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Block Arcade

4.5 (15 reviews)
Closed 8:00 am - 8:00 pm

Block Arcade Photos

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A beautifully decorated building in Melbourne, where we found Lafayette Lounge early on a Saturday morning while looking for breakfast. My friend and I shared an open face smoked salmon and avocado sandwich which was just amazing. The crusty bread was spread with warm cream cheese and heaped on one side with lots of avocado. The other side had mounds of soft, moist, smoked salmon with capers. All was garnished with alfalfa sprouts and tiny edible pansy flowers. Bliss! The cappuccino coffees we both had were also excellent.

Andrea U.

This Arcade is a historic shopping center in the central business district of Melbourne. It was built between 1891 & 1893, it is considered one of the late Victorian era's finest shopping arcades. The shops were beautifully decorated, Santa & his elves were posing with children for photographs. We went into Haigh's for delicious & expensive truffles, admired the gift shops, & tea shop. We went to the Charles Dickens's pub for fish & chips. By the late 1870s, the north end of Collins Street between Swanston and Elizabeth streets become a popular promenade of Melbourne's well-to-do, who went to the prestigious shops & cafes, and to see and be seen as they walked from one end to the other. This practice became known as "doing the block@.

Mel M.

Bravo Melbourne for doing an outstanding job on keeping the integrity of this Arcade for over 100 yrs. It looks brand new though it was built in 1892. My loft was close by so I got to experience it throughout the day. From being empty to being full of foot traffic. Inside is so clean and sparkly. There is so much detail to appreciate here. The Euro feel is very prominent because it was designed to resemble a Galleria in Milan. It's almost like a museum except it's lively. Inside are shops and cafe's. Just a beautiful building and impressive place to visit. Mel M Yelp 18:59

David S.

As I have suggested elsewhere there seems to be one of these old arcades in pretty much most of the major capital cities in Australia, and the Block seems to be Melbourne's version (though as it turns out it isn't the only one). While I wouldn't go as far as suggesting that it is a high end arcade, there are some pretty exclusive shops here, including the Hopetown Tea Rooms which always seems to have a line out side of it, unless you are there first thing in the morning. Another interesting shop I've seen (but haven't been inside) is the Art of Dr Seuss. Mind you, one thing I really like doing is wandering through these old arcades and alley ways as I make my way from one side of the city to the other, and this one seems to be in the right place for that.

Mark H.

I often walk through the Block Arcade when I'm in the city. It is a pleasant place to walk and enjoy the ambience of Melbourne's gold rush wealth. It was built in1892 and was intended to be similar to the Galleria Vittorio in Milan, which I have also been to. The Block Arcade is much smaller than the Galleria Vittorio but they both have maganificent classical design mosaic floors. When it opened the Arcade had 15 milliners, 3 lace shops, a photographer and the Hopetoun Tea Rooms, only the Hopetoun survives. Their contemporary high end shopping equivalents, fashion boutiques and a glass gallery now fill the other shops. It is a great place for a bit of window-shopping or just to enjoy the 19th Century ambience.

Joanne P.

"Doing the block" is the term Melbourne's fashion elite coined to describe the 1890's tradition of parading around Melbourne's fashionable shopping streets! The Block was one such popular precinct and due to this changed its name from 'Carpenters Lane" to "The Block" as we know it today. A lot may have changed in fashion over the past hundred or so years and The Block arcade has witnessed it all! This heritage shopping precinct off Collins street is a tourist hot spot, but this doesn't stop well heeled locals from dropping by 'the block' to rest up at one of the cafes or the Charles Dickens Tavern. The Victoria Era arcade was modeled on shopping malls in London and Europe and the glass roof is classified by the National trust. The arcade is elegant and is home to many well known retailers such as Mimco and Haigh's and has beauty and fashion stores to keep those 'doing the block' looking their best!

The very beautiful front display of Hopetoun Tea Rooms in the Block Arcade.
Jessica M.

I basically came here for the architecture, not the shopping! This arcade is gorgeous and is a dream to walk through. There are a few different lane ways that lead in and out of it as well to explore.

The ornate and intricate interior of The Block.

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Review Highlights - Block Arcade

It has a lovely French Renaissance style architecture that was meant to mimic the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan.

Mentioned in 3 reviews

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Bourke Street Mall - Retail therapy at its finest!

