National Gallery of Victoria

National Gallery of Victoria

National Gallery of Victoria
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) is the oldest and most visited gallery in Australia. Situated over two magnificent buildings – NGV International and NGV Australia – the Gallery presents over 40 exhibitions a year including major international blockbusters and a wide range of exhibitions, programs and events, from contemporary art to fashion and design, and major historical exhibitions that are internationally exclusive to Melbourne.
Suggested duration
2-3 hours
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Southbank
Reach out directly
See what travellers are saying
  • Peter
    Glasgow, United Kingdom3,227 contributions
    Great weather shelter, with culture.
    All very pleasant. Decent expensive shop, if you buy it is best to have a gallery membership which will give you a till discount. The Garden Room restaurant should not be missed with its openable glass walls and great garden views. Smaller Cafe’s are good also. We ate an Afternoon Tea as our lunch ! It was very good in the first floor cafe/restaurant.
    Visited November 2022
    Written 10 December 2022
  • RobWWWW
    Fort Pierce, Florida21 contributions
    Great Museum
    Don't miss this if you're in Melbourne. Excellent exhibits. Free so you can go back on several days - easy to get to in the CBD. The McQueen exhibit is great. Docking a point because the guards are fascist and obnoxious and always close the exhibits early. 5 PM is already quite early, why throw people out even earlier without posting the allegedly real times?
    Visited December 2022
    Written 19 December 2022
  • HayDegha0917
    Los Angeles, California16 contributions
    Top-class museum of Australian art
    There are actually two NGVs: International, which is expansive, has a lot of art pieces, but is so-so, NGV Contemporary, which is still being built, and NGV Australia, which is a must-see. NGV Australia is actually located on the other side of the Yarra, in a separate building. The exhibition of aborigine artists alone is well worth the time, but there is so much more to see there. Definitely spend the time. You won't find the pieces displayed there anywhere else in the world.
    Visited December 2022
    Written 25 December 2022
  • Jordan
    Columbus, Ohio137 contributions
    Punishes you with British stodginess
    This museum was alright. We preferred the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney. The collection at NGV was heavily dominated by British and Western European art. I suppose that is expected given the name but it got a bit tedious after a while. There was a small room dedicated to Impressionism which included all the usual suspects. It was a nice break from war scenes, portraits of nobles, and Christian iconography. We did find the international exhibits interesting. In particular, the Bilbao commission is worth a look.
    Visited January 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 8 January 2023
  • Traveller
    Melbourne, Australia15,739 contributions
    Art Gallery
    My wife and I visited this gallery recently. There are many excellent paintings to admire in the collections. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and most visited art museum. The NGV International in Southbank houses the international art collection. The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia at Federation Square houses the gallery's Australian art collection. There is a Waterwall at the entrance to NGV International. The water from the Waterwall flows to the moat surrounding the NGV International building.
    Visited January 2023
    Written 21 January 2023
  • CoolGuy
    Singapore, Singapore711 contributions
    16 Feb 23 visit
    We came here after breakfast at Higher Ground, via tram 96 then 1. We decided not to go for the special exhibition- Alexander MCQueen, as I am not a fan of fashion. The permanent galleries are all free. Displays & space are beautiful & spacious. Not so crowded on a Thursday morning.
    Visited February 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 15 February 2023
  • RLA1016
    Charleston, South Carolina87 contributions
    Well worth a visit!
    Really a fine museum. The Australian art, both indigenous and from the colonial period, was excellent. Not household names like those in European and North American museums but some equally fine -- it was like discovering new works by familiar, yet different, artists. What a wonderful discovery! Well worth a visit.
    Visited January 2023
    Written 18 February 2023
  • Matthew B
    Chesterfield, United Kingdom5 contributions
    If you love art, you’ll love this!
    What a great space, lovely gallery with most free to the general public. I took the free introductory tour which was a really helpful introduction and certainly worth doing to orientate you around the collections before exploring myself. Tour guide and staff were friendly and knowledgable - very worth a visit.
    Visited February 2023
    Travelled solo
    Written 21 February 2023
  • Luvinspoonful
    Rotorua, New Zealand718 contributions
    Great cross cut collection
    Beautifully curated arts from all genres fill spaces that you can access for free! Inside and outside works from some very highly valued artists. You can even enjoy a high tea in the upper cafe.
    Visited March 2023
    Written 13 March 2023
  • Troy B
    Perth, Australia1,323 contributions
    A must visit in Melbourne
    Really had a good time exploring the many attractions at the NGV. Free entry unless you are viewing a special attraction. So interesting and very well laid out. Plenty of places to eat or drink.
    Visited March 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 19 March 2023
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4.5
5,588 reviews
Excellent
3,832
Very good
1,411
Average
231
Poor
66
Terrible
48

Kai C
Half Moon Bay, CA1,211 contributions
Oct. 2023 • Friends
Spacious museum with an outstanding collection of Venetian glass, English porcelain, Gandharan Buddha statues, Sisley, Pisarro and an incredible Toltec Chacmool. They could not escape lamentation about the "black bodies" and the inevitable inclusion of substandard art based on gender/race but this is to be expected. Nice garden, stained glass roof.
Written 21 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nigel
London, UK15 contributions
Oct. 2023 • Solo
As with many modern galleries, the building is more impressive than the collection. Even more so when many floors are closed and galleries are cordoned off in preparation for new exhibits.
Persevere though and you might stumble across some great pieces by both established artists like Rothko and Reubens, and lesser known but fascinating artists like Nazgol Ansarinia.
It’s a real mess of paintings, decorative arts, and crafts, so it sometimes feels not so much curated as arbitrary.
Worth a visit on a colder day.
Written 31 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kule Dude
Bromsgrove, UK974 contributions
Sep. 2023 • Couples
Our third visit to the Gallery and each time there were different exhibits to enjoy.

This time we looked at the 17th & 18th Century European art. From a distance the paintings looked similar to what we would expect to see in the major British galleries, but on closer inspection found the artists had names I hadn't come across previously. And that was no bad thing. Well worth the visit.
Written 12 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

reeceyb
Chichester, UK1,584 contributions
Sep. 2023 • Couples
We only came here to see the incredible roof and I have to say it was worth it just for that alone it’s incredible to look at we splayed and looked at it for at least half an hour
Written 12 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

soundsverygood
South Pole424 contributions
Aug. 2023 • Couples
Wasn't expecting much but then encountered such a diverse and valued range of artworks. It was the cultural highlight of our trip to Melbourne. Well done NGV.
Written 20 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Johnstanno
Singapore, Singapore363 contributions
Jul. 2023 • Couples
Free to visit, but you need to and could deposit your bag and jackets at the counter. Lots of art exhibition that we really enjoy. There are also seats around to rest your tired legs after all the walk. It should take you around 1.5hr, at a leisure pace, to finish all the exhibitions. Take it slow and enjoy!
Written 2 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Hilary A
Melbourne, Australia18 contributions
Jul. 2023
I have lost count of the number of times and methods I have tried to persuade the publicly funded NGV to up their game in wheelchair access for visitors. For a wheelchair user the exhibits at NGV are endlessly disappointing.

Today I visited the Rembrandt exhibition, composed of many tiny etchings with some oil paintings interspersed, and a room of artefacts. The mostly tiny artworks either hang at eye level for an upright person, or on horizontal benches viewable only from a standing position. All of the information labels about the artworks are printed in very small font, completely unreadable from a wheelchair.

For an elderly upright visitor, there are chairs bunched far from artworks which might need longer viewing. There are many benches nearby, although apparently one is not permitted to sit on them for reasons which defy the imagination. In fact this entire exhibit defies the imagination, rather than stirring it.
Written 31 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jeffry b
Essendon, Australia13,781 contributions
Jul. 2023 • Friends
The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) is showing its Winter Masterpieces; an exhibition of paintings and photographs by French artist Pierre Bonnard; and a large exhibition of works by Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn, mainly lithographs and paintings, including a large number of self-portraits. The Bonnard display is interesting, but Rembrandt is one of the Old Masters, a brilliant star of the Northern Rennaisance. In terms of artistic impact, they are hardly comparable, but each has his merits. You can easily see both in one afternoon; two for the price of one.
Written 22 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Alan M
Gympie, Australia842 contributions
Jun. 2023
Visited for the Bonnard exhibition, learnt a lot about this artist & his circle of friends.

Very well curated exhibition by India Medhavi, another new name, which cleverly integrated much of the paintings background.

Spacious layout requiring determination to complete the full exhibition.

Should have bought the programme !

Need to book as limit number of visitors at any one time , which is a good idea.
Written 25 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CJ
10 contributions
May 2023 • Friends
Very interesting. Enjoyed our time here with some friends. Would recommend NGV as a good visit. Would have loved to a guided tour but couldn't find any.
Written 21 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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