Hotels near Federation Square

Federation Square (locally Fed Square) is Melbourne's central public space - a 3.2-hectare cultural and entertainment precinct opened in 2002 on a former railway yard. The angular zinc-and-stone architecture by Lab Architecture Studio is divisive but defining; the square fronts Flinders Street Station (the city's most photographed building) directly across the road. Fed Square holds the Ian Potter Centre (the Australian art collection of the National Gallery of Victoria), the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), and the Koorie Heritage Trust.

The square hosts 2000+ free public events annually - outdoor cinema, food festivals, live music, and the giant 7-metre screen showing major sporting events. The Ian Potter Centre is free entry and holds the country's most important Indigenous Australian and colonial-era art. ACMI is free and the world's best moving-image museum. Free to wander; museums free or 25-30 AUD for special exhibitions. Open 24/7.

Pro Tip: The free Ian Potter Centre is a must - Australia's best free Australian art collection. Combine with the morning Federation Square markets (every Saturday in summer) for the city's best free Melbourne morning. The giant TV screen showing the AFL Grand Final in late September draws 30000 spectators.