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Welcome to Travel – Melbourne

Things to do melbourne , melbourne , victoria.

Welcome to Travel is a Melbourne-based travel company, made up of a team of avid travellers who understand what it is people look for when they choose to go exploring. Meeting like-minded people, living life the way the locals do and losing yourself a bit in the places you see – that is what travel is all about.

Welcome to Travel is passionate about helping their customers feel comfortable about taking that first step of their adventure into the unknown. Offering travellers expert help and planning, ease and peace of mind and a lifetime membership of their travel community.

This tour is currently rated number 1 on TripAdvisor for Melbourne tours, with only 5-star reviews. It is the perfect start to your Australian adventure and is ideal for backpackers, students and Working Holiday travellers who want to do more, see more, meet likeminded people and make the most out of their time travelling.

On the tour you will get to explore the beautiful city of Melbourne as well as visit amazing destinations outside of the city such as Phillip Island, the Mornington Peninsula and the bustling beachside suburb, St Kilda. You will go surfing, wine tasting, witness penguins waddling across the beach, and go on an incredible Aboriginal Heritage Walk, among other things.

Overall Inclusions: Personal airport pickup, seven nights accommodation, a City Tour, welcome dinner and drink, two-day getaway to Regional Victoria, surf lesson, Wildlife Park Tour, Phillip Island Penguin Parade, Food, Drink & Street Art Tour; St Kilda Beach Day, paddle boarding, wine tasting, bar crawl, Farewell Rooftop Barbecue and Secret Inclusions throughout.

They will also help you with setting up your bank account, Tax File Number and Australian sim card as well as any employment help and life-long membership and support.

Disabled Access

Experience the best of Melbourne in the shortest amount of time. You will be shown all the highlights and hidden secrets in Melbourne and whilst in the City you will spend three nights at the perfectly located Space Hotel, famous for its rooftop hot tub and views.

The semi-guided Mini Pack is perfect if you want to experience the city with a local and have some free time. They organise your working holiday essentials and give you one-on-one expert employment and travel support now, during and after the tour!

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Welcome to Travel - Melbourne

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Welcome to Melbourne

8 Days / 7 Nights Fully Guided Tour

Secure your spot for just $99AUD

The tour that brings people together from around the World, to discover the best that Melbourne has to offer

Over 8 days, you’ll make friends for life, experience new things and see places you’ve only dreamed of. Our expert employment and travel help will enable you to make the most of your time in Australia.

Tour Length

8 Days / 7 Nights

Perfect For

Working Holiday Makers, Students and Tourists

Max 22 people

Travel Style

Fully Guided

Employment & Travel Help

For your entire time in Australia

Working Holiday Essentials

Get your Australian bank account, phone sim and tax file number set up with us

Top Experiences

Australian Wildlife

This place is known for its wildlife and you’ll see kangaroos, koalas and wait for it, penguins! You’ll fall in love with them all.

Road Trippin’

We’re hitting the road, the beach and the vineyard as we show you what’s so special about Phillip Island and the beautiful Mornington Peninsula.

Learn to Surf

It’s an Australian rite of passage, we couldn’t welcome you without shredding could we? You’ll be catching a wave in your first week!

Foodie Heaven

Through the market, laneways, cafes and bars, you’ll spend Day 3 seeing why Melbourne is the foodie capital of the world.

WHERE YOU'LL GO

You will explore the hidden secrets of Melbourne. Relax on golden beaches in Mornington Peninsula. Discover the natural beauty, wildlife and surf beaches of Phillip Island. Act like a Melbourne local in the famous St Kilda suburb.

WHERE YOU'LL STAY

Whilst in the city you’ll spend 6 nights at the perfectly located Space Hotel, famous for its rooftop hot tub and views. Your other night is spent at The Island YHA on Phillip Island, where you can often see wallabies from your dorm window.

*From July 2024, all tours will be in The Village North Melbourne for the Melbourne accommodation.

Tour Inclusions

Experiences.

