Take a cultural tour of Melbourne’s world-class museums, edgy artist-run spaces and blockbuster exhibitions. All without spending a cent!

A large hall with a stained glass ceiling.

NGV International

Old and new, beautiful and challenging, NGV International brings a world of art to Melbourne. The city’s premier art gallery has an ever-changing slew of free exhibits to peruse. See powerful, contemporary art, design and architecture at NGV Triennial. Explore homegrown art and exhibitions at the Ian Potter Centre: NGV. Current exhibition, Rekospective features massive neon installations, larger-than-life sculptures, street art-inspired paintings and more by well known Kamilaroi artist, Reko Rennie.

An exhibit displaying old movie cameras and projectors.

ACMI

From films to video games, ACMI celebrates screen culture past and present. Get behind the camera at ACMI’s free exhibition, The Story of the Moving Image. From the birth of film to today’s digital wonders, there’s more than a century of movie history to explore. And you can get hands-on at this fun cinema showcase, with animation and sound effects to play with.

A table in a gallery covering in round shell-like coloured glass pieces.

Tolarno Galleries

For a small gallery, Tolarno sure has hosted some big names in art. Step inside this hidden space to see incredible exhibitions of contemporary art and design. The early days saw the likes of Picasso, Bonnard and Matisse gracing the walls of the gallery. More recently, art lovers admired works by legendary Aussie artist Patricia Piccinini. Whoever is showing, you're bound to see something special.

A wall covered in framed images and photographs and displayed very close together.

Art and Heritage Collection Tour

See a Foster's beer tower from the good old days, retro Moomba Monarch crowns and a bottle of spumante dating back to who knows when. For the first time ever, City of Melbourne's Art and Heritage Collection is opening its doors to the public for free guided tours. This is your chance to access to some of Melbourne’s most weird and wonderful treasures and historical archives.

Two people walking past a wall covered in concert posters.

Australian Music Vault

If you’re musically inclined, the Australian Music Vault is a must. It’s a great overview of Melbourne’s backstage sounds and stories. Watch rare footage and see iconic objects like Kylie Minogue’s stage outfits and notebooks belonging to Nick Cave. The free exhibition is permanently on show at Arts Centre Melbourne.

People walking past City Gallery, located within the Melbourne Town Hall building in Swanston Street.

City Gallery

The City Gallery presents free, quarterly exhibitions on city life; past and present. Pop in to the gallery at Melbourne Town Hall to see Elements of the city's collection, an eclectic range of 8000 artworks and artefacts.

A tall brick building with people outside and a large detailed entrance.

Science Gallery Melbourne

Mix a dose of science, with a dash of art, and a pinch of innovation and you get Science Gallery Melbourne. This is where art and science meet. A unique cultural space, it aims to inspire curiosity and critical thinking through the fusion of art and science. Part of Melbourne University, it’s designed to engage young people in the creative industries and science. Visit the website to learn more about the gallery's upcoming exhibitions.

Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA)

From music to educational talks, screenings and more the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) will have you coming back again and again. Spot the iconic rust-red building along Southbank and head in to explore local and international art. Keep an eye out for pop-up events and teachings.

The glass-panelled entrance to the Victorian Police Museum.

Victoria Police Museum

Explore the state's crime history at this free museum in Docklands. History buffs will be amazed by Australia's largest collection of Kelly Gang armour. Dig through major investigations and learn how animals have served in the police force all the way back to the 1960s.

Melbourne's best small, independent and artist-run galleries

Stephen McLaughlan Gallery

Stephen McLaughlan Gallery

Curated contemporary art space in the iconic Nicholas Building.

Flinders Lane Gallery

Flinders Lane Gallery

Exhibiting collectable artworks and featuring solo exhibitions every three weeks.

Outre Gallery

Outre Gallery

Alternative art gallery specialising in lowbrow, pop surrealism and underground art.

West End Art Space

West End Art Space

A contemporary art gallery with a focus on living artists that strive for excellence.

ARC ONE Gallery

ARC ONE Gallery

A commercial gallery in Flinders Lane showing contemporary Australian art.

Kings Artist-Run Initiative

Kings Artist-Run Initiative

Space for contemporary art practice and gallery showcasing experimental projects.

Mystik River Gallery

Mystik River Gallery

Specialising in the ancient art of Indian sculpting.

Anna Schwartz Gallery

Anna Schwartz Gallery

The gallery represents over 30 established and emerging artists on individual projects.

Bridget McDonnell Gallery

Bridget McDonnell Gallery

A gallery exhibiting early and modern Australian art.

More free museums

College of Surgeons Museum

College of Surgeons Museum

An exhibition of surgical objects and memorabilia.

Victoria Police Museum

Victoria Police Museum

Explore the social history of policing through interactive displays and over 300 collection items.

Mary MacKillop Heritage Centre

Mary MacKillop Heritage Centre

A place of inspiration and vitality, that promotes the spirit and charism of Saint Mary MacKillop.

Medical History Museum

Medical History Museum

A free museum focusing on medicine's contribution to scientific discovery and community wellbeing.

The best free exhibitions

Our Way: Celebrating Indigenous Art

Our Way: Celebrating Indigenous Art

Exploring how Indigenous artists reimagine storytelling today, expanding on artistic traditions.

The Office of Chthonic Services
Until

The Office of Chthonic Services

Gifts and gestures for the end of a world.

Burdi Burdi

Burdi Burdi

A sonic installation along Evan Walker Bridge.

Jeswri: Beyond Hectic
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Jeswri: Beyond Hectic

Emerse yourself in the work of Gadigal artist Jeswri for NAIDOC Week.

Gardening to the Dark
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Gardening to the Dark

A collaborative installation exhibition by Jing Liang, Minh-An Pham and Adrian Jing Song.

