Gray Line Melbourne
Gray Line Melbourne
4.5
City ToursSightseeing ToursNature & Wildlife ToursBus ToursDay Trips
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About
Gray Line Melbourne Day Tours is Melbourne's premium sightseeing operator offering a comprehensive range of half and full day tours to the regions best sights and attractions. We offer 24 hour reservations via phone, email and our website. Gray Line Melbourne offers premium coach travel with free Wi-Fi included on all tours. We are the local expert offering unique tour inclusions as standard that others don't. Join us to experience the difference and see the best that Melbourne and Victoria have to offer!
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,247 reviews
Excellent
811
Very good
282
Average
76
Poor
49
Terrible
29

ttm85
Severna Park, MD165 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019
Though we booked online through ATTKings, our tour was run through Grayline leaving from Federation Square. Our awesome driver was James who gave us commentary along the way and very good tips about viewing the penguins and the other places we were visiting. On our itinerary was Warrook Farm where we fed kangaroos and camels, saw a wombat and other animals and a koala sanctuary where we saw 10 koalas. We had a quick stop at the southern tip of the island where we were able to see nesting penguins in their burrows, and the main attraction - the actual Penguin Parade. Using James’ good tips we saw many of the Little Penguins without the need to upgrade. All of our stops had restrooms. There was a scheduled stop in Cowes for dinner on our own with adequate time. James was able to give us info on restaurants. We chose fish and chips and ate them on the beach. Very pleasant day, about 11 hours altogether and James dropped us near our hotel at the conclusion. Comfy large comfortable bus.
Written 3 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi ttm85! We are thrilled to receive your detailed comments and the 5 star rating is a bonus, thank you so much! :D The Penguin Parade tour can get very long during summer months so it was ideal you traveled on our premium comfy coach with all the mod-cons. You get to see more during the drive being much higher up than a mini bus. Safety is a priority and with this tour concluding late evening, we do accommodate drop-off at/nearest the hotel. We appreciate you traveling with Gray Line and hope to have you back onboard for another day tour soon! Best wishes, Jane
Written 26 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Vivian
3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019
We visited the Great Ocean Road on 27/12/2019. The tour started early and it was a great day! The driver was nice and friendly, giving us abundant information while driving along the road with a breathtaking view. There was wifi onboard, so it was really convenient for tourists to connect and share the view with friends. Overall, if visitors to Melbourne have time and wanna enjoy a one-day tour, I would recommend them to book this tour or other similar ones provided by Grayline.
我們造訪大洋路時天氣很好,一路上風景宜人,巴士也相當舒適,是個美好的一天。我們參加了兩次Grayline的一日遊旅程,都有很棒的經驗。大洋路這趟旅程的司機也相當棒,一路上介紹了很多資訊,指引我們可以在哪兒用餐,也盡責地送我們回到飯店,很謝謝他。
Written 14 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi again thetravellerinau! A million thanks for recommending our Gray Line day tours! :D The Great Ocean Road is a 12 hour day covering 600kms so being comfortable on the journey is really important for the overall enjoyment aspect. The mod-cons we offer onboard (reclining seats, restroom and USB to name a few) along with being higher up to be able to see more of the stunning coastline scenery, are not available in a mini bus. Our high deck premium coaches are thoughtfully and purposefully built for sightseeing. Thanks again for the positive review and another 5 star rating! Warm regards, Jane
Written 27 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Nana
Melbourne, Australia12 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2017 • Family
We (my parents and I) took the Penguin Parade day tour which consists of these places; Moonlit Sanctuary, Churchill Island heritage farm, Antarctic Journey at The Nobbies, and ultimately the Penguin Parade.

Before reviewing about the places in detail, I need to give 4 thumbs up to our tour guide, James. He told us his personal stories, bits of random facts about Melbourne, very very detailed explanations about the places and some tips on how to enjoy our trip to the fullest in each attractions. He really tried to bond with us and it was a really pleasant experience. He is more than just the average tour guide/driver; professional and definitely passionate about his job.

Moonlit Sanctuary is a great place to take your kids to. It was really fun handfeeding the kangaroos and birds there. The place is really beautiful too, There are LOTS of animals there; dingos, tasmanian devils, wombats, you name it. The highlight was definitely the koala interaction time. I took a picture with Blue Gum and you can pet him while he enjoys his eucalyptus. This place is definitely a MUST. The animals are not scared of people too. I touched the heads of the kangaroos (maybe i shouldn't have lol) and they did not flinch away and held onto my hand instead. A definite MUST-GO.

Churchill Island heritage farm is wonderful too! You can attend sheep shearing session, cow milking session (yes, you can milk the cow with your own hands) or just eat at the cafe while enjoying the picturesque scenery (couldn't find the picture sorry!). They sell pretty souvenirs (some trinkets, plushies and house decoration, farm-themed of course) for you to take home and give to your loved ones.

