarra Valley tour

Group size is the first decision: a bus holds a larger crowd, a 15-seat vehicle feels more personal, and a bike ride is as small as your group. Next is the pick-up point, which varies by tour. Winery tours collect from CBD hotels or the Immigration Museum on Flinders Street, others leave from Federation Square, the Grand Hyatt or Hotel Windsor, and the Vintages and Villages tour also collects from St Kilda hotels.

Then check what lunch means. Winery tours with lunch include a meal and a glass of wine, but on the Foodies tour and the Healesville Sanctuary and Puffing Billy tour you buy your own.

Frequently asked questions

How long is a Yarra Valley day tour from Melbourne?

The Yarra Valley Winery Tour with Lunch is an 8-hour day with Melbourne pick-ups from 9.15am, and the Yarra Valley Foodies Tour & Kangaroo Safari leaves at 11.30am and returns at about 8pm. Most Yarra Valley day tours from Melbourne fill a 7 to 8-hour day.

Do Yarra Valley winery tours include lunch?

Yes, on the winery tours with lunch. The Yarra Valley Winery Tour with Lunch includes a main meal, a glass of wine and tea or coffee, and the Yarra Valley Vintages and Villages Day Tour includes a two-course lunch with a glass of wine. On the Foodies tour, guests buy lunch at the winery restaurant.

Where do Yarra Valley tours leave from in Melbourne?

Yarra Valley tours leave from several Melbourne meeting points. The Yarra Valley Winery Tour with Lunch departs from the Immigration Museum on Flinders Street, the Foodies tour and the balloon flight meet at Federation Square, the hop-on hop-off bus leaves the Grand Hyatt, and some tours pick up from CBD hotels.

Can kids go on a Yarra Valley tour?

It depends on the tour. The Yarra Valley Winery Tour with Lunch and the Puffing Billy and Healesville Sanctuary tours sell child tickets. The Yarra Valley Vintages and Villages Day Tour is adults only, and the Yarra Valley Winery & Chocolate Tasting Tour with Lunch is sold for ages 16 and over.

Can I visit Yarra Valley wineries without driving?

Yes. Yarra Valley winery tours from Melbourne include transport, and the Melbourne to Yarra Valley Hop On Hop Off Bus Pass takes you to four wineries from a timetable, with bottled water, commentary and storage for purchases on the bus.

Pick the kind of day you want, from a winery lunch to a steam train ride, and book a Yarra Valley tour from Melbourne, or compare the options under Yarra Valley wine tour if wine is the main reason for the trip.