Adelaide Arcade

A beautiful old arcade dating back to 1885, a lovely selection of specialty shops and a museum about its history.

Adelaide Arcade is always a must visit for me whenever I’m in the city. It’s such a gorgeous space with amazing architecture and I appreciate it even more knowing some of its history.
Spoiler alert! Did you know…
— It only took 5 months to build in 1885? (I’m impressed by that, even though maybe the OH&S laws were slightly more slack back then!!)
— This was one of the first buildings in Adelaide to get electric light?
— There used to be tea rooms in the basement?
— There was a ‘grand polka’ composed especially for the official opening of the Arcade?
— It has its very own resident ghost?
— The fountain out the front once had champagne flowing through it (and not that long ago either)?!
If you love history like I do, make sure you don’t skip visiting the Arcade Museum (in a stairwell off Gay’s Arcade) — it’s little but has some super interesting photos, articles and artefacts from the life of the Arcade to date.
Also don’t forget to head upstairs and check out what’s up there. You’ll find a few quirky little places that you might never have known were hiding above all the hustle and bustle! I love standing on the balcony upstairs and imagining all the gorgeous outfits that paraded through this arcade at the turn of the century. If you walk the length of the Arcade upstairs, there’s also some interesting sketches about fashion from various periods along some of the glass windows.
Both upstairs and down have some great shops and cafes that have stuff you won’t find in your run of the mill chain stores along the mall.
Make sure you don’t skip a wander through the Arcade next time you’re in town. Look up, look down, look around and appreciate this beautiful piece of Adelaide’s history!

It smells really good in here.
That was the first thing that came to my mind when thinking about the Adelaide Arcade. Without having spent too much time there, I can definitely say at this stage that he arcade is simply stunning. The architecture is amazing and it’s like a trip into the past.
There are arcades like this in Melbourne where you feel like you’ve stepped into another world or zone. I love it.
I love the cute stores with things you generally don’t find anywhere else. I only needed to go in for a battery but I got what I wanted from the Battery Bar, with excellent and fast service!

Have you ever seen that horrible movie Kate & Leopold where Hugh Jackman and Meg Ryan travel back and forth in time to be with one another? Adelaide Arcade kind of does that to me, but in a good way.
As I walk through the open iron gates past an old worldy Haighs with attendees in traditional white confectionery attire and onto a speckled pathway I feel like I’m travelling back in time to an Adelaide that had class.
The preservation of this building both inside and out is immaculate. With burgundy painted shop front windows filled with gift shops, newsagencies, wig shops, shoe repairers and barbers, the tradition is retained.
Sure it’s not like the Queen Vic in Sydney or Melbourne, but with the right management this place could be utilised for events, and have two floors full of charming artifacts and paraphernalia to buy.
I often escape to the second storey for a bit of peace and quiet. The stores upstairs have a more modern edge to them with places like Two Bit Villain, Mad Zombie Collectables and Zu Design and with more of these places introduced it could create a nice parallel world and eclectic vibe.
This arcade is a great place to go as a local or tourist for a browse and to find out about our history in their museum upstairs, or to window shop the old world trades that still operate here.

Adelaide Arcade is by far my favorite of the arcades in Adelaide. It is beautiful :) and has some really great shops.
The architecture is still pretty much the same as it was when it was first built and I think this is why I love it so much :) There has of course been the odd coat of paint and flooring update, but largely this arcade still has the same charm it had when it was first built.
Well worth a visit next time you are in the CBD.

The Adelaide arcade is a beautiful place to shop, with the delicious two bit villains up top to relax after spending all your money.
This place is worth going to even just for a look around and see what you’d buy if you won the lotto. Or as if you were transported back to the 50’s.
They have a range of shops from button shops, dry cleaners, wig shops, hem shops, jewellery, cards, cobblers, bronzing, salons, haighs and a beautiful vintage store.
Basically you could go in bald, pale, craving chocolate, wearing broken shoes, clothes with no buttons, hungry, and the arcade will have you looking stunning and well fed!
The arcade is definitely worth a look, an take your oh-​so cultured friends from Melbourne to show them oh what Adelaide does fancy too. Boom.

A gorgeous arcade, you have to come here just to marvel at the high ceiling, the tiled floors and the opulent railings. Compared to the Regent Arcade, Adelaide Arcade is ever so swish and dressed to the nines with class.
The Arcade features some exclusive stores in Adelaide such as J. Farren Price Watch Specialists, Adelaide Hatters, Pencraft and Haigh’s. The Arcade also acts as museum with various displays down the centre of the arcade heralding the early history of Adelaide and an upstairs gallery featuring newspaper articles, photos and advertisements as the arcade of yesteryear.
When visiting Adelaide this is a great place to wander down and grab a coffee as well as pick up a few luxe souvenirs. An icon of Rundle Mall, this arcade is the standard.