• Get picked up from the airport and taken to your hostel, any day, any time​
• Feel at ease with our Day 1 Group Meet and Greet Session
• Fall in love with Melbourne on our guided City Walking Tour
• Get to know each other at our welcome meal
• See why locals love Queen Victoria Market
• Learn about Indigenous Culture on our Aboriginal Heritage Walk
• Experience Melbourne properly on our own Food, Drink and Street Art tour
• Hit the road for 2 days when we head to Mornington Peninsula and Phillip Island
• Spend the morning exploring Mount Martha and its famous colourful beach huts
• Pick your favourite tipple when we go wine tasting
• Spot wildlife on a stunning Phillip Island bush walk
• See hundreds of tiny little penguins
• Experience the magic of the waves in a surf lesson
• Hand-feed kangaroos and get up close to koalas
• Explore every traveller’s favourite suburb, St Kilda
• Hit the town on Melbourne’s biggest bar crawl
• Enjoy a farewell BBQ on the hostel rooftop

Accommodation

• 6 Nights dorm accommodation at Space Hotel.* From July, all tours will be in The Village North Melbourne
• 1 Night dorm accommodation at YHA Phillip Island
• Extra nights/private upgrades available

Meals and Drinks

• Food tasters on food and drink tour
• Wine tasting
• Bar crawl drinks
• Suitable for vegans
• Suitable for vegetarians
• Gluten free options available
• Connect with your group on our App, before, throughout and after the tour
• Lifetime membership with Welcome to Travel
• Access to free quarterly Welcome to Travel events
• Discounted rates for Melbourne and Sydney events (parties, bar crawls)
• Private lifetime member Facebook group access
• Airport shuttle to hostel on arrival
• Private bus for 2 day getaway

Additional Advice and Travel Help

• Bank account set up
• Tax file number organized
• Phone SIM provided
• Employment information session
• 1-on-1 Employment meeting
• Travel information session
• 1-on-1 Travel meeting
• Book other activities with the help of our Community Team
• Customised travel planning
• Resume writing and interview advice
• Access to nationwide employment database
• Access to farmwork handbook and database
• Weekly jobs email
• Superannuation set up help
• Medicare set up help
• Mail holding in the Welcome to Travel office
• National travel specials and discounts
• Ongoing travel help after your tour

WELCOME TO MELBOURNE ITINERARY

Arrival day and airport pickup.

You’ve probably been on a long flight so we’ll  pick you from the airport  and take you straight to the hostel. You can check in and rest up as your epic week with the group starts on Monday morning. This means you need to be in Melbourne by Sunday* night at the latest.

Landing a few days before? No worries! Your airport pickup is included and can be arranged for any time on any day before the tour. Need extra nights accommodation? You can book these at checkout.

*In High Season (Sept-March) we also have some extra tours that start on Thursday. For those tours, Thursday is the arrival day.

Meet the Team & Discover the City

You’ll get to know your new travel family first thing in the morning. After the Meet and Greet, it’s time to give you peace of mind for the rest of your trip by organising your bank account, phone number and tax file number. Now you can explore stress-free!

After that, we’ll take you on a guided walking tour of Melbourne where you’ll learn why so many travellers love this incredibly dynamic and laid-back city.

We’ll end the day with a family Welcome Dinner along the iconic Yarra River in the heart of the city.

Markets, Laneway, Food & Drink Tour and Aboriginal Culture

The food and drink scene in Melbourne is ridiculously good, so we dedicate the day to it. We start with a local favourite; Queen Victoria Market . This place is a feast for all senses and we spend the morning meeting local vendors and exploring everything this Melbourne institute has to offer. Before starting our very own street art, food and drink tour . We learn about Australia’s Indigenous people, with an insightful Aboriginal Heritage tour . This day is all about seeing Melbourne through a local’s eyes, our travellers love it and so will you.

Road Trip - Surfing & Tiny Penguins

It’s time for our epic overnight road trip! We will be heading to Mornington Peninsula and Phillip Island , two of the most beautiful regional areas in Australia.

Australia is famous for its surf culture, in fact it’s probably THE single most Australian thing to do. Today we’re giving you the chance to learn how to surf with a lesson at a perfect beginner beach.🤙

This day also includes a couple of hidden secrets before capping it all off by spending sunset witnessing the smallest penguins in the world emerge from the ocean and waddle across the beach. Yes, you read that right!

We’ll stay overnight on Phillip Island, where you’ll wake up to the sound of Australian wildlife.

Road Trip - Kangaroos, Koalas, Beaches & Wine!

Today is going to be epic! We know that you’ve been looking forward to getting the chance to see some of Australia’s amazing kangaroos and koalas up close and that’s what we’ll be doing today.

After lunch we’ll be getting in some much needed beach time before we take in some spectacular scenic viewpoints. We’ll be finishing our adventure tasting some of our favourite local wines from the area. From there the tunes are turned up as we head back to Melbourne.

