Situated in the center of Melbourne’s CBD, Block Arcade is the most popular boutique shopping arena that provides a unique shopping experience to tourists. It is an iconic place in Melbourne that sells boutique fashion, vintage jewelry, restaurants, cafes, gift shops, art, and music through resellers like Art of Dr. Seuss, Basement Discs, Bell & Ross, Camper Shoes, Haigh’s Chocolates, and Sol Alpaca.
With mosaic-tile flooring, a glass canopy and carved stone, the Block Arcade is one of the finest examples of a 19th-century shopping arcade on the planet. Connecting Collins Street to Little Collins and Elizabeth streets, the heritage, shopping arcade was built between 1891 and 1893, its design modeled on Milan's grand Galleria Vittorio Emanuele
The boutiques and cafes taking up residence in the Block have retained the arcade’s richly decorated uniform design, ensuring a seamless shopping experience from the color-coordinated plant holders and paintwork to the heritage lighting and translucent glass ceiling and it is one of the amazing places to visit in Melbourne.
The arcade's most popular residents include the Hopetoun Tea Rooms, whose windows filled with delicious cakes are as beloved by photographers as by gourmands, and Haigh's Chocolates, one of Australia's premier chocolatiers. The Block is a regular fixture on food tours and leads to the flurry of tightly squeezed cafes lining Block Place. Go behind the scenes on the Block on one of the twice-weekly guided tours, held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1 pm and meeting in front of the Hopetoun Tea Rooms.
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• Take a guided walking tour of the Block Arcade to learn about the history and architecture of the place in detail.
• Adore the architectural beauty of the soaring glass canopy and mosaic floors that took inspiration from Milan’s renowned Galleria Vittoria Emanuele.
• Walk through Collins Street and make your way into the gorgeous interiors of the Block Arcade.
• Check out the works of bespoke jewelers, tailors, spice merchants, and art dealers in the Block Arcade.
• Explore the boutiques, cafes, bakeries, and specialty shops through the bustling streets of the Block Arcade.
• Visit the home of the original Hopetoun Tea Rooms and learn about the history of the tea rooms in the attraction.
• Take a walk through the shops of famous retailers, like Bell & Rose, Coal River Farm, French Jewelbox, Haigh’s Chocolates, and many more.
• Satisfy your sweet tooth with a treat to the collection of high-end sweets in the Block Arcade.
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