The 10 Best Museums & Galleries in Melbourne (2026)
Updated November 2026 · 10 picks
The best museums and galleries in Melbourne in 2026 are NGV International and the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Melbourne Museum, ACMI for screen culture, the Immigration Museum, the Shrine of Remembrance, State Library Victoria and Heide Museum of Modern Art. The NGV's collections, ACMI's main exhibition and the Shrine are free.
Melbourne is Australia's museum capital. Most of the big names are in the CBD or along St Kilda Road: the NGV, ACMI and the Koorie Heritage Trust around Federation Square, the State Library on Swanston Street and the Immigration Museum on Flinders Street. Trams in the CBD's Free Tram Zone link them. For family ideas, see our best things to do in Melbourne with kids.
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1. NGV International — Southbank
Australia's oldest and most visited art museum, free to enter.
Best for Couples · First-timers · Budget
NGV International on St Kilda Road holds the National Gallery of Victoria's international collection, from Old Masters to contemporary design. Look up at the stained-glass ceiling of the Great Hall, one of the largest in the world.
General entry is free; major exhibitions are ticketed. The NGV's Australian collection is at the Ian Potter Centre at Federation Square.
Good to know: Lie on the floor of the Great Hall to take in the stained-glass ceiling.
Dinosaurs, a living forest and the Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre.
$BudgetBest for Families · First-timers
Melbourne Museum covers natural history and culture, with dinosaurs, a living Forest Gallery, the Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre and the story of Melbourne. It's next to the World Heritage–listed Royal Exhibition Building.
Children go free.
Good to know: Join a tour of the Royal Exhibition Building next door.
Australia's museum of film, TV, video games and screen culture.
Best for Families · Budget
ACMI at Federation Square is a museum of the moving image, from early cinema to video games. Its free main exhibition, The Story of the Moving Image, is hands-on and fun for all ages.
It also runs cinemas and ticketed exhibitions.
Good to know: Pick up a Lens at the entry to collect objects and look them up at home.
The stories of people who came to Australia, in the Old Customs House.
$BudgetBest for Families
The Immigration Museum tells the stories of people who have migrated to Australia, from the first arrivals to today, in the grand Old Customs House on Flinders Street.
It's compact and moving, and good for a couple of hours.
Good to know: Look for the ship cabin recreations showing how migrants travelled.
Victoria's war memorial, with galleries and city views from the balcony.
Best for First-timers · Budget
The Shrine of Remembrance on St Kilda Road is Victoria's main war memorial. Below the sanctuary, the Galleries of Remembrance tell the stories of Australians at war.
The balcony gives one of the best views of the city skyline. Entry is free.
Good to know: Watch the ray of light fall on the Stone of Remembrance; it is re-created every half-hour (the real one comes at 11am on 11 November).
State Library Victoria's octagonal La Trobe Reading Room, under a huge dome, is one of Melbourne's most photographed interiors. Free exhibitions include Ned Kelly's armour.
Climb to the upper galleries for the view down into the reading room.
Good to know: Go to the top-floor viewing gallery for the classic dome photo.
Modern Australian art, gardens and sculpture in a former artists' home.
$BudgetBest for Couples
Heide was home to art patrons John and Sunday Reed, who supported artists such as Sidney Nolan. Today it's a museum of modern and contemporary Australian art, set in gardens with a sculpture park beside the Yarra.
It's about 25 minutes from the city.
Good to know: Bring a picnic for the gardens and sculpture park.
Victoria's oldest prison, where Ned Kelly was hanged.
$$Mid-rangeBest for Families · First-timers
The Old Melbourne Gaol is a 19th-century bluestone prison where bushranger Ned Kelly was hanged in 1880. Visitors walk the cell blocks and can take part in a mock arrest in the old City Watch House.
Night tours suit older children and adults who like ghost stories.
Good to know: Don't miss the City Watch House experience included with entry.
10. Museum of Chinese Australian History — Chinatown
The story of Chinese Australians, in Melbourne's Chinatown.
$BudgetBest for Families
The Museum of Chinese Australian History in Cohen Place tells the story of Chinese Australians from the gold rush to today, and is home to Chinese processional dragons used in Melbourne's celebrations.
It's a short walk from the State Library and the Old Melbourne Gaol.
Good to know: Combine it with lunch in Chinatown on Little Bourke Street.
The NGV's permanent collections (at NGV International and the Ian Potter Centre), ACMI's main exhibition, the Shrine of Remembrance, State Library Victoria and ACCA are free. Melbourne Museum and the Immigration Museum are free for children.
What is the best art gallery in Melbourne?
The National Gallery of Victoria, Australia's oldest and most visited public art museum. NGV International on St Kilda Road shows international art; the Ian Potter Centre at Federation Square shows Australian art.
What should I see in Melbourne on a rainy day?
The NGV, Melbourne Museum and ACMI can each fill a day, and the State Library's domed reading room is worth seeing.
Where can I learn about Aboriginal culture in Melbourne?
Melbourne Museum's Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre and the Koorie Heritage Trust at Federation Square are the best places to start.
Is Heide worth the trip?
Yes, for art lovers. Heide Museum of Modern Art in Bulleen, about 25 minutes from the city, combines modern Australian art with gardens and a sculpture park.