Melbourne's Must-Visit Museums: Art, Sport, History, and more

Melbourne is one of Australia’s largest cities and is home to dozens of museums, each offering a unique experience.

From guided tours to interactive experiences and world-class exhibits, Melbourne's museums are an ideal way to spend a few hours while visiting the city. With so many museums in the city, there's something for everyone from history buffs, to families, sports fans, and more.

If you're wondering where to begin, we've got you sorted with this guide to some of Melbourne's best museums. Here's our curated recommendations plus where to stay nearby so you can make the most of your visit to Melbourne.

Top of our list to visit during your trip is the Melbourne Museum. This popular museum offers something different every time you go, making it an ideal place to check out even if you've visited before.

One of the museum's permanent highlights is the Dinosaur Walk exhibit, where visitors can encounter life-sized skeletons of various prehistoric creatures, including a remarkable collection of dinosaur fossils.

Another permanent feature is the First Peoples Exhibition, which celebrates the rich and diverse cultures of Australia’s First Nations peoples. This exhibit offers an immersive journey through Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

The museum also houses the Forest Gallery, a living exhibit that recreates the Victorian bushland. Visitors can walk through a vibrant, indoor forest filled with native plants and animals, providing a unique opportunity to experience local biodiversity up close.

Don’t forget to plan your hotel stay. If you're looking for a nearby Melbourne hotel, those in the east end of the city, such as Mantra on Russell, put you closest to Melbourne Museum. But with Melbourne's excellent public transport, you'll be well served whichever of Accor's nearby accommodation options you choose.

If you’re an art or history lover, we suggest visiting the Hellenic Museum. It provides access to more than 8,000 years of Hellenic culture, showing you what it was like to be an ancient Greek.

The Hellenic Museum opened in 2007 and has since become the go-to place in the country for anyone interested in antiquity and how ancient peoples organized society.

The best way to experience the museum is to go on one of its tours. The tours are led by guides who provide detailed explanations of the exhibits and direct your attention to the most important facts about historical life. Docents help visitors understand the significance of the displays, making the experience more engaging and informative.

You can also book family workshops for all ages. These blend problem-solving with exhibition immersion, hands-on activities and virtual reality, with workshops covering the Greek War of Independence, the Romantic movement, and others, depending on what you want to learn about.

For a nearby hotel, both Novotel Melbourne Central and ibis Melbourne Central are just a few minutes walk from the Hellenic Museum.

Scienceworks sits a little way out of town (about 10 minutes walk from Spotswood Train Station), but it is still very much worth visiting, especially if travelling with children. Run by the Melbourne Museum, it introduces young people to the fascinating history of the scientific revolution and how it continues to shape our world today.

Scienceworks opened in 1992, providing young people with a place to enjoy and explore science. Since then, it has expanded its activities and exhibitions to the point where you can spend the whole day there.

The venue has events running throughout the year, including: 

• The Science is a Superpower Festival aiming to get kids interested in STEM subjects with special interactives, live workshops, and real Martian rovers (usually running in September)
• Air Playground, a hands-on opportunity for kids to play with the properties of fast-moving air jets
• Planetarium Nights, an experience at the Melbourne Planetarium for adults only, featuring presenter-led tours of the night sky
• Curiosity is a Superpower, a workshop for girls and non-binary children aged 10-12 exploring sustainable habitats for humans to live on the moon
   

While it can be quieter in the winter, there’s usually something on that you can get involved in. Just remember to book tickets in advance!

The Victoria Police Museum isn’t quite as famous as the other venues on this list. Nevertheless, it is the go-to place in Melbourne for anyone interested in the history of policing.

Here you can learn about police animals (including horses and dogs), notorious 19th-century criminals and historical policing practices. Along the way, you can find exclusive documents and information on Victoria’s most significant landmarks in law and order.

Open 10am to 4pm on weekdays, the Victoria Police Museum runs a packed calendar of events and exhibitions. Previously, it hosted Agent of Change covering a century of women in the police force, Trace: The Secrets Behind Police Technologies, and Above and Beyond: Honouring the Service and Sacrifice of Victorian Police during WWI.

Looking to stay near the Victoria Police Museum? You'll find both Peppers Docklands Melbourne and Mövenpick Hotel Melbourne On Spencer close by.

ACMI is Melbourne’s premier museum dedicated to screen culture, celebrating film, television, video games, and digital art. Located in the heart of Federation Square, a popular destination that's easy to access, ACMI is free to enter and offers a range of permanent exhibits that provide visual delights and interactive experiences for people of all ages.

The centerpiece of ACMI is The Story of the Moving Image, a permanent exhibition that explores the history and evolution of film, television, and digital media.

Visitors can immerse themselves in the rich history of moving images, from the earliest days of cinema to the latest in interactive storytelling. The exhibit includes engaging displays, interactive installations, and hands-on activities that highlight how technology and creativity have shaped screen culture over the years.

ACMI also hosts the Beings exhibition which lets you move, dance, and play with enormous digital creations that react to your actions using cutting-edge sensors and AI-based technology. 

Melbourne hotels close the ACMI and Federation Square include Quay West Suites Melbourne, The Sebel Melbourne Flinders Lane, and Novotel Melbourne on Collins. 

If you’re a sports fan you can't miss the Australian Sports Museum. As you might guess, this Melbourne museum focuses on Australia’s rich sporting history and celebrates the nation’s exceptional performance in international tournaments.

The most popular galleries include the Australian Football Gallery, the Sporting Nation Gallery, the Cricket Gallery, and the Olympic Gallery. These showcase the country’s talented sports stars throughout history through various plaques and memorabilia. 

The museum is open to the public daily. It also offers tours on select days, so always check with the front desk when you arrive.

So there you have it: our guide to some of Melbourne's best museums. If you're ready to start planning your trip, be sure to book an Accor hotel to stay conveniently close to one of the many museums Melbourne has to offer.