The Carlton Gardens precinct covers the eastern edge of Carlton, around the gardens themselves and the Royal Exhibition Building. It is a quieter, more open-feeling part of the suburb than the dense restaurant strip on Lygon Street, with rows of Victorian-era terraces along Rathdowne and Drummond streets, the Melbourne Museum and the IMAX, and an easy walk south into the CBD.
A good half-day base for visitors who want to combine museum-going with parkland and a sit-down lunch.