So many bucket list items ticked off in 2 days!

Work and Travel Help and St Kilda

It is time to think about what you’ll do next in Australia. In the morning, we’ll hold a presentation on employment for everyone that’s here on a working holiday, or as a student.

We’ll cover absolutely everything so you can get a job. Following that we’ll tell you everything you need to know about travelling this incredible country. We have so much experience and the best advice for you to make the most of your time here.

Melbourne has many celebrated suburbs and St Kilda is as famous as they get. This afternoon head to this diverse beach suburb taking in its iconic esplanade and famous landmarks before relaxing and playing some beach games.

Life Admin & Night Out

Whether it’s employment, travel, or both, the info from yesterday’s presentations will have sunk in and now it’s your chance to talk over your next steps with one of the epic experts on our team. We’re here to support you with anything from looking over your CV and helping you find accommodation, to making an epic plan for the rest of your travels around this beautiful country. We are experts in travel and can put together YOUR dream trip, with specials, discounts and of course our favourite tips.

By the end of your meeting, you’ll feel relaxed and even more excited about what’s next. So how do we celebrate?  By having a big farewell night out!

Goodbye Rooftop BBQ

And just like that, it’s nearly over.

What better way to spend our final afternoon together than lazing on a rooftop overlooking the city with the mates you’ve now made for life?

We’ll crank up the BBQ and soak up the skyline as we talk about the unforgettable memories made over the best week of your life.

What Next? Great Ocean Road

Your time with the group doesn’t have to be over just yet, in fact around 90% of our groups stay together for at least another week by adding on our incredible road trip option.

For The  Grampians & Great Ocean Road  add on we organise:

• 5 day car hire
• 4 nights accommodation
• Advanced itinerary

This is scheduled to start after your tour. Don’t worry if you don’t know now, you can add this on during the week but we do at least recommend keeping the week after the tour free in case you do want to join.

WORKING HOLIDAY HELP

We organise your Tax File Number, bank account and SIM card.

We give you access to our employment and farm work databases.

Use the Welcome to Travel office for mail storage or just to drop in for help!

Our Australia experts organise epic travel plans for you.

Is this tour for you?

If you want to start your Australian adventure in the best way possible by experiencing Melbourne in all its glory, meeting like-minded people and ticking off your bucket list, then yes, this tour is for you.

Want to Add-On to This Tour?

If you’re looking for more to explore around Melbourne, add on the classic Great Ocean Road Trip to this tour (booked separately) . If you want it all and are looking to travel the East Coast with us, then book it all together with one of our travel packages.

5 Days / 4 Nights

Great ocean road (add-on).

One of the most iconic road trips in the world. Experience it with your new found travel family straight after your tour!

52 Days / 51 Nights

The hemsworth.

Melbourne, Surf & East Coast

Melbourne & East Coast

BOOK WITH CONFIDENCE

Payment Plans Available

Unlimited & Free Date Changes*

Pay just $99aud to secure your place.

The experiences you have travelling will last forever. It's time for you to start making memories.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Yes you do! If you’re coming here just as a tourist to visit Australia, you’ll need a Visitor Visa.

If you’re coming here to work while you’re on holiday, you’ll need either a Working Holiday Visa (417) or a Work and Holiday Visa (462), depending on which country you’re from.

You can find more information and a list of the various visas by clicking the button below.

We recommend organising this as soon as you know you’re coming to Australia. The application can be completed through your travel agent, or directly through the same Australian Government website as above. We always recommend checking the Australian Government website for any specific enquiries.

Absolutely! It doesn’t matter if you’re coming to this beautiful country to work, visit friends or family, study, sunbathe with the kangaroos or perfect your Australian accent. All of our travellers will still get the same treatment!

According to the Australian Government, you need $5,000AUD in your bank account on arrival if you’re coming on a Working Holiday visa. This is a good savings target if you are wanting to either travel for a month or set yourself up for working and living in Australia after the Welcome to Travel week. 

However, everybody is different and to give yourself the best chance of experiencing as many things as possible in Australia, we would recommend just saving up as much as possible before you come travelling.

Of course you are – anyone would be – and of course we will! Something we love is how close our travellers get on tour, and how they become one big family at the end. 

Everyone’s in the same boat, and you will make friends for life.