Exploration 25: Celebrating 25 Years of Emerging Art
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Exploration 25: Celebrating 25 Years of Emerging Art

Flinders Lane Gallery present their annual showcase of emerging and unsigned artists.

DELIRI

DELIRI

State Library Victoria morphs with an algorithm-driven audio-visual hallucination.

Rewind Forward: Creative in Residence Group Exhibition
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Rewind Forward: Creative in Residence Group Exhibition

Drawing from State archives, artists create works that reawaken Victoria’s historical narrative.

Victorian Artists Society 9x5 Exhibition
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Victorian Artists Society 9x5 Exhibition

An homage to the 1889 Impressionism exhibition of small works painted on cigar box lids.

Bark Salon
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Bark Salon

Bark Salon is a large-scale display of First Nations bark painting, with more than 160 works.

Braden Howard: Muktoraah

Braden Howard: Muktoraah

An exhibition exploring a fictional world through paint and drawings.

Christopher Kerley: Recent Paintings

Christopher Kerley: Recent Paintings

An exhibition of moody suburban scenes shaped by memory, emotion and absence.

Pine Sauna
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Pine Sauna

A meditation on comfort, solitude and the sensory qualities of heat and wood.

Solace Artist Residencies
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Solace Artist Residencies

Solace is turning its walls into a rotating canvas for local talent.

Distraction
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Distraction

An exhibition that plugs into the torrent of content and places we go when craving distraction.

Amanda Western: Ways Through

Amanda Western: Ways Through

An exhibition exploring liminal space through linoprint.

Protest Melbourne
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Protest Melbourne

An exhibition about Victoria's long history of public protest.

Plans For The Planet: Olaf Breuning For Kids
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Plans For The Planet: Olaf Breuning For Kids

Created by artist Olaf Breuning this exhibition invites kids to explore the natural environment.

What's free and what's open on the King's Birthday long weekend

What's free and what's open on the King's Birthday long weekend

Free events, winter markets, family-friendly activities and more.

Jo Ryan: Lett4ms

Jo Ryan: Lett4ms

Letters combine and intertwine to create sculptures that make us lose sight of the letter.

Look Up to the Future
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Look Up to the Future

A striking public art installation taking the VCE Vocational Major to new heights.

The Veil
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The Veil

An exhibition offering a deep exploration into identity, memory and cultural resilience.

William Breen: Split Point

William Breen: Split Point

Paintings exploring the philosophical threshold between the tangible and the unknowable.

Viaggio Italiano: Photography and Drawings by Moses Tan
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Viaggio Italiano: Photography and Drawings by Moses Tan

An exhibition of photographs and digital drawings of Italy by Moses Tan.

Maya Tamang: Unseen

Maya Tamang: Unseen

Unseen is an intimate and powerful body of work by emerging artist Maya Tamang.

Oysters and Sustainability: From Harvest to Market
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Oysters and Sustainability: From Harvest to Market

A solo sculptural exhibition exploring Melbourne's oyster reefs, using discarded oyster shells.

Taste of Combat
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Taste of Combat

Honouring the vital work of the Catering Corps and the evolution of military food.

Behind the Lines: The Years Best Political Cartoons
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Behind the Lines: The Years Best Political Cartoons

An exhibition celebrating the year's best political cartoons.

Air Means Water

Air Means Water

A transnational exhibition exploring the porous boundaries between Indonesia, Singapore & Australia.

Internal Landscapes
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Internal Landscapes

A First Nations emerging artist group exhibition featuring the work of four artists.

Nadine Guerra: Not Just Tattoos
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Nadine Guerra: Not Just Tattoos

The first Australian exhibition by the Brazilian tattoo artist.

St Albans Secondary College: Stronger Together

St Albans Secondary College: Stronger Together

Showcasing the work of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Yarra: Stories of Melbourne's River
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Yarra: Stories of Melbourne's River

Explores the chequered history of the stream we call the ‘city’s river’.

Burder, Watson Knight and Johnson: colour.field.echo

Burder, Watson Knight and Johnson: colour.field.echo

An exhibition showcasing the work of the three artists.

 Sid Pattni: A Knot in the Thread

Sid Pattni: A Knot in the Thread

An exhibition interrogating the effects of colonial aesthetics on diasporic self-perception

Auto-Photo: A Life in Portraits
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Auto-Photo: A Life in Portraits

An exhibition celebrating the work of Melbourne photobooth technician Alan Adler.

The Story of the Moving Image
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The Story of the Moving Image

An ongoing exhibition that journeys through the past, present and future of the moving image.

Let's Party: NGV Fashion for Kids

Let's Party: NGV Fashion for Kids

Step into a vibrant world of colour, creativity and celebration.

Dress to Express

Dress to Express

A fashion runway with a purpose, centred on sustainability, culture and diverse young women.

Making Good: Redesigning the Everyday

Making Good: Redesigning the Everyday

NGV's exhibition brings together the work of more than 50 designers.

Last updated on Wed 11 Jun 2025

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Melbourne’s most Instagrammable experiences

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Shrine of Remembrance

Shrine of Remembrance

The national war memorial of Victoria, honouring all Australians who have served their country.

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Things you can only see in the city

Uncover secret rooms, historic architecture and iconic landmarks found only in the city.

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Free things to do in Melbourne every day

Free things to do in Melbourne every day

Have a grand day out on a budget at Melbourne's best free experiences, attractions and exhibits.

The Potter Museum of Art

The Potter Museum of Art

The Potter has supported generations of artists, curators, writers and academics for over 50 years.

Buxton Contemporary

Buxton Contemporary

A hub for creative engagement showcasing the best of contemporary Australian and international art.

Koorie Heritage Trust

Koorie Heritage Trust

An Australian First Peoples arts and cultural centre.