Despite the scorching heat Luisa made our tour very worthwhile. Melbourne has so much to offer and this Hidden Secrets Tour is the perfect start to your exploration of this amazing city. Do it on your first day and you will go back to some lovely coffee shops, shops and arcades during the rest of your stay. The coffee break at the Belgian chocolate shop was awesome. Luisa did not overwhelm us with unnecessary historical detail, making the tour suitable for all ages, but the little bit she did give us was interesting and informative. The group was small enough (7) to keep things personal, but Luisa remained very professional at the same time. She was also very knowledgeable and answered all the questions we threw at her without any problems. The tour only made us more aware of how much Melbourne has to offer and we soon realised that 5 days were not going to be enough. We had a great time though and we will certainly be back. Thanks Luisa! Katrien, Rob and Elzi

This tour is delivered in English, lasts for about three hours including lunch and has of maximum eight people per tour. You also receive a further discount on any other tours or gift vouchers you buy from this company. The fitness level is easy as all you do is stroll through paved streets.

The tour began across from Flinders Street Station where our lovely tour guide Sarah gave as a goody bag with water, a map of Melbourne, and a list of stores that would give us a discount if we mentioned we had taken this tour. She then told us about the five key buildings that are one this street corner, namely Flinders St Station, St Paul's Cathedral, Eureka Tower, Federation Square and Young and Johnson's pub including Chloe's Rooms. I would say this is the most 'standard' part of the tour as these are key Melbourne attractions so you would most likely hear about them on most Melbourne sightseeing tours. However, this tour is anything but typical and it delivers what it promises- secrets.

I learned really interesting facts (trivia type knowledge) about how these buildings where built, what they were used for, scandals they had been involved in, and sayings that are associated with them.

Next we headed down the laneways and arcades as promised. We visited numerous shops briefly and were told about their goods, the shop's history and the shop owner's philosophies. Check your goody bag because you get discounts in a few of them if you mention that you were on this tour.

We also learned about some unique Melbourne architecture and notable architects. A tip for you is that you should always look up in Melbourne. Look up at the ceilings and the facades of tall buildings and more often than not you will be pleasantly surprised by the designs you see.

Morning Tea at KoKo Black is included. We learned a little bit about the store owner who travelled to Belgium to learn how to make chocolates the traditional way before we going in for a drink and a chocolate sample. All six people in my tour group had a different drink and we all agreed that what we had was delicious. I had a the Belgian hot chocolate and I highly recommend it. It tasted like melted chocolate and was full of flavour but not overly sweet.

Finally our tour ends at a restaurant across from Flinders St Station where we started. You can opt to do this tour with our without lunch included. If you originally choose not to have lunch included but change your mind, you can pay at the restaurant and they let you join the group for lunch. Sadly our lovely tour guide Sarah could not join us for lunch but all six of us attendees had lunch together. All of us talked about how much we enjoyed the tour, what we had learned, where we live and what the rest of our travel plans are. Some of us even exchanged contact details. I have never had such a good time with a group of strangers in my life.

This is honestly the best tour I have ever done anywhere in the world. If you ever visit Melbourne, I strongly recommend that you take this tour.