It’s hard to decide which museums in Sydney deserve a place in your itinerary or even your weekend. Looking for the city’s best galleries? More than just a list of galleries and museums in Sydney, we have added insider tips to make the most of your visit.

Sydney Museums and Galleries to Visit

For us, a trip to any city is incomplete without wandering through some of its museums and galleries, and Sydney is certainly no exception. Here are twenty that you might like to check out next time you are in the Harbour City.

We have split these into two sections and added a map at the bottom of the page so you can quickly see which ones are located close together if you fancy popping into a couple. They are great to have in mind for a very hot or very wet day when looking for indoor things to do in Sydney.

Let’s start with museums, many of these offer free tours, and quite a few have free entry.

Museums in Sydney

Anzac Memorial Hyde Park

Highlights: The architecture itself makes this well worth a look, and the collection of war memorabilia is impressive

In the middle of Sydney’s Hyde Park, the Anzac Memorial is both a museum and a monument to Australia’s war dead, particularly those of the Australian Imperial Force of World War One. There is a short daily service at 11.30 am each day.

Unveiled in 1934, the memorial was constructed in a stately yet beautiful Art déco style. Inside the pink granite building is a historic collection of over 6,000 objects, each helping to illustrate the stories of those who were serviced and the families they left at home.

Tip: The building is particularly lovely to photograph in the twilight when the lights jump off the Pool of Reflection.

Where: Liverpool Street, Hyde Park
When: Every day from 9am to 5pm, except on Christmas Day and Good Friday
Cost: Free

Australian Museum of Natural History

Highlights: Extensive collection on Aboriginal Australia, great kids spaces

Placed right in the heart of the CBD, the Australian Museum, as it is known, is the oldest in the country, opening its doors back in 1827. Architecture lovers will remark on its combination of early Greek Revival and new International Style, but the building is not the only part of the Museum that’s been renovated.

Founded initially to document the continent’s colonisation, this centrepiece of scientific chauvinism has undergone a renovation in thinking and purpose. It now displays a wide range of exhibits specialising in natural history and anthropology.

Where: 1 William St Sydney 
When: Every day from 10am to 5pm, except Christmas Day
Cost: Entry to the main collection is free

Australian National Maritime Museum

Highlights: Board a battleship, submarine and a replica of the Endeavour!

Australian National Maritime Museum juts right out into Darling Harbour and is, unsurprisingly, about all things water. A relatively new museum, the building opened in 1991 but in the last thirty years has cemented itself as one of Sydney’s must-see destinations.

While various aquatic-themed exhibits can be seen inside, the Museum’s real attraction is the three museum ships moored in the harbour. Visitors can board a replica of Captain Cook’s Endeavour, the Cold War-era destroyer HMAS Vampire and the much-maligned submarine HMAS Onslow.

We highly recommend you join one of the free guided tours of the vessels, the volunteer who took our last tour was a retired serviceman who had worked on the ship he showed us around.

Where: 2 Murray St Sydney 
When: Every day from 10am to 4pm except Christmas and Good Friday
Cost: Free museum galleries and selected exhibitions. Tickets are required for entry to the ships and vessels

Hyde Park Barracks Museum

Highlight: The Colonial History of Sydney through a current lens, great gift shop

Standing right at the heart of the city, Hyde Park Barracks was built in 1819 by the famous convict architect Francis Greenway as a prison. Since then, it’s been an asylum, a hospital, a mint and a courthouse before finally becoming a museum of colonial history.

The building recently reopened after a major restoration that has seen new life breathed into its exhibits. A more honest version of Sydney’s settlement that is engaging and throughful. We highly recommend this space to anyone wanting to know more about our city.

The building is now accessible to all with an elevator and other features to ensure all visitors can explore the collections.

Where: Macquarie St Sydney
When: 10am-5pm Thurs-Sun – 90-minute sessions – bookings required.
Cost: Free!

Justice and Police Museum

Feature: The stories of the “crooks” and the ‘cops” of early Sydney

Just up from Circular Quay, the Justice and Police Museum is dedicated to all things law and order. Built in 1886, it was once a working station of Sydney’s Water Police before passing through various branches of the police service and the court system.

Today it exhibits a comprehensive collection of artefacts such as mugshots, forensic equipment and antique firearms. There are also interactive activities, with a restored courtroom, charge room and cells offering visitors a taste of the law in the bad old days.

I really enjoy this museum, but it does not get the love it deserves with such short opening hours.

Tip: There are three scheduled events each day – don’t miss the chance to join in a mock trial at 11.30 am; it’s a hoot.