Nice arcade. Has some great shops. Apparently haunted but then again what isn’t these days. I particularly like the pen shop and this arcade even has its own museum. Amazing. Love the coin shop too with its one hundred trillion dollar notes. The décor of the arcade is great and gives it a nice antique feel. A good spot at Rundle Mall.

Walking through Adelaide Arcade you get the feel of what it would have been like in the early 1900’s.
There’s an eerie majesty to the place.
It is rumoured that Adelaide Arcade is haunted, there have been all sorts of people claiming to have seen things or to have photographed some things, but right here on Unilocal we have plenty of photos of Adelaide Arcade, lets see what comes up.
But it is safe to say that Adelaide Arcade is a beautiful place to walk through and shop in.
Many of the stores within have been there for decades and still portray that early to mid nineteenth century charm.

I love this place. I love the history and the architecture, I love the great location, and I also love the fact that when my better half decides that she wants to spend three hours shopping for pair of shoes, there are shops that I like to browse in while I wait, Games World being my favourite.
There aren’t many shops for the tight of wallet, though, so I don’t often buy much here, but for a more peaceful shopping experience, this place is one I’d highly recommend.

Wait, there’s another floor to the Adelaide Arcade? I had no idea of this until I actually looked around properly (not just strolled on through). The things you learn! I do love the Arcade. I love the cute little stores they have here, I love the little galleries, and of course, I love the cafes. There are some great places to go here, which is always great because it’s out of the restlessness of the mall. The Arcade itself is worth going through just to experience the beauty of what it is. It’s simply a gorgeous piece of architecture.

Now the Adelaide Arcade is a destination in its own right, did you know that? Not just as a shopping centre, but as a historic building of interest. I should know, one of my first jobs out of school was working at the Industrial First Aid Service which was upstairs at the Adelaide Arcade where I used to put aspirin into aspirin jars, stick on the labels and place them into First Aid Kits; and need I mention that was in the last century!
Yes, well, the actual Arcade itself was built long before that — in fact around about one hundred and fourteen years before I was born in 1885. The history web page will tell you they threw the place up almost as fast as a catwalk model throws up her Christmas dinner, and it has been a destination for the refined shopper ever since.
Adelaide has a great deal of old historic buildings but nothing quite like the Adelaide Arcade. It is a rather lovely spot and sort of similar to the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney, if you stretch your imagination just a touch. The difference is that the QVB in Sydney sat idle and filled with the poop of pigeons for decades, while the Adelaide Arcade has been operating since it opened.
If you have time you should go up onto the rarely visited first floor and have a look in their little museum, it’s a cute little spot with some significant information on show. Free of charge and fine for kids. In fact it’s a special spot that you can take the kids and help them feel they’ve had something special that will cost you nothing. Kids as young as six or seven upwards will enjoy the display as long as you can drum up a little enthusiasm for it yourself.
I’ve taken a couple of pictures of the FREE permanent exhibition for you to appreciate so you know what you are looking for, do check them out. Read up at the ‘history’ section of their website before you go so you can brag knowledge to the kids (or guests) before going — they’ll think you’re a star!

This would have to be the best old style arcade in the city, or anywhere in SA actually. It doesn’t have shops for every taste but anyone can go to the hairdressers or newsagents or have a nice coffee and all these are catered for here. As you can see in the photo’s it is all original and looks fantastic.
I remember as a kid going here to see movies at the cinema (no longer there though) and going to the record store upstairs to get actual records, not cd’s or even cassette tapes. That’s how old this place is.
Some shops have changed but it still holds all the nostalgia of yester years. Love walking through this arcade the most to get from the Mall to Grenfell street or vice versa, even if I am not buying anything.

Walking through the Arcade is truly a unique experience, especially if you just come from Rundle Mall. It’s totally different than most shopping streets or arcades you would find in Adelaide and almost like a journey back in time. The old wooden lamps are quite amazing and the fronts of the shops all look very similar but still amazing.
It is so peaceful and quiet in here and every shop is something out of the ordinary. Crabtree & Evelyn sell beautifully packaged soaps and cremes, Games World focuses on games of every sort, from puzzles to classic board games, and there are also very interesting shops, specialising in buttons, hats, shavers or wigs.
Have a walk through this lovely place, even if it’s just for window shopping. You’ll definitely find some very peculiar and unique items here.

I love all the different arcades just off Rundle Mall and Adelaide Arcade is my favourite. It is like a journey back in time, strolling through this amazing Arcade with its patterned tiled floor and turn of the century lamps overhead. All the shop fronts are wooden with classic little portico’s. Heavy wooden tables and chairs adorn the centre where there are a few cafes and eateries. The arcade displays a bygone era of craftsmanship and care.
The shops are an added attraction. Most of the shops are boutique and offer very unique products and services, such as the button shop and the wig shop. There is also a small museum which gives you information on the history of the Arcade. It is worth taking the stairs up to the second storey, which very few people do, just to have a look around. If you are after something different, love history or just want to escape the bustle of the mall this is a wonderful oasis.