Block Arcade, Melbourne (must see)

If Melbourne had a catwalk, the Block Arcade would be strutting right down the middle of it in full glamour mode. Opened in 1892, this lavish stretch of French Renaissance beauty is all towering arches, ornate cornices, and decorative tiles—basically the architectural equivalent of overdressing for every occasion, and loving it. Inside, boutiques and tea rooms line the walkways, echoing the days when this was the most fashionable shopping runway in town just off Collins Street.

Shaped like an elegant L and crowned at the bend with a domed rotunda that refuses to be ignored, the arcade links Elizabeth Street to Collins Street. And if you walk in from the Collins side, you’ll find yourself facing its slightly older sibling, the Royal Arcade, as if the two have been politely competing for attention since the Victorian era...

The name “Block Arcade” comes from the 19th-century pastime of “doing the block,” when Melbourne’s elite would dress to impress and glide along Collins Street and its arcades. This was the place to see—and be seen—long before Instagram tried to claim the job...

Nowadays, people keep stopping by because a walk through the Block Arcade feels like stepping straight into Victorian Melbourne, minus the horse-drawn traffic... Those soaring six-storey façades and meticulously restored interior are textbook Mannerist drama, and the whole place is proudly listed on the Victorian Heritage Register—because, frankly, how could it possibly not be?

And now for a tip worthy of your inner aristocrat: the Hopetoun Tea Rooms. First opened in 1894 and redecorated in 1976 in full Victorian splendour, it still delivers the kind of tea service that expects you to sit up straight and behave elegantly—well, at least until dessert arrives...

Since you're already here, glance across the street to the Royal Arcade for another dose of grandeur. Or take a quick detour into Block Court next door—its Art Deco interior no longer houses an arcade of shops, but it certainly still knows how to make an entrance.