Where: Corner Albert and Phillip Street, Circular Quay
When: Sat and Sun 10am – 5pm
Cost: Adult $15 | Concession $12 | Family*$38

Museum of Sydney

Highlight: See the replica’s of the First Fleet

Built on the ruins of the very first Government House, it’s perhaps only fitting that the Museum of Sydney is dedicated to the city’s local history, from the colonial period right up until the present day.

Visitors today can see not only the outline and remnants of that original building but a vast array of artifacts and exhibitions on Sydney’s history, including a panoramic view of the city that shows how it has changed throughout the ages.

Tip: The free 30-minute highlight tour is a great way to learn about the history of Sydney.

Where: Bridge St &, Phillip St, Sydney
When: 10am to 5pm from Monday to Friday
Cost: Adult $15 | Concession $12 | Family* $38

Chau Chak Wing Museum

Highlights: Antiquities and National History

The art, science, history and ancient cultures collections that previously formed the Nicholson and Macleay Museums have been incorporated into the Chau Chak Wing Museum. The stunning new facility recently opened on the grounds of Sydney University in Camperdown.

The new museum houses 18 new exhibitions across four floors of galleries, including over 30,000 antiquities from across the globe, from Ancient Egypt to the Roman Empire.

There is also a strong focus on natural history, with scientific equipment, ethnographic displays and one of the most important collections of insects in Australia.

Where: The University of Sydney, University Place, Camperdown
When: 7 days a week – Weekdays 10am – 5pm, Thursday evenings until 9pm and weekends 12pm – 4pm
Cost: Free – but please book your timed visit

Powerhouse Museum

Highlights: History of technology and design with lots of hands-on activities for kids.

Together with the Sydney Observatory and the Museum’s Discovery Centre at Castle Hill, the Powerhouse Museum forms the best-known part of the Museum of Applied Art and Sciences. A science and technology museum, the Powerhouse has a comprehensive remit that includes everything from design and architecture to household furniture and space travel.

Currently, in a converted power station for Sydney’s old electric tram system, the Powerhouse Museum hosts up to 400,000 objects and is a must-see destination for tourists and locals alike.

Where: 500 Harris St, Ultimo
When: Daily 10am-5pm except Thursdays 10am-9pm (Closed Christmas Day)
Cost: Free

La Perouse Museum

Highlight: artifacts from the expedition of French Explorer La Perouse, who reached Australia in1788 days after the English.

Unlike many on this list, this museum is well outside the CBD, in the coastal suburb of La Perouse. Housed in the old Cable Station, which once connected Australia to the rest of the world via telegraph, the Museum commemorates the famous La Perouse expedition, a French scientific endeavour whose ships arrived around Port Jackson at roughly the same time as the First Fleet.

The Museum also features the history of the local Aboriginal people. La Perouse has always been an important centre from colonial times to the present, second only to Redfern in Sydney.

Tip: Check the regular event program for music performances and cultural talks.

Where: 1542 Anzac Pde., La Perouse
When: Wednesday and Friday 10am-2pm / Saturday and Sunday 10am-4pm
Cost: Free

State Library Galleries

Highlight: Extensive painting collection depicting the early days of Sydney

Built in 1826, the State Library is the oldest in Australia. It dominates a considerable part of the city’s central Macquarie Street, but a little less known is its five newly launched galleries.

Located in the Library’s Dixon wing, these showcase a rotating series of artistic and historical exhibits. The Exhibition Galleries also include free tours, holiday activities for the kids and its very own collection of artefacts.

Be sure to wander into the beautiful Mitchell Library Reading Room before you leave.

Tip: Download the free audio guide for the gallery painting collection

Where: Macquarie Street Sydney
When: Mon-Wed and Fri 9am-5pm, Thur 9am–8pm, weekends -10am-5pm.
Cost: Free

Susannah Place Museum

Highlights: Everyday life in early Sydney through the lives of the families who lived in these terraces.

Situated on Sydney Harbour in the historic Rocks, Susannah Place was built in 1844 as a row of terraces and occupied by working-class Sydneysiders right up until it became a museum in the 1990s.

One of the few places to escape slum clearances and gentrification intact, today visitors can step through a portal in time and walk through the preserved rooms that show the mundane and daily aspects of Australian-working class life throughout the buildings’ long history.

Today they have staged the terraces to resemble the 1840s, 1930s, and 1950s. The experience is by guided tour only, and the stories told really bring the building to life – a perfect introduction to the Rocks.

Tip: If you miss a booking you can still visit the shop, set up as it was in 1915 that is located inside the corner terrace.

