Parliament House of Victoria
Parliament House of Victoria
4.5
Monday
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
About
Victoria's Parliament House is one of Australia's oldest and most architecturally distinguished public buildings. It is a working State Parliament, and is also the building where Australia's first Federal Parliament met from 1901 until 1927. Free guided tours are provided on non-sitting days: Monday - Friday 9:30am, 10:30am, 3.00pm, and 4.00pm. (Tours for groups of 6 or more are also free, but must be booked in advance.) Visitors can book for High Tea or Lunch in Stranger's Corridor during non-sitting weeks.
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- TheTennettsBrisbane, Australia182 contributionsAn interesting and well worthwhile visit.We had a fabulous guide (Justin) who gave us a totally absorbing hour long tour of the various rooms of the Parliament. He had many interesting anecdotes on the various personalities who decorated the walls. It was well worth the visit.Visited November 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten November 8, 2023
- flo220New York City, New York359 contributionsBeautiful building, learned a lot about their governing systemInteresting tour of the building as well as an explanation of their governing system. Beautiful building and rooms. Tour guide was very knowledgeable and answered all questions. There is also the option to get tea or eat lunch in the "member's dining room" which was a special treat.Visited October 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten December 7, 2023
- TheLeongOhanaUnited States7,505 contributionsInformative TourFor some reason this Parliament House was quite popular to visit versus our trip to its sister in Sydney. Admittance was only during the scheduled tour times and limited to 25 people per group. We arrived around 30 minutes ahead of the scheduled tour and we just made the cutoff. Other groups arrived after us and gave the staff person a hard time since they were told to come back 10 minutes before the scheduled tour. There was no budging on the maximum number of visitors. Every person had to go through the metal detector and get their bag screened. Any item that could not be taken in was held back by security, tagged and a receipt given for pickup after the tour. All bags had to be stored and were locked up until after the tour concluded. Our tour started in the Queen's Hall where a statue of Queen Victoria was erected along with formal paintings of her and Prince Albert. We then visited the Assembly Chamber (green) and then the Council Chamber (red). Photos were allowed throughout except for our final stop in the Library. Our guide was very knowledgeable and we could see the parallels between Australia and the US form of government.Visited May 2024Traveled with familyWritten May 28, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
469 reviews
Excellent
236
Very good
179
Average
37
Poor
7
Terrible
10
CleverTraveler88
38 contributions
Jan 2020
The group of security guards were petty, rude, and consistently attempted to escalate conflicts. They obviously did not have bigger fish to fry and confiscated my food despite the other guards having no objections to my food and telling me that I could bring in the food. Despite the bad vibes from them, I still enjoyed most of my time because of the cheap price.
Written January 31, 2020
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.
jeffryb
Keysborough, Australia366 contributions
Aug 2020
The Parliament of Victoria sits on Spring Street at the top of Bourke St, dominating the city. It's a grand building, in Neo Classical style. Although it was opened in 1856, it's still not finished. Recently, it's been udergoing renovations. The structure of the Parliament is similar to other Commonwealth parliaments -- green for the lower house (Legislative Assembly) and red for the upper house (Legislative Council). The Council is one of the finest Rococo interiors in Australia. One little known fact is that the Commonwealth Parliament sat here from 1901 to 1927, before moving to Canberra. Tours of the Parliament are held Monday to Firday, except for sitting days, when visitors can observe proceedings from the Gallery.
Written August 15, 2020
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.
christoskontas 🇬🇷
Thessaloniki, Greece6,356 contributions
Dec 2019
A nice 19th century public building of Melbourne. It's not such a large and imposing building, but worth a quick visit. Visits are made regularly and need to be booked in advance. You can have nice views of downtown from the parliament steps.
Written March 30, 2020
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.
Dimitris L
Sydney, Australia50,924 contributions
Apr 2021
The Parliament House of Victoria is an impressive structure. It was built in the mid-19th century, starting in 1855, but apparently it has never been totally completed! Be that as it may it is of great architectural value and has been heritage listed. The building served as the first Federal Parliament of Australia from 1901 until 1927, when the permanent parliament building in the Australian capital, Canberra was ready. On the day of our visit the building was closed to the public for restoration works.