Expect the best experience ever!  As long as you’re polite and friendly then you’ll be fine. To get the best out of your experience we recommend talking to people in your dorm as soon as possible. Travel broadens the mind and that is mainly because of people you meet. Listen to where they’ve been, what they’ve loved, what they recommend, their funniest stories, all of it! This will be you in a few months!

All dorms have lockers, but you will need to buy a small padlock to use them.

We aim to try and get everyone on Welcome To Melbourne in the same dorm, but if you have any special requests such as, you want to be in an all female dorm or you want to upgrade to your own room., then will be able to assist you.

About 70% of people on tour are actually solo travellers. This tour is a perfect way to meet other people and experience new things together. So many of our travellers make friends for life on our Welcome tours!

Our tours cater for people aged 18-39 years old. The average age varies each week and that’s what we love about it.

You sure can! We create a WhatsApp group chat the week leading up to the tour.

Yes! You just need to let us know who you’re travelling with beforehand and we’ll make sure you’re in the same room.

Yes definitely! As long as you tell us who you’re travelling with we’ll make sure you’re in the same room. If you’d like to upgrade to a private room then this is possible on the Extras part of the checkout.

Definitely! This can be done at the time of booking on the Extras page at Checkout. Alternatively you can add them on closer to the time. We will send you an email 4 weeks before the tour and this will ask you if you’d like to add any on.

Absolutely, we recommend booking 2 extra nights after the tour. This can be done at the time of booking on the Extras page at Checkout. Alternatively you can add them on closer to the time. We will send you an email 4 weeks before the tour and this will ask you if you’d like to add any on.

We include a lot of meals, as well as some delicious tastings. Outside of that, you’ll be able to find lunch for between $6-15 and dinner for $10-$20. If you want to save money, you can always team up with people and cook dinners at the hostel!

For drinks, the welcome dinner will include a drink, you’ll be given two on your food and drink tour, and another four during the bar crawl – how good is that! Outside of that, drinks usually cost between $7-11 but we can also point you in the direction of plenty of places with happy hours offering drinks for $5-6.

Because accommodation, activities and some food and drink is already included, we would suggest that $200-$250 of extra spending money during your week with us will be enough!

The $99 deposit is required to secure your booking. But don’t worry! Full payment is only required 21 days before your departure date, which gives you time to save money for it! 

However, if you make a booking within 21 days of your departure date, you will need to pay the full amount at the time of booking.

Once you know you’re coming to Australia and that you’d like the best possible welcome here, we’d recommend placing your $99 deposit right away, especially as we offer free date changes.

Our Welcome to Melbourne tour is often fully booked 3 months in advance.

Yes! If you pay your deposit and later realise you have to change your date, don’t panic.

You can change the date of your booking, unlimited times and subject to availability, up until 14* days before your departure date.

*Normally 28 days but currently 14 due to COVID19. Please see our terms and conditions  here .

The Great Ocean Road Add On is an amazing way to carry on your journey as a group. You don’t know these people right now, but you’ll become friends across the week. The Welcome to Melbourne tour finishes on the Sunday, from Tuesday we have booked 5 days of car hire and 4 nights of accommodation meaning that you can go on a self-guided group adventure together. We give you an advised itinerary and off you go for an amazing road trip adventure!

That’s up to you and we’re here to help with that! Everyone has different plans for their time in Australia. You might even find that your plans may change halfway during the tour after meeting some new friends.

Either way, the Welcome To Travel team is here to support you before, during and after the welcome week. Whether it’s work or travel you’re looking to organise or get advice on, we’ll be able to help you.

We will go through options that suit you specifically in the 1-on-1 sessions on the Saturday of the tour. We then have our Experience Team who will be there to help you throughout your whole time in Australia!

Of course! During our travel presentation, we will give you an overview of all the beautiful and exciting destinations and experiences around Australia.

Following this, during your 1-on-1 sessions with our team, we will talk more specifically about what exactly you want to see and do, and we’ll help you plan everything. We want to make sure you have the most amazing adventure possible while you’re here!

With our help, that’s how! 

As part of your Welcome to Melbourne package you will receive exclusive tips, resources and guidance towards finding a job and farm work in Australia.

We will present you with all of the basic information needed to get started, and give you access to our huge database of employers and contacts in sectors such as hospitality, retail, construction, sales and marketing and many more.

We also send out a weekly update email that highlights the most recent job and farm work opportunities we come across.

Depending when you land you will receive your Australian Sim Card on Friday morning before the tour or on Monday morning of the tour, during the meet and greet session.

