The Convent is a wonderful place to visit & often. The farmers markets are on Saturday mornings. Wander the beautiful grounds and interesting artist galleries. A must visit location very near the heart of Melbourne.

Cool hidden gem, has a few restaurants and other things to do. Cheap paid parking across the road. Worth a visit.

Abbotsford Convent is a former Catholic convent turned place of art, culture & learning precinct now. It has farmers market & food markets on the weekends (Saturday) which are worth a visit. Don’t miss to have a pie from the convent bakery. The convent building has some great architecture which worth a visit in itself.

Lovely place with Lushes gardens, Well-preserved heritage buildings transformed into arts & cultural site. A lot of informative boards describing the history of the buildings. A bakery serving freshly baked bread & pastries with good coffee. A cafe & restaurant which we haven't tried. There were live DJ events playing really cool music most suitable to the rustic background. There's a farm behind the building with farm animals.

Lovely place. Lots of beautiful outdoor spaces. A little art gallery inside. You can easily get here using public transport.

Lovely place. I wanted to have a look inside of the studio a bit, but pretty much everything was closed. Needed to have information before your visiting.

Huge estate and what an amazing history this place has. Vibe is now arty and slightly hippy with the various studios and installations around. Efforts in building preservation is commendable. There is a children's farm nearby and a couple of cafes for one to soak in the atmosphere and drift the mind off to...

Attended a Q44 theatre show called Donating Felix. Once again top class drama, acting and story. Check it out.

Lovely walk through the gardens and halls, super interesting history of Melbourne and a few cool places to grab some food including Lentil as Anything.

A piece of Heaven! Quiet, absolutely beautiful, with so many different little gardens to explore. It’s a place to enjoy Nature, have a lovely picnic, spend time with those you love, read sitting under a tree, meditate, and if you are lucky enough, classic music will be floating in the air, coming from one or two of the buildings. The sunlight dancing into the sunset among the Autumn trees is magical. ☀️🍁

Great place, the food at the bakery cafe is excellent and staff are friendly The food and drinks came out quickly. Very pleasant sitting on the tables outside there are also tables inside if the weather isn't agreeable. Prices weren't too expensive. Al in all highly recommended.

Great place in the city. Good variety of plants with ample places to sit and enjoy them and take in the fresh air. Abbotsford Convent is a former Catholic convent turned place of art, culture & learning precinct now.

2024: A spectacular cultural space for events, where else in the world can you have a boogie while swarms of bats preform their evening migration over your head? Just blows the mind to smithereens.

You have to go here. This is history! Get there and make sure that you have at least a couple of hours to spare. This is an historic place that as a visitor you should feel obliged to contribute to and preserve. Just go and see it and you’ll under what I mean. Go and spend a few dollars and if not just go and understand. It’s a special place.

I used to live in the city, and coming out to the Convent was how I recharged after a hectic week. Take an outdoor yoga class, eat healthy vegetarian food at Lentils, walk barefoot through the grounds, or grab a coffee from one of three on-site restaurants and walk through the galleries. History and horticulture tours of the Convent are also available.

I visited Abbotsford Convent on a Saturday afternoon in September. The walk around the grounds and the buildings is lovely, but obviously needs a lot of funding for repairs and maintenance. Mind your step, as there are a lot of cracks along paths near the buildings as well as trip hazards along the garden path. There’s a water fountain to fill your water bottle. We had something to eat. The cafe is very grubby and needs a good pressure hose down. So many menu boards and a lot on the menu was deep fried 😬. The nun in the window is scary.

Beautiful grounds and a cosy restaurant setting. Food was lovely and wine/drink selection was varied. It can be quite noisy at lunch so not an intimate environment. The service was lacking with most (but not all) staff seemingly disinterested.

I went there on Saturday for a meditation event and didn’t know about the market. It happens there every second Saturday and it was bustling and fun with live music and a great friendly community vibe. Parking was a struggle but I found a spot in the local area after some driving around. Having a chance to be inside this beautiful building was such a treat.

It was a disappointing visit. The buildings and the gardens are very beautiful and historic but you cannot wander inside and there is very little historicbal information available around the grounds. Perhaps there are tours but there was no information anywhere on the grounds that I could find. The parking is very expensive and there is a very heavy feeling of sadness in the grounds.

Unique and textured venue for arts and performance. Nearby bakery has delicious food. I went to a lecture and art show that will stay with me for many years. Looking forward to coming back.

Lovely gardens to explore and right across the road from the Collingwood children's farm. Cafe on site to, well worth a look.