Where: 64 Gloucester St The Rocks
When: Mon-Sun 2pm‑5pm – currently closed due to Covid restrictions
Cost: Adult $15, Concession $12, Family* $38, Members Free

Sydney Jewish Museum

Highlights: personal belongings and stories of holocaust survivors who settled in Sydney

Built on the site of the old Maccabean Hall, long a centre of Judaism in Sydney, the Sydney Jewish Museum documents and commemorates the Holocaust and the history of Jews in Australia.

Founded in 1992 by Holocaust survivors, the Museum’s historic collection, combined with presentations by survivors, tells the stories of those murdered during the Holocaust and gives voice to its victims.

Tip: Try to visit early afternoon if you go during the week as school groups are often there between opening and 1pm.

Where: 148 Darlinghurst Rd Darlinghurst
When: Sun 10am‑ 4:30pm, Mon‑Thur 10am‑4:30pm, Fri, Sat, Jewish and public holidays Closed
Cost: Adult $15, Seniors $12, Children $9 (under 10 enter free)*, Family (2 adults & 2 students) $40, Members Free

The Rocks Discovery Museum

Highlights: Artifacts uncovered by digs in the area and the architecture of the building itself.

Thanks to the actions of construction unions during the 1970s, the Rocks district is probably the most historic and well-preserved part of Sydney, and places like the Rocks Discovery Museum only add to that appeal.

Situated in a restored 1850s stone warehouse, the Museum contains a substantial collection of artifacts and interactive exhibits that chart the district’s history from its indigenous occupation to well into the 20th century.

Tip: This is a small museum but well worth a stop before exploring the Rocks. They often run events for kids in the school holidays.

Where: Kendall Ln, The Rocks
When: Mon-Sun 10am-5pm, except Good Friday and Christmas Day
Cost: Free

Galleries in Sydney

Art lovers will want to include at least a couple of these fabulous art galleries in sydney. The MCA, NSW Art Gallery and White Rabbit Gallery make a great trio.

Art Gallery of New South Wales

Feature: Strong collection Aboriginal and modern Australian art. Good international pieces.

Sitting adjacent to the luscious Botanic Gardens, the Art Gallery of New South Wales is one of the nation’s biggest and best galleries.

Opened in 1874 and constructed in an almost classical style, the Art Gallery of New South Wales is free to the public (although some exhibitions involve additional costs). It showcases the entire spectrum of Australian and national art, from the most ancient to the present day.

Wednesday Nights “Art After Hours” program offers some great free performances and a chance to take a free guided tour or join a workshop. Also don’t miss the new building which is not yet connected to the original gallery. You need to exit and walk a few hundred metres towards the north to enter.

Tip: If you have refreshments at the cafe, sit outside and wait for the rosellas to come and entertain you.

Where: Art Gallery Road Sydney
When: 10am-5:00pm, Wed 10am-9pm, closed on Good Friday and Christmas Day
Cost: Free general entry

Artspace Sydney

Feature: Discover emerging contemporary artists in an innovative space.

Artspace Sydney is a visual arts centre specialising in contemporary art that sits right on Sydney Harbour. Using the historic Gunnery Building, Artspace calls itself a centre for “experimentation, innovation and collaboration in the visual arts”, offering many international residency programs, public initiatives and educational activities.

In a city filled with heritage and history, Artspace places itself at the cutting edge of Australian culture.

Tip: Follow their Facebook page for news of upcoming exhibits.

Where: 43 – 51 Cowper Wharf Road Woolloomooloo
When: Mon-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat-Sun 10am-5pm
Cost: Free

Australian Centre for Photography

The Powerhouse Museum has acquired the Australian Centre for Photography and rebranded it Powerhouse Photography.

One of the oldest contemporary art organisations in Australia, the Australian Centre for Photography, has been providing community programs and part-time courses since 1974.

Watch this space for updates as they become available.

Brett Whiteley Studio

Highlight: See the workspace of one of Australia beloved artists filled with his personal belongings just as he left it.

One of Australia’s most prominent contemporary artists, Brett Whiteley’s work adorns galleries worldwide, but his studio sits right in Surry Hills and is today open to the public.

With one part serving as a gallery, the other is a kind of museum and has been kept in largely the same state as it was upon his death on the NSW South Coast in 1992. Featuring both finished works and those not yet completed at his death, this is probably the best place to see Whiteley’s avant-garde body of work.

Tip: Once you have visited, head over to Lavender Bay and his wife’s passion project, Wendy’s Secret Garden, where you can see the view he painted many times.