Written May 2, 2021
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.
Ajeet N
Mumbai, India238 contributions
Apr 2023 • Couples
The Parliament of Victoria in Melbourne conducts guided tours on hourly basis from 9.30am onwards. They are highly informative. The two houses in red and green colours, the statue of Victoria and the story behind it, the old offices in the basement, the the new offices, library, canteen all have a story which is beautifully explained by the guide. We additionally enjoyed roleplay by school children.
Written April 2, 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, Australia13,534 contributions
Dec 2020
When Australia federated to become a nation in 1901, there was no Commonwealth Parliament -- in fact, Canberra didn't exist, so the Parliament of Victoria became the national Parliament. It was not until the 1920s that the "temporary" Parliament House was established in Canberra. The Parliament of Victoria has a rather plain Legislative Assembly (Lower House) done in green and an ornate rococo Legislative Council (Upper House) where red dominates. The Parliament of Victoria is a legacy of the Great Australian Goldrush, when Melbourne was the richest city on Earth.
Written December 26, 2020
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.
Traveller
Melbourne, Australia17,413 contributions
Jan 2022
My wife and I visited this place and went on a guided tour to see the various rooms inside this Stately and Opulent building.
It was just the two of us on the tour, as it was midweek and 9:30 am when we visited. Very good for social distancing.
There is some construction work going on, as a new extension to the building is being built.
The architecture is magnificent and the quality of the premises is excellent.
It was just the two of us on the tour, as it was midweek and 9:30 am when we visited. Very good for social distancing.
There is some construction work going on, as a new extension to the building is being built.
The architecture is magnificent and the quality of the premises is excellent.
Written January 6, 2022
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, Australia13,534 contributions
Nov 2022
The Parliament of Victoria is one of Australia's proudest legacies of the Great Australian Gold Rush, when Melbourne was the wealthiest city on Earth. The neo-classical building has yet to be completed, as funds were exhausted. Recently, the exterior of the Parliament has been extensively cleaned and refurbished. Visits to the Parliament are conducted regularly when the Parliament is not sitting. This heritage building is a grand example of colonial architecture. Entry is free.
Written November 30, 2022
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.
Philip G
4 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
This is a short, 20 minute, free tour of the building with an informative guide with lots of facts and great presentation.i thoroughly enjoyed the tour and learnt a lot about the history building and the westminister parliamentary system. Highly recommended.
Written March 21, 2020
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, Australia13,534 contributions
Mar 2022
The Parliament of Victoria is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. It is known as one of Australia's great Victorian-era heritage buildings. Strangely enough, although construction began in 1855, it has never been completed. The Legislative Assembly has a green colour scheme, while in the rococo Legislative Council, red predominates. The Parliament of Victoria hosted the Commonwealth Parliament from 1901 until 1927, until the "temporary" Parliament House in Canberra was completed. The Parliament of Victoria is open for inspection on non-sitting weeks, Monday to Friday. Tours are free
Written April 7, 2022
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.
Do you have to prebook for the tour?
Written August 11, 2019
No need to prebook for visiting. However, visitors may not be allowed while parliament session is on the proposed day of visit. This information can be obtained from the website
Written August 11, 2019
A Tripadvisor member
Melbourne, Australia
What access is available for elderly people attending large meetings who cannot manage all the stairs at the front of the building?
Written November 5, 2017
From front street level (facing the tram tracks), are mainly steps & pillars with Victorian lights . Parliament house is user friendly also to "not so convenient" visitors, believe me, the government is really thoughtful for anybody & all visitors.
Its best to find out if there are sitting sessions whereby visitors are not allow in (whilst Parliament are in session or a bill is to be passed).
Please do check with security for these access.
Anyway if its just for photo taking, it doesn't make any better pictures climbing the nearly 40 steps.
Just for information, wedding photos taken here are done approximately on steps 10 onwards.
Written November 7, 2017
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