The multimedia display part of Antarctic Journey was a bit dull but the view there is BREATHTAKING (picture attached). The sea, sky and spread of islands there are so beautiful and I had a good photo session there. If you are lucky, you might get a chance to see the whales there. (BTW you can use this giant binocular thingy to see Antarctica for about 4-5 mins by inserting a $2 coin)

Finally, the Penguin Parade ! The penguins were a bit late that day as the first one only appeared around 6.35pm-ish?. It was worth the wait though they're super cute (smallest penguin species on Earth!). You are NOT ALLOWED to take pictures there as the flash from your camera (could be unintentionally) can make their senses go haywire causing them not being able to find their way home so just enjoy the moment and really immerse yourself in the experience.

It was memorable day spent with James and all the friendly people travelling with me that day. Truly a magical experience. Thank you Grayline!!

Sorry for watermarking the pics! Watermark is my ig account, there are more pictures from the trip there if you're interested :D
Written 30 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Sapphira K Thank you so much for your very informative and highly complimentary review. It is so wonderful that James made your day even better. It seems the 2 greatest highlights from your day were Moonlit Sanctuary and of course the Penguin Parade. That's brilliant. We think those venues are one of a kind too. Thanks for sharing photos too. Kind regards Kelly
Written 9 August 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

2shea
Melbourne, Australia178 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2011 • Couples
We actually booked our tour with Great Sights, however, the tour companies share their tours when there are not sufficient passengers for their own bus run. So we were turned over to Gray Line.

I've done various bus tours in the many times I've been to Melbourne and I can say without a doubt, the bus driver was the rudest and grumpiest driver I have come across. I don't think he smiled once. He did not take into account that for many of the passengers that English is not their first language and that they would probably have difficulty in understanding his instructions (or should that be commands).

What should have been a lovely tour / bus ride was spoiled by his sarcasm, condension and rudeness. He had some fair points to make regarding timeliness and perhaps saving the bus toilets for the run home so we wouldn't have to stop for toilet runs but the message was lost in the delivery.

He embarrassed one of the passengers who dared to use the bus toilet while there were some toilets at the stop we were at. The toilets outside were quite putrid. When the female passenger came out of the bus toilet he called out to her over the bus loud speaker something like.."I don't know who you think you are Miss, that you are so special that you get to use the bus toilets when I asked you to use the toilets outside''. The tone was rude and sarcastic.

At future stops he was rude to passengers who were a few minutes late getting back to the bus. Even leaving some passengers at one stop when they were late and then went back to get them.

There were other incidents all too many too mention, but once we were at our second last stop, one of the elderly passengers was running to get back to the bus because he thought he would be late and no doubt was wanting to avoid a rude comment or sarcasm.

It was interested to note that on the way back to Melbourne...about a 3 to 3 1/2hr non stop drive, that many were scared to actually use the toilet, there was a lot of looking longingly at it but only one passenger did use it.