Don’t panic! You will be able to jump on the free wi-fi at the hostel and airport beforehand to let everyone back home know that you got to Melbourne safe and sound.

This is basically a personal identity number created for you by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). It is required if you want to work in Australia, so that you can be correctly taxed on your income from day one. 

You will provide this number to each employer you have while you are in Australia and your tax will be deducted from your wage accordingly, just as it would be in your home country.

If you’re travelling as a tourist for just a few weeks, you don’t need one – a pre-loaded travel cash card will work just fine!

If you’re here for a longer period of time (for example, on a Working Holiday Visa) then it’s highly recommended to open an Australian bank account. Not only will you save a lot on exchange/transaction fees, but employers will only pay wages into an Australian account. It’s also an extremely easy process that we will organise for you.

You can fast-track the whole process by creating a  Wise account , so that you can already have Australian dollars in your account for when you get here. But don’t worry about all of this now, we’ll explain it all soon!

Medicare is Australia’s health care scheme, which allows Australians and some overseas visitors to access certain health services at little or no cost. Only a handful of countries are eligible to apply for Medicare in Australia, including:

Belgium, Finland, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, The Republic of Ireland, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom

Click here   to see details for eligibility and details for enrolment, such as what documents you will need to bring to service centres. We will also explain this in more detail when you arrive and point you in the right direction.

Travel Is All About Meeting People

Want to know more about our tours.

We love to hear from you and help you with your travel plans. If you have any questions at all then feel free to get in touch. Not only can you message us, we also offer free travel advice calls meaning you can have a real conversation with a real person that’s been in your shoes.

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• 6b 300 King Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000
• 812B, George Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000

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Unlimited & Free Date Changes

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Guide to Melbourne

Aboriginal name:  Narrm (pronounced Narr-m)

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• Getting to Melbourne
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Melbourne is Australia's mecca for all things trendy and tasty. The city offers up exquisite dining, exhilarating sport and abundant opportunities to experience art.

A perfect blend of rich cultural history and new age trends is waiting for you in Melbourne. As the sun goes down, the city comes to life with a vibrant dining scene as well as events and exhibitions. Explore its bustling laneways, trendy neighbourhoods and sophisticated foodie scene to get a taste of what Melbourne is all about.

Melbourne stands on the ancient grounds of the Kulin Nation of the Wurundjeri people. For the Kulin Nation, Melbourne has always been an important meeting place for events of social, educational, sporting and cultural significance. Experience the culture through a range of heritage walks, cultural tours and galleries.

• Traditional name of Central Melbourne: Narrm (pronounced Narr-m)
• Indigenous Peoples of Central Melbourne: Wurundjeri people
• Traditional lands of Greater Melbourne: Kulin Nation
• Traditional languages: There are four traditional languages in Narrm. Bunurong (Bun-wurrung), Taungurung (Tung-ger-rung), Wathaurong (Wadha-wurrung) and Dja Dja Wurrung (Jar-Jar-Wur-rung).
• How to say g’day in Wathaurong: Wominjeka

Getting to Melbourne is easy with flights arriving direct to two airports. 

• Melbourne Airport at Tullamarine (MEL) is 22km (14mi) from the city and services international and domestic arrivals
• Avalon Airport (AVV) is 55km (34mi) from the city and services international and domestic flights 
• Hire cars, taxis, rideshares and a shuttle service are available from both airports

Getting around  is just as easy as finding a great cup of coffee in Melbourne. The city offers clean, reliable and affordable public transport services. There is even a free City Circle tram line with historical commentary.

Despite having four distinct seasons,  Melbourne's weather  is known for being a bit unpredictable. Summers are generally warm and winters cold, but just ask a local and they’ll tell you that it’s not uncommon to experience all four seasons in a single day. So whenever you decide to visit, be sure to pack layers and carry an umbrella in your day bag. 

• High season: Spring and summer (November to February)
• Low season: Winter (June to August)
• Don’t miss: Melbourne’s world-class festivals and events

Melbourne is a dynamic city with plenty of accessible options for accommodation, attractions , restaurants , cafés and shopping . 

• Arrival: Disability assistance is available at Melbourne Airport, including for those with hidden disabilities .
• Getting around: Most Melbourne buses and trains have accessible options – check the Public Transport Victoria website  for information on using public transport.
• Accessible experience highlights: Several cultural institutions cater to travellers with accessibility and sensory needs, including the National Gallery of Victoria and Scienceworks .
• Helpful resources: Travellers Aid Australia provides mobility equipment hire and recharge points, while the City of Melbourne’s mobility map makes it easy to locate accessible facilities.

