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.

A couple in a gallery looking up at a sign that says count down.

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.

Science Gallery

Science Gallery Melbourne

Melbourne's one and only Science Gallery is home to some of the most unusual art installations in town. Think live jellyfish and a machete-wielding houseplant. Discover fresh insights on science fiction with Mythologies Transformed. The exhibition weaves together science fiction with ancient philosophy and mythologies are brought to light through the work of Asian and First Nations women artists and collectives.

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

Hannah Quinlivan: Bound by the Sky
Until

Hannah Quinlivan: Bound by the Sky

3D drawings explore fragility, resilience and blur lines between fine art and design.

Steve Leadbeater: Ritual of the Senses

Steve Leadbeater: Ritual of the Senses

An art exhibition that is concerned with energy, contrast and inner beauty.

View of Melbourne from across the Yarra River
Until

Curator’s Talk: Artists, Writers and the River

Join curator Judith Buckrich in a behind-the-scenes talk about her Yarra Birrarung exhibition.

Exploration 25: Celebrating 25 Years of Emerging Art

Exploration 25: Celebrating 25 Years of Emerging Art

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

Athenie Leckey: 79 Banksias

Athenie Leckey: 79 Banksias

An acrylic painting series of 79 banksias, each showing how the species differ.

Emerging Artist Award

Emerging Artist Award

An exhibition of early-career works by emerging artists.

The Pacific Sisters
Until

The Pacific Sisters

Zoot suits and ActiVAtions take over Smorgon Family Plaza with the Pacific Sisters.

Bark Salon
Until

Bark Salon

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

Brent Leideritz: Anarchy in the AI
Until

Brent Leideritz: Anarchy in the AI

Brent Leideritz interrogates identity, nostalgia, and memory through experimental photography.

Tina Stefanou: You Can't See Speed
Until

Tina Stefanou: You Can't See Speed

An experiential landscape of films, soundscapes, sculptures, live performances and dirt bikes.

Designing Remembrance
Until

Designing Remembrance

An exhibition of alternate visions for Victoria’s war memorial.

Stormborne: A Moving Image Installation by Jen Valender

Stormborne: A Moving Image Installation by Jen Valender

Enter the wild sonic landscapes of contemporary artist Jen Valender.

Saskia Morris: de-extinct

Saskia Morris: de-extinct

An exhibition of sculptures using upholstery fabrics.

Hyun Ju Lee – Coexistence: Stunning Beauty

Hyun Ju Lee – Coexistence: Stunning Beauty

Hyun Ju’s work explores the imagination of landscape.

RISING: Matha

RISING: Matha

Connect to Matha, an audio/visual conversation between the Dhungala and Birrarung river systems.

Oysters and Sustainability: From Harvest to Market
Until

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.

Convergence: A Spatial Negotiation

Convergence: A Spatial Negotiation

Student artists explore collective creativity through layered, rhizomatic visual narratives.

Celestial by Juan Castro
Until

Celestial by Juan Castro

A new silver jewellery collection by Spanish-Australian artist Juan Castro.

RISING: Night Trade

RISING: Night Trade

Music, art, food and reality-rifting lasers – sample the RISING festival for free.

Michael McNamara: Salt, Sand and Sea
Until

Michael McNamara: Salt, Sand and Sea

Stunning aerial photos of World Heritage site Shark Bay and Monkey Mia.

Isabel Deakin: Hanging by a Thread

Isabel Deakin: Hanging by a Thread

Hanging by a Thread is an extension of the work Isabel Deakin completed in 2022.

What's free in Melbourne this month

What's free in Melbourne this month

Everything to see, do and enjoy in Melbourne for free this month.

Auto Photo: A Life in Portraits

Auto Photo: A Life in Portraits

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

Tony Clark: Unsculpted
Until

Tony Clark: Unsculpted

A multifaceted overview of one of Australia’s most respected artists.

The Story of the Moving Image
Until

The Story of the Moving Image

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

Making Memoir of a Snail
Until

Making Memoir of a Snail

Explore handmade sets, props and characters from Adam Elliot's claymation film Memoir of a Snail.

Mei Wah Williams: Substantial and Significant
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Mei Wah Williams: Substantial and Significant

Mei Wah Williams uses multimedia installation to explore the domestic and family separation.

Wild Country: The Ovens River

Wild Country: The Ovens River

Clare McCracken and Heather Hesterman explore the environmental history of the Ovens River.

Halfway Seen Halfway Home (半窥半归)
Until

Halfway Seen Halfway Home (半窥半归)

An exhibition examining first-generation Chinese-Australian identity by artist Ming Liew.

MindBodySpirit Festival

MindBodySpirit Festival

Explore wellness, workshops, new products and retreats at this free festival.

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’.

Memento Mori
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Memento Mori

Public murals influenced by the Fates of Greek mythology, inspiring passersby to embrace life.

Make Believe: Encounters with Misinformation
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Make Believe: Encounters with Misinformation

Is it real or is it fake? Dive into how misinformation has shaped our lives and culture.

The Dirty Dozen
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The Dirty Dozen

Explore the stories behind the foods that made Melbourne.

May Exhibitions
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May Exhibitions

Celebrate three new exhibitions at KINGS Artist-Run.

Sikander: The Shape of Balance
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Sikander: The Shape of Balance

Dark meets light, Yin meets Yang and tradition meets abstraction in works by the Indian artist.

Cut and Composed: Collage Exhibition

Cut and Composed: Collage Exhibition

Bringing together 46 collage artists exploring the dynamic intersection of music and visual art.

CHARGE! Agincourt by Back to Back Theatre

CHARGE! Agincourt by Back to Back Theatre

A new exhibition by Geelong's Back to Back Theatre brings fresh perspective to the story of Henry V.

Last updated on Wed 15 Jan 2025

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

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.

Workers Museum at Trades Hall

Workers Museum at Trades Hall

Workers museum showcasing the history of workers' rights.