The Great Ocean Road is a lovely destination perhaps the tour companies try and fit too much in and as a consequence it's rush rush rush and it doesn't make for a pleasant trip at all. We did stop for some unscheduled photo shoots, but I suspect this was to give the driver an opportunity for a smoke. I would be happier with less stops but more time to spend at the 12 Apostles and Razorback as well as lunch.
Written 6 December 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear 2Shea, I understand that our Reservations Manager Leah had replied to you on this issue back in December last year. Thank you again for providing your valuable feedback. This had been followed up with the driver and he offers his sincere apologies. We hope you do travel with Gray Line again and look forward to seeing you travel with us in the future. Kind regards, Chantelle Khan Assistant to Sales & Marketing Manager
Written 17 June 2012
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Tilly871
62 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2015 • Family
While in Melbourne we booked a trip with Gray Line and without having the courtesy to advice us they transferred us to a different tour operator. Only found out when another tour company picked us up. I even contacted Gray Line on the day of travel for something and nobody bothered to advice us or give us an option. Gray Line, people sometimes choose a tour operator over another for a reason! We ended up on a coach were the driver talked the entire trip about total irrelevant stuff like Australian taxes on different wage brackets, how much his utility bills are, his daughters education and how she has to pay a 40k student loan back to the Government, how he meet his wife, private and public education in Australia, stamp duty on homes etc etc etc This went on for almost 3 hours and the trip was a nightmare and couldn't enjoy the scenery. Can't recommend this company because they simply put you on another coach and don't bother to advice you or give you an option. If I would have known that I would have booked with the Little Penguin Bus instead!
Written 14 October 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Tilly871, Thank you for your review, the information you provide is extremely important and has been passed on to our Sightseeing Manager to follow up. However, in order for us to get more information on the experiences of that particular tour on that date I'd love to get some more information from you, such as the date you went on the tour. If you can please email me at agents@grayline.com.au that would be most appreciated. We can on the rare occasion if we are already fully booked do use another tour operator with a similar tour so that you don't miss out entirely on the tour, this should have been better communicated and our Sightseeing Manager has also looked into this procedure. Kind regards, Chantelle
Written 26 October 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Jools2509
Queensland23 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2016 • Couples
Our coach driver Jeff (Geoff) was absolutely fabulous. His driving was excellent and his commentary lively & informative. Being picked up from our hotel was great but then you are taken to Flinders Street and off loaded and put onto another coach. However you are not allowed to board & have to line up -- not fun in the rain, especially when there are already other passengers on board. What a waste of time. It is understood that this company does several tours to various destinations every day, but why don't they just pick up passengers for the one tour in each bus? We chose the 'premium lunch' option for $30 extra per person. This is the biggest waste of money. The lunch was average,at best, and the two courses rushed in the 1 hour allowed for the stop. You can get a much better lunch at the same place for half the price of this option. The advertised billy tea was not served as it was raining and the lamingtons were Coles home brand and stale. There was no Vegemite & crackers. The Port Campbell stop was a complete waste of time & I suppose it is only included as a 'pit stop' before the trip back to Melbourne. They don't tell you in the brochure that you are not taken back to your hotel. You are taken to Flinders Street but we got lucky with Jeff as he did a loop of The Melbourne city centre so we could disembark reasonably close to our hotel. We did get the photos we wanted so, on the whole, not a bad day.
Written 14 April 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Julie, Thank you so much for taking the time to send us this informative review. I have passed on your lovely feedback about Geoff to his manager, Geoff will be extremely happy to receive this. The rest of your experience though (i.e. meal inclusions & Port Campbell stop) on our tour is of great concern as it appears this is not up to our high standards in touring. I have also escalated your concerns about these various aspects to our senior management group for them to look into and amend where necessary. We are sincerely sorry that you did not have a terrific overall experience on our Great Ocean Road tour. I assure you that we are looking thoroughly into your concerns to ensure this does not happen again. Kind regards, Chantelle
Written 21 April 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

carolinelundberg71
Vanersborg, Sweden124 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
We were picked up in time outside Crown at 7:35. After that we were brought to bus center. We had to wait another 40 min until we could board the bus. In total it took 3 hours from pickup to the arrival in Sovereign Hill. This place is more for families with small children. We had 4 hours to spend which was way to much. The highlight was the gold mine tour which was not included and you had to pay extra for. This is the worst tour we had in Australia.
Written 24 December 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for sharing your feedback in regards to your Sovereign Hill tour. We are very sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy the tour and that it didn’t meet your expectations. Our Sovereign Hill tour departs our Day Tour Centre at 8:20am and so unfortunately if guests choose to receive a complimentary hotel pickup it means they will arrive at our departure point earlier then the tour departure time. We hope you enjoyed the rest of your time in Melbourne. Kind regards, Mia
Written 8 January 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Nis008
Ahmedabad, India155 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Thanks to Mr. David, who accompanied us for the City Day Tour (21/5/15) and Great Ocean Road (22/5/15)

Also thanks to Ms. Penny for being the guide at the various arcades in the City Day Tour (21/5/15)

It was a wonderful experience and i am highly satisfied.

Attitude and support of Gray Line team was great.

Would love to tour with your co. again. :)
Written 22 May 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Prakash Rajen
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019 • Family
Our journey on dec 15, 2019 in Melbourne was memorable and we thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality of David. He is an outstanding tour guide/ bus captain, keeping passengers entertained 😊.. Although I live in NSW, I enjoy the accent of Victorians....
Written 15 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Ramji P Such wonderful comments - thank you so much! We are very fortunate to have passionate and professional Driver Guides who just love what they do and genuinely care about the safety and enjoyment of our guests. David has been with Gray Line for many years! Hopefully we will see you back onboard for another day tour? Best wishes, Jane
Written 1 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

kj56521
11 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Our guide for the city portion of the trip was absolutely wonderful. I’m so sorry I can’t remember his name.

A “Big” shout out to Ben our guide. He was wonderful for the Penguin portion of this trip. He was very informative along the way and one of the friendliest tour guides I’ve had in a long time. He took the time to take us a little off the track to see some kangaroos as well as the ocean road before heading in. If you could request your guide I would DEFINITELY see if you could get Ben.

All in all you can’t go wrong with Grey Line. Their tour guides are by far the best I’ve had on tours.
Written 13 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi kj56521! Wow! What fantastic feedback! Thank you muchly for the recommendation and compliments. So pleased you enjoyed your tours with us and that your Driver Guides on the day were wonderful. Maybe we shall see you back on another one of our day tours in the future ... Warm regards, Jane
Written 25 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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