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Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the Traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Owners of the land, sea and waters of the Australian continent, and recognise their custodianship of culture and Country for over 60,000 years.

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Hungary and China sign strategic cooperation agreement during visit by Chinese President Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the President’s Palace in Budapest on Thursday at the start of a three-day visit to Hungary. The Chinese leader started his first European tour five days ago by visiting France and then Serbia.

FILE - Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, speaks during his joint press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban following their talks at the PM’s office, the former Carmelite Monastery, in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, May 9 2024. Most countries in the European Union are making efforts to “de-risk” their economies from perceived threats posed by China. But Hungary and Serbia have gone in the other direction. They are courting major Chinese investments in the belief that the world’s second-largest economy is essential for Europe’s future. (Szilard Koszticsak/MTI via AP)

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FILE - Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during his joint press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban following their talks at the PM’s office, the former Carmelite Monastery, in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, May 9 2024. Most countries in the European Union are making efforts to “de-risk” their economies from perceived threats posed by China. But Hungary and Serbia have gone in the other direction. They are courting major Chinese investments in the belief that the world’s second-largest economy is essential for Europe’s future. (Szilard Koszticsak/MTI via AP, File)

Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, on table second left, during their meeting in the presidential Alexander Palace in Budapest, Thursday, May 9, 2024. (Noemi Bruzak /MTI via AP)

Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok, rear right, receives Chinese President Xi Jinping, rear left, with military honours in the Lion Court of the Castle of Buda in Budapest, Thursday, May 9, 2024. (Zoltan Mathe/MTI via AP)

Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok, front right, receives Chinese President Xi Jinping, front left, with military honours in the Lion Court of the Castle of Buda in Budapest, Thursday, May 9, 2024. (Szilard Koszticsak/MTI via APö

Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok, right, receives Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, with military honours in the Lion Court of the Castle of Buda in Budapest, Thursday, May 9, 2024. (Zoltan Mathe/MTI via AP)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, speaks during his joint press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban following their talks at the PM’s office, the former Carmelite Monastery, in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, May 9 2024. (Szilard Koszticsak/MTI via AP)

Tibetan protesters stretched Tibetan flags next to Chinese national flags in Gellert Hill against Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Budapest, Hungary, on Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

A Tibetan protester shouts surrounded by Hungarian police next to a Tibetan flag in Gellert Hill, against Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Budapest, Hungary on Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

A Tibetan woman shouts into a loudspeaker against Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit, surrounded by Hungarian police in Gellert Hill, Budapest, Hungary on Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Chinese nationals take pictures of Tibetan protesters during Xi Jinping’s visit to Budapest, Hungary, on Thursday, May 9, 2024. Many Chinese nationals claiming to be volunteers with China’s embassy are present in the city, wearing red baseball caps to identify themselves. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

A Tibetan protester shouts surrounded by Hungarian police next to a Tibetan flag in Gellert Hill against Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Budapest, Hungary on Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Tibetan protesters stretched a Tibetan flag in Gellert Hill against Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Budapest, Hungary on Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok, third right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, fifth left, during their meeting in the presidential Alexander Palace in Budapest, Thursday, May 9, 2024. (Noemi Bruzak /MTI via AP)

Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok, left, receives Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, with military honours in the Lion Court of the Castle of Buda in Budapest, Thursday, May 9, 2024. (Zoltan Mathe/MTI via AP)

People wave Chinese and Hungarian flags as they wait for the arrival of Chinese President Xi Jinping outside the Buda Castle in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

People wave Chinese and Hungarian flags for the Chinese President Xi Jinping outside the Buda Castle in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

In this image provided by the Hungarian Prime Minister’s Office, Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, shakes hands with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as he arrives for a state visit at the Liszt Ferenc International Airport in Budapest, Hungary, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (Vivien Cher Benko/Hungarian Prime Minister’s Office/MTI via AP)

Peng Liyuan, center left, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping watches the activity of third graders as she, and Aniko Levai, center right, wife of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visit a classroom at the Chinese-Hungarian bilingual school of Budapest, Hungary, Thursday May 9, 2024 during the state visit of President Xi to Hungary. (Zoltan Mathe/MTI via AP)

Peng Liyuan, center, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks with third graders as she, and Aniko Levai, second right, wife of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visit a classroom with headmaster Zsuzsanna Erdelyi, right, at the Chinese-Hungarian bilingual school of Budapest, Hungary, Thursday May 9, 2024 during the state visit of President Xi to Hungary. (Zoltan Mathe/MTI via AP)

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary and China signed a number of new agreements on Thursday to deepen their economic and cultural cooperation during a visit to the Central European country by Chinese President Xi Jinping, a trip meant to solidify China’s economic footprint in the region.

