The City Circle Tram (route 35) is a zero-fare tourist tram that loops the outer edges of Melbourne's central business district in Victoria, Australia. It was introduced on 29 April 1994 to give visitors and residents a free, convenient way to reach the city's major attractions; its launch required a short track extension along Spring Street between Collins and Flinders Streets to close a complete CBD loop. The Federal Government's Building Better Cities program funded the A$6.4 million capital cost of the track works, while the Victorian State Government covered the running costs.

The route roughly follows the edges of the Hoddle Grid, taking in La Trobe Street, Harbour Esplanade and Flinders Street, with diversions along Nicholson and Victoria Streets, plus a spur added on 30 May 2009 that runs to Waterfront City along Docklands Drive. It is operated by Yarra Trams from the Southbank depot and sits entirely within Melbourne's Free Tram Zone. An average of around three million passengers ride the service each year.

The City Circle is worked exclusively by heritage W-class trams — a family of electric trams built by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board (MMTB) at its Preston Workshops between 1923 and 1956, totalling 752 vehicles across 12 sub-classes. The trams used today are W8 rebuilds restored to the classic MMTB green-and-cream livery (they previously carried a one-off maroon City Circle promotional livery).

The classic shot is a green-and-cream W-class tram framed against a Melbourne landmark: outside the Flinders Street Station clocks, on Spring Street below Parliament House's colonnade, beside Federation Square, or along Harbour Esplanade with the Docklands skyline behind. Stops and termini give the steadiest vantage points for catching a tram with its route 35 destination sign. Inside, the varnished timber panelling, leather straps and brass fittings reward close-up detail photography. Personal photography is freely permitted on board and at stops.

For railfans the draw is the rolling stock. The City Circle fleet are W8-class rebuilds produced under an A$8 million program announced in May 2011 to overhaul a batch of W-class trams at the Preston Workshops where many were originally built. The first rebuild, W8 946, entered service in March 2013; W8 959 followed in June 2013 after roughly 18 months of work at Bendigo Tramways, and the pair were later joined by W8 957 and W8 1010. The rebuilds keep the general appearance of the original SW6 and W7 trams while adding modernised braking and suspension, upgraded traction motors, improved crashworthiness and LED lighting.

These heritage cars are now a rarity: as of December 2021 the W8s running the City Circle were the only W-class trams left in regular service on the Melbourne network, after W-class operation ended on routes 30, 78 and 79. Riding one means stepping aboard a hand-built timber-bodied tram with brass fittings — a working piece of Melbourne's twentieth-century transport history rather than a static museum exhibit.

Since 30 October 2023 the City Circle runs in a clockwise direction only, a change Yarra Trams introduced because of driver shortages. Trams depart roughly every 12 minutes and take about 60 minutes to complete the full loop, so you can ride the whole circuit or hop on and off at any of the stops along the way. An onboard audio commentary points out landmarks as you pass, including Federation Square, Flinders Street Station, Parliament House, the Old Treasury Building, the State Library of Victoria, the Princess Theatre, the Docklands waterfront and the SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium.

Because it is free and central, the service can get busy in the middle of the day, particularly in summer and during school holidays. The trams are high-floor heritage vehicles, so boarding involves steps. The whole route lies inside the Free Tram Zone, meaning no ticket or Myki card is required at any point.