Went to a conference here. Beautiful venue with easy and inexpensive parking. Bakery visit is a must. I note from other reviews the saturday markets. Will return to spend some down time in this wonderful place

Really nice surrounding. Met my stepson and his girlfriend with my daughter there. Both being vegans they took us for lunch at a vegetarian cafe/restaurant which you pay for what you think it was worth. I paid 40 for 2 mains ish. I'm 100% not a vegetarian but really enjoyed it. I'm sure in the summer it would be fabulous and would recommend it anybody.

First time to visit for a meeting being held on the grounds. Was delighted to see a wonderful farmers market on, lovely grounds, a few options of cafes and gorgeous areas to sit and enjoy the food and surrounds. They were prepping for a wedding and there were happy families enjoying themselves all around. I will definitely be back to explore it more.

It was so nice, we just sat on the back lawns and it was so pretty and relaxed. My 2yr old ran around happily while we had a glass of picnic wine. Saw some art. Could have stayed for dinner at either Vietnamese or Italian restaurant, definitely will next time.

Beautiful place to get into nature while still being close to the city.

Good for a tourist visit.

What a great place to visit. Majestic building that you can walk around in and the Saturday market is fantastic.

A cultural center with several interesting activities, a wellness center, breakout spaces and festivals. Don't forget to have a bite of salt+pepper tofu with white rice. Absolutely delicious. Check out the farmers market as well, it is happening every Saturday from 8am to 1pm.

Highly recommend the Abbotsford Convent for a visit. Have walked to the Convent many times, and the park inside including the cafes are worthwhile. The food and drinks in both cafes are of good quality.

The Abbotsford Convent is a Historical place, I think nearly 200 years old, and was not only a former Convent, but it had also been an Orphanage, which I think had been run by Nun's. There's 2 Great Cafe's there that are open every day of the week, One of the Cafe's is a Bakery Cafe that serves Hot food and Cakes. At the back of the Abbotsford Convent is a Lovely and Enchanting Garden, with a Gazebo, the Garden is a Beautiful and Tranquil place to walk around and to sit down and have a Coffee. The Garden is Wonderful All Year round, but in Spring it's just a truly Magical place. If I had to describe the Abbotsford Convent in One Word, I would say that it's a "Sanctuary"

Great place in the city. Gardens are very well maintained. Good variety of plants with ample places to sit and enjoy them and take in the fresh air. Bakery serves breakfast and lunch. Pizza was delicious. Many corners to explore. Very relaxing even on a busy Sunday.

Nice place to visit in the morning. You can combine this with the farmer's market, have a coffee at the bakery, and walk the Yarra trail.

Gorgeous grounds, incredibly beautiful diverse surrounds for a wedding, and it's basically like something impossibly dropped from another time just a stones throw from the city. Georgia and Daniel married here and it made for a beautiful space for them to celebrate with their community. Thanks team!

The food and drink at the convent is the best I've found in Abbotsford so far. There is no shortage of care, skill and experience that goes into its making, and it shows. I have been coming here every day for 2 weeks now, I haven't had the same thing twice, and I haven't had anything short of delicious. If you find yourself in the area, take the time to stop in, enjoy something from their sweets cabinet, have a nice coffee, and enjoy the beautifully tended gardens. Great food, friendly staff, and beautiful scenery, I'd rate it 6/5 if I could.

Abbotsford Convent is one of the best inner city locations in Melbourne to get married at. As a wedding photographer, I've photographed there many times over the years. The reception space is like a blank canvas, which is a dream come through for couples who want to make the space their own. There are lots of different spots for photographs as well. Would highly recommend if you are looking for an inner city location to hold your wedding :)

Beautiful building and well kept grounds. Great for a walk or catch up with friends. Clean toilets, outside dinning spaces and parking facilities. Lots of places to sit and places to get good and coffee.

Such a lovely lovely place and it’s so nice to wander around seeing cafes, garden, and reading signs around the block that describe the history of the place. Highly recommended for a visit!

Such a beautiful place. Has a sense of peace 🕊️

Amazing atmosphere! ❤️❤️

It's just the place if you need to relax or have a stroll/run/ride or hang out in a cool gallery or if you just love a green place or if you are an art enthusiast or pet a sheep or eats organic food or... well i could go on with more. But you have to be there to really feel the place.