Where: 2 Raper St Surry Hills 
When: Thursday-Sunday 10am-4pm, Closed on Good Friday and Christmas Day
Cost: Free

Museum of Contemporary Art MCA

Highlights:

The Museum of Contemporary Art (often shortened by Sydneysiders to the MCA) is a beautiful Art Deco building right on the harbour that exhibits contemporary art from Australia and across the world.

Taking over from the Maritime Services Board in the late 1980s, the MCA has given the public a taste of contemporary art for over thirty years. Alongside a wide range of exhibits, visitors can buy souvenirs from the gift shop and even have a bite to eat at the Museum’s rooftop café or restaurant.

Tip: Even if you are not a huge fan of contemporary art, pop in for the cafe views and the excellent range in the gift shop.

Where: 140 George St The Rocks
When: Mon closed, Tue-Thu 10am‑5pm, Fri 10am-9pm, Weekends 10am-5pm
Cost: Free

S. H. Ervin Gallery

Highlights: Changing collection of Australian art

Right next to the Sydney Observatory, on the aptly named Observatory Hill, sits the S. H. Ervin Gallery. With a more sophisticated and even academic bent, the gallery aims to “encourage research and promote scholarly appraisal of artists from all periods of Australian art history.”

Along with an impressive collection of work from female Australian artists, the Gallery exhibits work that failed to make the prestigious Archibald Prize; all hung alongside the stylish Trust Café.

Tip: Be sure to get a cake from the on-site cafe – they are delicious!

Where: 2 Watson Rd, Millers Point
When: Wed to Sun11am to 5pm
Cost: General Entry$12.00

White Rabbit Gallery

Highlights: Cutting edge Chinese postmodernist and contemporary art

A very different place from many others on this list, the White Rabbit Gallery in Chippendale collects and presents contemporary Chinese art, focussing on work produced in the last twenty years.

This former warehouse can only hold a little of the White Rabbit Collection’s over 2500 individual works and cycles through the best this style can offer throughout the year. The ground floor tea house is a lovely spot to take some time out. It has a large menu of Chinese tea and some really delicious dumplings.

Tip: Not all the exhibits are suitable for children, so check before visiting.

Where: 30 Balfour St Chippendale
When: Wed to Sun 10am‑5pm except during exhibition change over
Cost: Free

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Ten Obscure Sydney Museums

If you are looking for a specialist collection or something a little different, one of these might work.

• Reserve Bank Museum – Free – Mon‑Fri 10am-4pm
• Sydney Bus Museum – $15, 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month 10am-4pm
• Sydney Tramway Museum – Adult $20 | Seniors & concession card holders $15 | Children enrolled at school $10 | Preschool Free, Family (2 adults, 1 child) $50, Sun 10am-5pm, Wed 10am-3pm
• Museum of Fire – Adult $15 | NSW Seniors Card holders pension & concession $11 | Child (2-13yrs) $7.50 | Student card holder (14-18yrs) $7.50 | Children under 2 FREE | Family (2 adults and up to 2 children; or 1 adult and up to 3 children) $35 | Additional child on a Family Ticket $3.50, 7 days per week. 9.30am to 4.30pm
• Museum of Human Disease – $10 Weekdays 10am-4pm
• Australian Museum of Magical Arts – $41 Guided tour by a magician 11.30 & 1.30pm closed Monday.
• Museums Discovery Centre – Free – Saturday and Sunday 10am – 4pm except Christmas Day and Boxing Day
• NSW Rail Museum – from $5 Mon-Fri 10am-4pm Weekends 9am-5pm
• Aboriginal Heritage Museum and Keeping Place – Free – Tue-Thur, 9am-4pm
• Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative – Free – Tue-Sat 10am-4pm

Frequently Asked Questions About Museums in Sydney

What are the best museums for kids in Sydney?

The Powerhouse, Australian Museum and Australian Maritime Museum are excellent for younger children, with plenty of hands-on spaces to keep curious little explorers busy.

Older kids will enjoy dressing up in period costumes at the Justice and Police Museum.

Which museums should I visit to learn about Aboriginal history?

The Australian Museum has an extensive art Indigenous History collection. There is a small collection and movie at the Museum of Sydney, and at the La Perouse Museum in Sydney’s East, there is an interesting collection by local Aboriginal peoples.

Sydney Museum and Gallery Map

Use our map to help plan your museum visits, it’s easy to combine a few of these in one day.

Have questions about things to see and do in Sydney?
Head over and join our Facebook Group and we will be happy to help.