The Queen Victoria Market, or the Vic Market for locals, is arguably the most iconic fresh produce and shopping market in Melbourne. Spread-eagled over several city blocks and boasting over 500 retailers, it has everything. Vegetables, fresh seafood, and pastries to kitchen goods, knick knacks, and clothes. Even woolen seat-cover specialists get a stall here.
Not only is the sheer size of the Vic Market overwhelming, you'll also have to contend with vendors shouting their special of the day, early risers haggling over the leanest cut of meat, and the general hustle and bustle of this massive market. It’s glorious.
Queen Victoria Market At A Glance
- When Is Queen Victoria Market Open?
- How To Get To Queen Victoria Market?
- Is There Queen Victoria Market Parking?
- Are Dogs Allowed At Queen Victoria Market?
- What To Eat At Queen Victoria Market?
- What To Buy At Queen Victoria Market?
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To make your Queen Vic Market trip a little more palatable, we've put together a guide of everything you need to know, so you can navigate the stalls like a seasoned pro. Also, we've included a few little foodie treats, so next time you go you'll be fed like a Vic Market connoisseur.
When Is Queen Victoria Market Open?
Image: Queen Victoria Market Melbourne | Visit Victoria
This market runs Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Or you might find it easier to remember, it's closed Mondays and Wednesdays.
The Queen Victoria Market opening hours are 6am to 3pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. On Saturdays it’s open 6am to 4pm, and on Sundays the vendors get a sleep in with stalls open 9am to 4pm.
Although the markets open at 6am most days, some specialty retail stalls open at 9am so don’t jump the gun if you plan on getting in some retail shopping.
Queen Victoria Market is closed for most public holidays.
How To Get To Queen Victoria Market?
To get to Queen Vic Market by public transport, you can take the train or tram.
Catch the train to Melbourne Central Station or Flagstaff Station, and it’s a less than a 10 minute walk from both stations to the market.
To take the tram to Queen Victoria Market, jump on a 19, 57, 58 or 59 and you’ll be within a few minutes' walk of the market. It's inside the free tram zone, so if you’re coming from within the free tram zone you won’t need to touch on.
Is There Queen Victoria Market Parking?
If you’d prefer to drive, there are two car parks at Queen Victoria Market: an open air car park and a newer undercover car park. The pricing is the same for both options.
Parking is free from 6am to 9am on all market days, great for the early birds. After 9am on market days, parking costs $7 for the first two hours and $4 for every hour after that. You can get a cheeky $2 discount if you download the QVM Parking app and scan a QR code inside the market.
The car park has different rates on non market days, you can check out the details here.
There's metered parking all around the markets but it can be tricky to snag a spot, especially during peak times.
Are Dogs Allowed At Queen Victoria Market?
You’ll need to leave the doggos at home for this market visit, as dogs aren’t permitted inside the dairy produce hall, meat and fish hall, or the fruit and vegetable sheds. Guide dogs and assistance dogs are the exception to this rule.
What To Eat At Queen Victoria Market?
When it comes to food at Queen Victoria Market, there’s no shortage of tasty treats you’ll want to wrap your hands around. Wandering this glorious foodie wonderland, you’ll probably want one of everything. But if you want to go in with a plan, these are our top picks for best food at Queen Victoria Market that will fuel your explorations.
Jam Doughnuts
E Shed, Stall E33-36
Image: American Doughnut Kitchen | Supplied
The stuff of legends, American Doughnut Kitchen has been slinging doughnuts at Queen Vic Market since the 1950s. This food truck pumps out those jam filled balls of hot dough like they're going out of fashion. Though there's always a queue, make sure you get 5 little bite-sized bliss balls for $10.50 – they'll give you the energy you need to tackle the market.
Boreks
Dairy Produce Hall, Shop 93-96
Even though they're definitely not a secret, the boreks are still the best thing about the Vic Market. Pan-fried flat bread stuffed with herbs, spinach, lamb and fresh yoghurt, try your hand at any of the stalls that vend them (you just can't go wrong) for only $5. That said, we can't go past The Borek Shop.
Secret Layer Dip
Dairy Produce Hall, Shop 61-65
Second to boreks on the scale of deliciousness comes the secret layer dip. In the deli section of the market, there are a few places that will have this three-layer dip parading about in its glory on their benches (we get ours from Dianne's Delights). It's spicy capsicum and cashew on the bottom, mascarpone in the middle, and a spinach and basil pesto on top. Buy a loaf of Turkish from one of the bakeries and a secret layer dip and you've got Saturday afternoon sorted.
What To Buy At Queen Victoria Market?
When you go to Vic Market, it's pretty easy to fall victim to 'same stall' syndrome, where everything looks similar, so you give up and go to the closest one - missing hidden gems! You’ll find your own favourites in time, but we reckon these are some of the best stalls worth poking your nose in.
ReWine
456 Queen Street
Image: ReWine | Supplied
Should you be in the market for vino, one gem you absolutely need to step foot inside is ReWine. They bring their barrels on site and pour straight from barrel to bottle for you. There’s a big focus on sustainability, so you’re encouraged to bring back your bottles to refill. All the wines are available to taste before purchase. Their mulled wine is a big winter favourite and the perfect hand warmer after tackling the market.
The Traditional Pasta Shop
Dairy Produce Hall, Shop 3-4
Nonna's back! If you don't have time (and let's admit, who has the time these days) to sit in the kitchen for three hours stuffing ravioli, the Traditional Pasta Shop's fresh homemade pastas are to-die-for. Like all things good and homemade, they come in a variety of flavours you certainly won't see on the shelf at Woolworths - like pumpkin and poppyseed fettuccine and ravioli stuffed with gorgonzola and fresh figs.
Joe Leuzzi Flowers
Therry Street, Shop 90
It's just as nice buying flowers for yourself as it is for someone else, and when you smell Joe Leuzzi's magnolia blossoms amongst the sugar and spices of the market, you won't be able to help yourself. His shop is located amongst the organic produce in the Therry Street Kiosk and stocks a whole heap of local and imported blooms. You can pick up a bunch or arrange some yourself, or perhaps buy a solitary stem for a little pick me up.
Main Image Credit: Visit Victoria
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