Places to Go
Iconic Melbourne
Places to go
Architecture, art, culture and city landmarks worth putting on your Melbourne shortlist.
Curated Melbourne directory
Twenty stand-out choices.
Every destination links to its current official public information.
Swanston Street & Flinders Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Federation Square
Melbourne’s bold civic meeting place brings striking contemporary architecture, major galleries and a year-round program of public events together opposite Flinders Street Station. It is an ideal starting point for the city’s creative heart and Yarra riverfront.
180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne VIC 3006
NGV International
Australia’s oldest and most visited art museum pairs major international exhibitions with an acclaimed collection of art and design. Its water-wall entrance, Great Hall and sculpture garden make the building as memorable as the collection.
Federation Square, Flinders Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
ACMI
Australia’s national museum of screen culture explores film, television, videogames and digital art through interactive exhibitions, cinemas and events. The central Fed Square venue is free to enter, with selected ticketed programs.
11 Nicholson Street, Carlton VIC 3053
Melbourne Museum
A big, family-friendly journey through Victoria’s natural history, First Peoples cultures, science and social history. The museum’s dramatic contemporary architecture sits beside the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton.
9 Nicholson Street, Carlton VIC 3053
Royal Exhibition Building
This grand domed landmark is one of the world’s finest surviving nineteenth-century exhibition buildings and part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. Guided visits reveal its spectacular Great Hall and Melbourne’s exhibition-era story.
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Queen Street & Victoria Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Queen Victoria Market
Melbourne’s historic open-air market is packed with fresh produce, specialty traders, fashion, gifts and unmistakable market energy. Its heritage sheds make it as much a city experience as a shopping destination.
328 Swanston Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
State Library Victoria
A grand public library where the domed La Trobe Reading Room, free exhibitions and Victorian collections turn a quiet stop into an architectural and cultural highlight in the heart of the city.
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377 Russell Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Old Melbourne Gaol
Step inside the bluestone cells of Melbourne’s nineteenth-century prison and encounter confronting stories of crime, justice and life behind bars. The atmospheric complex is closely linked to the story of Ned Kelly.
7 Riverside Quay, Southbank VIC 3006
Melbourne Skydeck
Ride to level 88 for sweeping 360-degree views across Melbourne, best timed around sunset as the city lights appear. Thrill-seekers can add The Edge, a transparent cube projecting from Eureka Tower.
Corner Flinders Street & King Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium
A central-city aquarium filled with penguins, sharks, rays and immersive underwater displays across multiple levels. Its Yarra-edge location makes it an easy family stop between the CBD and Southbank.
400 Flinders Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Immigration Museum
Set inside the historic Old Customs House, this museum shares personal stories of migration, identity and belonging. Its thoughtful exhibitions connect Melbourne’s multicultural present with the journeys that shaped Victoria.
2 Booker Street, Spotswood VIC 3015
Scienceworks
Hands-on galleries, live demonstrations and the Melbourne Planetarium turn science into a playful day out for curious minds. The museum also brings the industrial heritage of Spotswood’s pumping station to life.
Birdwood Avenue, Melbourne VIC 3001
Shrine of Remembrance
Melbourne’s monumental war memorial combines ceremonial architecture, exhibitions, commemorative spaces and elevated city views. Free entry and thoughtful interpretation make it both a landmark and a place for reflection.
Elliott Avenue, Parkville VIC 3052
Melbourne Zoo
Australia’s oldest zoo combines immersive habitat-led precincts with native and global wildlife and a strong conservation focus. It is a relaxed full-day family destination only minutes north of the CBD.
1 Old Monbulk Road, Belgrave VIC 3160
Puffing Billy Railway
Ride a century-old steam train through the fern gullies and forested slopes of the Dandenong Ranges. Open-sided heritage carriages, timber trestle bridges and country stations make the journey a Melbourne classic.
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Brunton Avenue, East Melbourne VIC 3002
Australian Sports Museum & MCG Tour
Go behind the scenes at one of the world’s great sporting stadiums, then explore interactive galleries celebrating Australian football, cricket, Olympic moments and sporting legends.
100 St Kilda Road, Southbank VIC 3004
Arts Centre Melbourne
Beneath Melbourne’s illuminated landmark spire, this performing-arts precinct stages theatre, music, dance and comedy across its theatres and Hamer Hall. Tours and exhibitions add reasons to visit beyond showtime.
18 Lower Esplanade, St Kilda VIC 3182
Luna Park Melbourne
Enter through the famous giant mouth for heritage rides, carnival games and colourful family fun beside St Kilda. The Scenic Railway and glowing entrance give this historic amusement park unmistakable character.
7 Templestowe Road, Bulleen VIC 3105
Heide Museum of Modern Art
Modern Australian art, distinctive architecture and the creative legacy of John and Sunday Reed meet at this intimate museum. The former artists’ home and changing exhibitions reveal a defining chapter of Melbourne culture.
Birrarung Building, Federation Square, Cnr Swanston & Flinders Streets, Melbourne VIC 3000
Koorie Heritage Trust
Discover Aboriginal Victoria through First Peoples art, cultural exhibitions, collections and guided experiences led from the heart of Federation Square. The Trust offers a meaningful introduction to living culture and Country.