Bourke Street Mall

4.0(6 reviews)
0.2 kmMelbourne
$$

No different to Pitt Street Mall in the city, the Bourke Street Mall is Melbourne's equivalent, and…read morewith its own unique Zara outlet as well. So often the tram tracks are crossed to get to the other side to the point where waiting to cross the road at the lights to enjoy some more high quality shopping is a chore within itself. The iconic public purse at the tram station outside Melbourne GPO is a hit within itself (no pun intended) as musicians come to entertain us with their musical equipment stacked along this magnetic piece of art. Don't cross the tram tracks just yet as you have Melbourne GPO to explore. A word of warning: just ensure that you have gone to the toilet beforehand as something so simple as going to the loo turns out to be an obstacle here. Great cafes await you as well as quality boutiques to browse through. I love Georg Jensen here; in fact all the jewellers here provide great customer service. Keep walking and you will find Myers and DJ's in tandem with more street performers, and not to mention activists wanting support to help free the refugees or to take a stand of capitalism etc. Something would be so wrong with you if you are bored here. Cross the tram tracks (safer to actually cross the road) and you will find the food halls and more treats. Sadly that bistro on the Elizabeth Street side is now closed. And you might be lucky to spot one more street performer before moving on.

In the late 90's early 00's, the Bourke Mall of Melbourne was a Mecca of dodge. Sure every…read morechristmas there was the myer windows, but overall it wasn't a great place. Lucky for us Melbournians the recent (last 5 years) new tram stops and the current Myer and David Jones remodeling and the addition of Zara have lifted to the Mall to the cosmopolitan space I always new it could be.

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Bourke Street Mall
Bourke Street Mall - They all look alike here!

They all look alike here!

Bourke Street Mall - Toys Toys Toys!

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Toys Toys Toys!

Melbourne Central - 巨大なショッピングモール

Melbourne Central

3.9(30 reviews)
0.6 kmMelbourne
$$

Love the culture and the food. Not a huge fan of the car park, but this place works better on…read morepublic transport.

I love Melbourne Central. I love how it's a one-stop-shop for everything you could need…read more ~ Smack dab in the middle of the CBD. Need something you (for some strange reason) cannot find at Melbourne Central? It's probably 10 steps away from Melbourne Central/ ~ Stunning interior design and architecture. You have your tower underneath a glass cage. At first, I thought that this was a bit strange, but then accepted the fact that the tower probably did a lot of bad things in its life and needs a cage to control it. You can't let that thing free, man. ~ Nice selection of food. Nothing too fantastic, but my favourites: Menya Ramen, Lord of the Fries, Grill'd, O-Bento, and Harajuku Crepes. There's bound to be more food heavens that I haven't explored in that massive building yet, and I'm keen to be on the lookout! ~ Convenient public transportation. If you're on the go, trust Melbourne Central to have a train running to anywhere you want in Melbourne. Trust Melbourne Central to also have great food takeaways for you to enjoy yourself at before your train arrives. ~ Loads of entertainment! Try out Cho Gao - a great Asian Beer Cafe with a stunning view of the city. Now try out Cho Gao after catching a movie at Melbourne Central's very own cinema. Seriously - what CAN'T you do here?

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Melbourne Central - The famous clock and shot tower

The famous clock and shot tower

Melbourne Central - 巨大なショッピングモール

巨大なショッピングモール

Melbourne Central - Shot tower

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Shot tower

Royal Arcade

Royal Arcade

4.5(8 reviews)
0.1 kmMelbourne
$$

The Hoddle Grid was the City design that created serviced alleyways that have now become…read moreMelbourne's famous laneways with food stalls, restaurants, cafes, night spots and murals. There are over 900 laneways in Melbourne. The Gold Rush in the 1850s, made Melbourne the World's richest city and the wealth afforded the resources to construct the ornate buildings featuring Victorian, Georgian, Italian and French architecture and design. Opened in 1870, Royal Arcade is the oldest surviving shopping arcade in Australia and an iconic heritage landmark in the Melbourne CBD. t. It is best known for its elegant Italianate architecture, high glass roof, and the mythical giant statues of Gog and Magog that strike the hour. Gayle and I were here for window shopping and visiting a "not to miss" and elegant Melbourne attraction.

I was so surprised at how small this place is! But what it lacks in size, it makes up for in…read morecharm. It's beautiful in here and full of natural light. You would never know that from the outside. It's fairly easy to enter this arcade, as there are openings on three sides. It's also marked very well so there's no way you could miss it. There are quite a few interesting shops, mostly targeted towards knick-knacks and jewelry for tourists. There are also some coffee/café spots. My partner always finds the adult toy/card shops and immediately went downstairs to purchase some Magic the Gathering cards. This is a nice, quick attraction that is well worth the visit.

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Royal Arcade
Royal Arcade
Royal Arcade

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Block Arcade - shoppingcenters - Updated May 2026

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