Quiet Convent with contemporary pop-up museums, bars, bistros, bakeries and a lovely farm. There are also some beehives you can visit from 9am to 4pm. Lovely lunch stop on the yarra cycling trail

I’m a regular to this place and each visit brings new experiences. There is a lovely cafe and another cheerful cafe… both worthwhile depending on how much $$ you want to spend. The grounds are well kept and usually fairly quiet during the week. A good option if you want a little downtime in nature. There are regular art and theatre events on and a substantial wellness centre with many alternative therapies on offer. Well worth a look in for those visiting this side of town

This re-purposed once Judai-Christian convent now non-secular (as per the sign out front) site incorporates music conservatories, textile artists, a cafe, beautiful well-established gardens, regular farmer's markets and some adhoc gallery exhibitions as well. It's a slightly confusing layout with questionable way-finding, although I suspect this may be deliberate in an attempt to create an argument to "wander, discover, and be intrigued by the entire experience." This may work for some, and that's fine! Personally, as an architect interacting with the spaces within the site, I wish there was greater coherence, perhaps like it would have espoused while under the watchful eye of the diocese. A homage to its former self. I say this as its once Judai-Christian history has been diluted to the point that non-secular seems almost like a euphemism for "without a genuine sense of place, space or meaning." This seems a little sad to have inherited such an extraordinarily profound site and to then enable an almost "she'll be right mate" approach to its purpose? There is tremendous potential to organise and define this site in a way that pays homage to the former residents while empowering, educating, and inspiring in a far more meaningful and coherent way than what it currently exists. That said, it's still worthwhile visiting. Especially during the farmer's markets where there are some wonderful stalls filled with amazing produce and products of interest. As far as the catering on site goes?... well?... its always been hit and miss, especially post-COVID, as they've never really found great hospitality staff to replace the previous team. The food can be nice and their service would be off? Or the service is great and the food might be questionable? Perhaps it's just a sign of the times?...

Amazing serenity. Lose your mind in tranquillity

Beautiful grounds, great bakery. I find the prices on the high side of moderate but the quality of food is consistently good. Possibly the best Light Rye Sourdough I've ever had (-;

The best!! Go for the atmosphere, food, setting or chill. Love getting a hot cross bun from bakery, or a delish veggie meal at lentils. Take the dog & a picnic blanket to relax on the grass in summer

Wow, a really special place. (Free entry!) Wonderful buildings, gardens, art spaces, workshops and cafes. An amazing spacious & quiet community asset which, by the way, really needs supporting and funding.

Just 5/10 minutes out of the city very very relaxing and beautiful place to spend time especially with children

This place is absolutely beautiful! It is rich in history, and has many stories. You can wander around and just explore! There are many renovations currently happening, so it'll be exciting to see the place develop more. It's a beautiful place to have a picnic and hang out with friends and family. There are little workshops and stores, as well as a gallery, restaurants, and much more!

A place with so much history in the air, in the gardens, in the stones, and in the buildings.

An amazing vintage location with tasteful cafes and a wonderful walking track

History, architecture, cafe, resturant, art, boutique shops and nice gardens. Near Collingwood Children's Farm.

Love this place ..the food the atmosphere ..things to see and do ..

It's a lovely convent many go and enjoy the garden and food and entertainment

Awesome - always a lot going on, nice cafes and food

Good venue for fashion shows where you can customise and use your own props as well as your own photographers and videographers.

Peaceful . Nice gardens and old buildings. Charming

It was good

Loved the atmosphere of Lentils, the garden & buildings v special!

What a wonderful place for a relaxed Sunday coffee

Lovely convent with a Café and a restaurant called Lentil which i highly recommend

A gem in the cultural landscape

Love this place

Nice spot.

Most enthralling beautiful atmosphere

We stopped by the convent for a walk around the grounds after visiting the Collingwood Children’s Farm next door. My children ages 4 and 5 were fascinated with the old buildings and learning about what the convent was for. We went exploring and we read the plaques of what the different rooms were for. There is also a lovely garden area that you can sit and relax and enjoy the sun or a lovely picnic. I definitely think this is a lovely place to come and see as it is filled with wonderful and interesting history.

Great food and a pleasant way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Always a treat when I get a chance to visit the Abbotsford Convent. Whether it's a market, a walk, a wedding or just to sit, there's something for all ages, all people. Enjoyed a beautiful wedding in the heritage garden today. It was beautiful. Such a historic, stunning reverent place to be.

Great place to relax, bring a towel and book or headphones really relaxing and has a few nice cafes and brunch places

Saturday marketvis a must visit

Good place to eat vegan food!

Great place to meander

Lentils as anything

Love the vibe in this place and the atmosphere.

Cool funky old place ! Buildings are nice to look out, great food choices ! Very warm atmosphere

(Translated by Google) Nice to go out and walk, have a coffee and breathe fresh air (Original) Lindo para salir y caminar, tomar un café y respirar aire puro

Great place to unwind in a farm vibe with family and a convent bakery to fill your appetite.

What a gorgeous spot. Great business full of history and cool cafe and small studios.