The capital city of the state of Victoria, Melbourne, is one of Australia’s most popular tourist destinations famous the world over, and if you happen to be traveling there from Thailand Thai Airways International offers direct flights from Bangkok on a daily basis.

As well as Melbourne, direct flights from Thailand to Australia are operated by Thai Airways International or THAI to Brisbane, Perth and Sydney. Australia is one of 19 countries the airline flies to in Asia Pacific. All the Australian destinations are served daily.

Travelers can book flights from Bangkok to Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Sydney through THAI’s website, as well as search and book flights online to elsewhere in the carrier’s global route network. From its home base at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, THAI flies to over 60 destinations in the Asia Pacific region, Europe and the Middle East. It operates an average of 975 roundtrip flights per week on domestic, regional and intercontinental routes.

Through the website, travelers can for example book flights from Bangkok to London, flights from Frankfurt to Bangkok and flights from Bangkok to Copenhagen.

THAI’s Bangkok to Melbourne schedule sees the airline operate two daily flights on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday and one flight each on a Friday and Sunday. In the return direction Melbourne to Bangkok, flights are twice daily.

As well as being the Victorian capital, Melbourne is also considered to be the shopping, gastronomic and sporting capital of Australia. Perched picturesquely on the banks of the Yarra River, it is an elegant city where history and culture mix with creativity and innovation, offering visitors 19th Century buildings and modern skyscrapers, performing arts, art galleries and a thriving restaurant scene.

The top tourist attractions in Melbourne include Flinders Street Station which was the first railway station in an Australian city, the cultural hub of the city Federation Square, Melbourne Museum - the largest museum in the Southern Hemisphere, the landscaped Victorian-era Fitzroy Gardens and Queen Victoria Market, an icon of local trade and street life.

Must-do experiences while in Melbourne include:

Dining at the city’s many and varied restaurants - among these is Attica, one of the world’s 50 best restaurants.

Checking out the rooftop bars - it is said that Melbourne invented the rooftop bar scene and well known establishments include Black Pearl for creative cocktails, Bellota for wines and Cumulus Up in Flinders Lane.

Shopping for designer and local labels - the retail scene boasts edgy and high-end fashion outlets such as Alistair Trung, Alpha 60, Lupa and Emporium, vintage shopping on Chapel Street and statement pieces on High Street, Armadale.

Exploring the city’s laneways and architecture - beautiful arcades, one-off boutiques, eclectic laneways and graffiti art make for hours of exploration, as does the World Heritage listed Royal Exhibition Building and Victorian landmarks such as St Patrick’s Cathedral, St Paul’s Cathedral.

Tasting life on the St Kilda Esplanade - take the tram to bohemian St Kilda and enjoy live pub music, eat fish ‘n’ chips on the beach and ride the rollercoaster at historic Luna Park.

Day tripping to wineries, forests and surf beaches - savour world-class wines, artisan cheeses and handmade chocolate in the Yarra Valley, cuddle a koala at Healesville Sanctuary, explore the Dandenong Ranges and check out the surf at Mornington Peninsula or Bellarine Peninsula.

Get outdoors in parks and gardens - run, cycle or just relax in Melbourne’s picturesque green spaces including the Royal Botanic Gardens and Kings Domain along the banks of the Yarra River, Royal Park and Fitzroy Gardens,

Cheering at internationally known sporting events - join the crowd at Melbourne Cricket Ground for cricket in the summer and Australian Football League in the winter, go trackside at Flemington for the Spring Racing Carnival and Melbourne Cup and thrill to Formula 1 racing at Hisense Arena.