Xi and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán held talks in the capital Budapest as part of the Chinese leader’s final stop on a five-day European tour that also took in Serbia and France . During a press briefing following the talks, Orbán praised the “continuous, uninterrupted friendship” between the two countries since his tenure began in 2010, and promised that Hungary would continue to host further Chinese investments.

“I would like to assure the president that Hungary will continue to provide fair conditions for Chinese companies investing in our country, and that we will create the opportunity for the most modern Western and the most modern Eastern technologies to meet and build cooperation in Hungary,” Orbán said.

Beijing has invested billions in Hungary and sees the European Union member as an important foothold inside the 27-member trading bloc. In December, Hungary announced that one of the world’s largest EV manufacturers, China’s BYD, will open its first European EV production factory in the south of the country — an inroad that could upend the competitiveness of the continent’s auto industry.

Hungary is also hosting several Chinese EV battery plants and hopes to become a global hub of lithium ion battery manufacturing, and has undertaken a railway project — part of Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative — to connect the country with the Chinese-controlled port of Piraeus in Greece as an entry point for Chinese goods to Central and Eastern Europe.

On Thursday, Xi said he and Orbán agreed the Belt and Road Initiative “is highly consistent with Hungary’s strategy of opening to the east,” and that China supports Hungary in playing a greater role within the EU on promoting China-EU relations.

Hungarian and Chinese officials concluded a strategic partnership agreement and signed 18 other agreements and memoranda of understanding, but no major investments were announced at the news briefing.

However, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó later said in a video on Facebook that initial discussions had begun on China developing a freight railway bypass of Budapest and a rail link between the capital and Budapest Ferihegy airport.

Orbán, a nationalist populist leader who has pursued deeper ties with Beijing while distancing himself from his more mainstream partners in the EU, noted during the news conference that three-quarters of investments in Hungary last year came from China, and spoke of Beijing’s role in the world’s shifting balance of power.

“Looking back at the world economy and commerce of 20 years ago, it doesn’t resemble at all what we’re living in today,” Orbán said. “Then, we lived in a single polar world, and now we live in a multi-polar world order, and one of the main columns of this new world order is China.”

He added that Hungary would seek to expand economic cooperation with China to the field of nuclear energy. Hungary is currently working with Russia on adding a new reactor to its Paks nuclear facility, which is expected to go online by the end of the decade.

Budapest residents met with road closures and increased security during Xi’s visit as groups of his supporters and critics gathered in various points of the city to demonstrate.

Hundreds of people gathered near Budapest’s Buda Castle waving Chinese and Hungarian flags, hoping to catch a glimpse of Xi’s motorcade. Many Chinese nationals in red baseball caps and claiming to be volunteers with China’s embassy were present.

A Hungarian lawmaker with the opposition Momentum party told The Associated Press that he and a colleague had been approached by a group of such men on Wednesday as they attempted to place EU flags on a bridge in Budapest.

In a video obtained by the AP, the lawmaker, Márton Tompos, said that the men, all wearing red baseball caps, confronted him to make sure that no flags or symbols referencing China-claimed Tibet or Taiwan would be hung on the route of Xi’s motorcade.

“They told me that they were volunteers for the Chinese embassy here, and they said they wanted to make sure that there weren’t Tibetan or Taiwanese flags, because that wouldn’t be nice,” Tompos said. The men wouldn’t let his colleague proceed “until he showed them that it was an EU flag,” he added.

Other minor conflicts broke out during the day between Tibetan protesters and some of the red-capped Chinese nationals, who attempted to prevent activists from displaying Tibetan flags by obscuring them with their own Chinese national flags.

One activist, Tenzin Yangzom, a campaign coordinator for the International Tibet Network, criticized Hungary’s government for “allowing the Chinese police to be operating on Hungarian streets.”

“This is not China, is it? This is Hungary, it’s a free country, you have freedom of speech,” she said.