The Best of The Best Destinations Named – ‘Australian Traveller Magazine Reader’s Choice Awards 2013’

The "Australian Traveller's Choice Awards of 2013", named Melbourne as Australia's Best City, Best Winter Holiday and Most Romantic City.

There were more than 1100 Aussie travellers who were asked for the 2013 awards.

Best City

According to the 'Australian Traveller's' magazine web site, a reader compared Melbourne to "Europe without the 24-hour plane trip.

Melbourne had also been named as the world's most livable city for three consecutive times by The Economist Intelligence Unit Survey. With that, it showed that Melbourne was appreciated beyond its tourist attractions; appreciated not just by international tourists but local tourists as well.

Locals also loved Melbourne's "transport system that makes it easy to get around" and "the proximity to spa country, the Great Ocean Road and the Mornington Peninsula," according to the magazine's web site.

"We suspect Melbourne's appeal can also be attributed to her ever-changing array of exhibitions, pop-up bars, shops and displays - "there's always something new happening," commented one reader.

Another response explained, "Melbourne is like an onion - it has many layers of complexity and each time you visit, you unpeel a different experience, a never-seen-before layer," - Australian Traveller.

Best Winter Holiday

Art exhibitions, theatre performances and music gigs, cosy pubs, the AFL and snowfields like Mt Buller make Melbourne the best winter holiday getaway.

"Winter is the best excuse to stay warm in the city's never-ending range of restaurants," as commented by one reader.

"It's the best time to experience the laneways too - they're generally heated and have a great atmosphere," another reader said.

Most Romantic City

"A little Paris by day, and a little New York by night" - Australian Traveller

Melbourne was seen as a place for passionate rendezvous among lovers.

There are "intimate bars and restaurants hidden down laneways, great hotels for couples to stay," wrote one reader.

Other readers love the city for its "parks and gardens that are perfect for picnics", "fireplaces in many bars and restaurants" and "trams to snuggle up in", all set by "a magical Yarra Valley backdrop".

The Complete List of Australian Traveller's Choice Awards of 2013: