South Pacific
Australia
Victoria
Melbourne
Things to do in Melbourne
Federation Square
See all things to do

Federation Square

See all things to do
See all things to do
Federation Square
4
#51 of 812 things to do in Melbourne
Art GalleriesCivic Centres
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Write a review
About
The cultural heart of Melbourne, pulsing and beating every day with colourful, vibrant, intriguing events, festivals, screenings and more. There’s a reason Fed Square (as the locals call it) hosts over 2000 events and 8 million visitors a year – whether it’s a hectic and bustling cultural food festival, a relaxing cinematic screening, a vibrant and inspirational art installation or a thrilling live performance, Fed Square constantly proves and proves again why Melburnians call it the heart of their city. Major popular attractions include the exhilarating and fascinating art at the Ian Potter Centre, the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Melbourne's limited edition reproduction of the famous "Fearless Girl" and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI). Whatever your interests, there’s something for you at Fed Square. Swing by at any time, or check out fedsquare.com/events to plan ahead.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Federation Square
See all
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
5,183 within 5 kms
Roule Galette Melbourne
603
0.2 km$ • Dessert • French • Cafe
Eau De Vie
814
0.4 km$$ - $$$ • Bar • Australian • Vegetarian Friendly
The French Brasserie
719
0.4 km$$$$ • French • European • Vegetarian Friendly
Bistrot d'Orsay
496
0.3 km$$ - $$$ • French • Steakhouse • European
Chocolate Buddha
717
46 m$$ - $$$ • Sushi • Asian • Korean
Il Solito Posto
989
0.4 km$$ - $$$ • Italian • Mediterranean • Vegetarian Friendly
Il Bacaro Cucina e Bar
503
0.5 km$$$$ • Italian • Mediterranean • Vegetarian Friendly
Coda
1,147
0.3 km$$$$ • Asian • Contemporary • Australian
1932 Cafe & Restaurant
443
0.3 km$$ - $$$ • Cafe • Australian • Vegetarian Friendly
Bowery to Williamsburg
322
0.3 km$$ - $$$ • American • Cafe • Vegetarian Friendly
See all
Attractions
1,423 within 10 kms
Melbourne Visitor Centre
1,309
53 mVisitor Centres
The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia
799
0.1 kmSpeciality Museums
St Paul's Cathedral
1,440
96 mHistoric Sites • Churches & Cathedrals
Flinders Street Station
1,772
0.1 kmPoints of Interest & Landmarks
Koorie Heritage Trust.
81
83 mSpeciality Museums
Hosier Lane
2,032
0.2 kmPoints of Interest & Landmarks
Forum Melbourne
105
0.2 kmTheatres
The Ian Potter Museum of Art
53
0.1 kmArt Museums
City Circle Tram
18,401
0.4 kmTrams
Melbourne Festival
10
67 mCultural Events
See all
See what travellers are saying
  • Herman
    Armidale, Australia498 contributions
    A totally cool place to be!
    Just wandered around with two of my teenage sons just soaking up the atmosphere - very arty and with people sprawled out watching the Aussie tennis open on the big screen it did give it some extra buzz. Beautiful modern architecture, and just a totally cool place to be, surrounded with 1800s historic architecture as well. The gallery had an ongoing exhibition and all the walkways are air-conditioned! So much to see if you want.
    Fed Square
    Thanks Paul for your great review. Summer is a great time to come to Fed Square to catch the action from the Australian Open on the Big Screen, as well as visit ACMI, The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia and the Koorie Heritage Trust, with their daily free exhibitions. Glad you and your son had a fantastic time soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying all that's on at Fed Square.
    Written 31 January 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited January 2023
    Written 21 January 2023
  • Stewarts Vacation
    996 contributions
    Intriguing architecture
    Worth a walk through, or a longer linger, if you wish to visit a museum, gallery, cafe or bar. The architecture is intriguing and modern. The large, fixed public television screen, digital facade, which livestreams sports and broadcasts news and major sporting events, is apparently the biggest broadcasting screen in Australia. There are areas and seats to sit and relax.
    Visited March 2023
    Written 31 March 2023
  • Johnstanno
    Singapore, Singapore368 contributions
    Relax and take a breather here
    Interesting and spacious square to chill, relax and watch movie. We just spent around 10mins exploring and taking some photos. If you are nearby, good to take a break from the bustling melbourne city.
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 24 July 2023
  • Jeffry b
    Essendon, Australia13,836 contributions
    Square is a good place to hang out
    Fed Square, as the locals call it, is the crossroads of Melbourne. There are many eateries and features that appeal to visitors such as the NGV Potter Gallery, which has one of the best collections of modern Australian art, and the Australian Center for the Moving Image (ACMI), which is devoted to screen culture. Fed Sqaure is a great place to be when the city is in celebratory mode, such as New Year's Eve. By the way, Fed Square is not exactly square, which adds interest.
    Visited August 2023
    Written 26 August 2023
  • CraigH0901
    Adelaide, Australia1,194 contributions
    Underwhelming
    There are places to go in Federation Square that makes the visit. It is otherwise uninteresting and uninspiring. Designed as a gathering place for people or a town square, it is a good spot to meet to go somewhere else. It has no soul, no energy and no compelling reason to exist. Go to the Koori Trust, eat at Time Out and go.
    Visited September 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 13 September 2023
  • Borntraveller55
    Ahmedabad, India164 contributions
    Great place to spend time in Downtown Melbourne
    The square has a lot of space and museums and restaurants around. Neat and clean toilets and change rooms are also available. Melbourne Tourist Guides are also there to guide you. Ample space to sit and take a bite and look around..
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 17 October 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.0
2,880 reviews
Excellent
1,181
Very good
1,200
Average
389
Poor
70
Terrible
40
C M
Auckland Central, New Zealand758 contributions
Great modern architecture
Oct. 2023 • Couples
Federation Square is great for its modern architecture and the awesome NGV. On a sunny day it's a great spot to sit down and rest up for a little while too. There don't seem to be too many food options right there but it is a decent place to relax, people watch and enjoy the beautiful views.
Written 27 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.
Borntraveller55
Ahmedabad, India164 contributions
Great place to spend time in Downtown Melbourne
Oct. 2023 • Couples
The square has a lot of space and museums and restaurants around. Neat and clean toilets and change rooms are also available. Melbourne Tourist Guides are also there to guide you. Ample space to sit and take a bite and look around..
Written 17 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.
CraigH0901
Adelaide, Australia1,194 contributions
Underwhelming
Sep. 2023 • Couples
There are places to go in Federation Square that makes the visit. It is otherwise uninteresting and uninspiring. Designed as a gathering place for people or a town square, it is a good spot to meet to go somewhere else. It has no soul, no energy and no compelling reason to exist.

Go to the Koori Trust, eat at Time Out and go.
Written 13 September 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, Australia13,836 contributions
Square is a good place to hang out
Aug. 2023
Fed Square, as the locals call it, is the crossroads of Melbourne. There are many eateries and features that appeal to visitors such as the NGV Potter Gallery, which has one of the best collections of modern Australian art, and the Australian Center for the Moving Image (ACMI), which is devoted to screen culture. Fed Sqaure is a great place to be when the city is in celebratory mode, such as New Year's Eve. By the way, Fed Square is not exactly square, which adds interest.
Written 26 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.
mrc282
World7,465 contributions
across from flinders st station
Aug. 2023
start your melbourne walk from here, not a place to linger long unless you are into the various art exhibits nearby
Written 21 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, Singapore368 contributions
Relax and take a breather here
Jul. 2023 • Couples
Interesting and spacious square to chill, relax and watch movie. We just spent around 10mins exploring and taking some photos. If you are nearby, good to take a break from the bustling melbourne city.
Written 24 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.
Stewarts Vacation
996 contributions
Intriguing architecture
Mar. 2023
Worth a walk through, or a longer linger, if you wish to visit a museum, gallery, cafe or bar. The architecture is intriguing and modern. The large, fixed public television screen, digital facade, which livestreams sports and broadcasts news and major sporting events, is apparently the biggest broadcasting screen in Australia. There are areas and seats to sit and relax.
Written 31 March 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.
goblin54
Plymouth, UK243 contributions
OK if passing
Mar. 2023
Worth a quick look to view the quirky architecture of the various buildings in this public space, but not somewhere to linger unless you want to visit the inside of any of the buildings.
Written 30 March 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.
Gordon S
Guelph, Canada701 contributions
Real Disappointment
Dec. 2022
Visited Federation Square, as my friend told me that it is a must visit.
Visited the Ian Potter Centre, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), and had a number of stores, which didn't interest me.
Written 10 February 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.
Herman
Armidale, Australia498 contributions
A totally cool place to be!
Jan. 2023
Just wandered around with two of my teenage sons just soaking up the atmosphere - very arty and with people sprawled out watching the Aussie tennis open on the big screen it did give it some extra buzz. Beautiful modern architecture, and just a totally cool place to be, surrounded with 1800s historic architecture as well. The gallery had an ongoing exhibition and all the walkways are air-conditioned! So much to see if you want.
Written 22 January 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.
Fed Square
Thanks Paul for your great review. Summer is a great time to come to Fed Square to catch the action from the Australian Open on the Big Screen, as well as visit ACMI, The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia and the Koorie Heritage Trust, with their daily free exhibitions. Glad you and your son had a fantastic time soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying all that's on at Fed Square.
Written 1 February 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
2
…
Showing results 1-10 of 2,464
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

Federation Square: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Frequently Asked Questions about Federation Square
According to Tripadvisor travellers, these are the best ways to experience Federation Square:
Restaurants near Federation Square: View all restaurants near Federation Square on Tripadvisor