St Kilda Acland Street Shopping Guide

Acland Street works best as a short, walkable shopping strip where you buy cake, books and small gifts, then finish at Acland Plaza near Luna Park. It is not a big retail precinct. You will not find department stores or long rows of chain fashion. What you get is a compact street in St Kilda, Victoria, with old European cake windows, an independent bookshop, cafes and a changing mix of small stores. Treat it as a two-hour browse, not a full day of shopping, and you will enjoy it far more.

This guide from St Kilda Almanac covers how the street is laid out, what is worth buying, when to go and how to get there without wasting time. For a wider look at the suburb, start at the St Kilda Almanac home page.

How is the street laid out for shoppers?

Acland Street runs from Carlisle Street down towards the foreshore. The busiest shopping stretch sits at the bay end, between Carlisle Street and the Esplanade. Most visitors only need this section.

At the bottom of the street you reach Acland Plaza. This is the pedestrian space created when the City of Port Phillip redesigned the end of the street and the tram terminus. Cars no longer cut through here. That makes it the easiest part of the street to walk with a pram, a dog or a bag of shopping.

From the plaza you can see the big smiling face of Luna Park, Melbourne. The Palais Theatre stands next door on the Lower Esplanade. Past both of them is the water of Port Phillip. So the shopping strip ends right where most of St Kilda's best-known sights begin. That is the main reason Acland Street is so easy to combine with a beach walk or a show.

The two halves of the strip

Think of the strip in two parts:

• The upper end near Carlisle Street. Quieter, more local and home to more everyday shops. You will see residents doing errands here.
• The lower end near the plaza. Busier, more visitor focused and packed with cake shops, cafes and takeaway food.

Walking the full length takes about ten minutes without stopping. Plan for much longer, because the windows slow everyone down.

Why are the cake shops the main event?

The cake shops are the reason most people know Acland Street. They date back to the Jewish and Central European families who settled in St Kilda in the twentieth century and brought their baking with them. The window displays of tortes, cheesecakes and strudel are part of the street's identity.

The best known names include:

• Europa Cake Shop. A long-running Acland Street fixture with a full window of European-style cakes and slices. Good for a sit-down coffee and cake.
• Monarch Cakes. Trading since 1934 and known for its kugelhopf and plum cake. One of the oldest shops on the street.
• Le Bon Continental. Known for its cheesecakes and Continental cakes.
• Acland Cake Shop. Another window crowded with layer cakes and pastries.

How to shop the cake windows like a local

Most people make the same mistake. They buy a huge slice at the first shop, eat it standing up, then feel too full to try anything else. A smarter approach is to treat the cake shops as a takeaway stop at the end of your walk.

Hypothetical example: picture a couple arriving at 2pm on a Saturday. They walk the street first and note which windows look best. They browse books and gifts. On the way back up, they buy two or three small pieces from different shops in boxes and take them home or down to the foreshore. They get to compare styles without the sugar crash, and they skip the peak queue at the busiest counter.

Cake keeps well for an afternoon if it is not cream based. Cheesecake and cream tortes need a cool bag on a hot day.

What can you buy besides cake?

More than most visitors expect. The street has a solid mix of independent shops, though the line-up changes as leases turn over.

Books

Readings St Kilda is the anchor for book lovers. It is a branch of the Melbourne independent bookseller Readings, and it stocks new fiction, non-fiction, children's books and local titles. It is a good place to find a gift with a Melbourne connection, and staff picks are worth reading. Check Readings' own website for current opening hours and author events.

Gifts, homewares and small fashion

Along the strip you will find gift shops, homewares, beachwear and small fashion boutiques. These are the shops most likely to change from year to year, so a store you loved two years ago may have moved. Treat any list you read online, including this one, as a starting point and look at what is actually trading on the day.

Vintage clothing

If you want vintage clothing, go in with flexible plans. St Kilda has long had a second-hand and op shop culture, and you will find pre-loved stock in and around the Acland Street area. But the dedicated vintage scene in Melbourne is stronger in Fitzroy, Victoria, especially along Brunswick Street and Gertrude Street. If vintage is the whole point of your day, Fitzroy is the better bet. If you want a few racks to flick through while you are already in St Kilda, Acland Street and the nearby streets are worth a look.

How does Acland Street compare with Fitzroy Street?

St Kilda has two main strips, and they suit different trips.

Fitzroy Street, Melbourne, runs from St Kilda Junction down to the foreshore near the Esplanade Hotel. It leans towards bars, restaurants and nightlife. It has some shops, but you go there mostly to eat and drink.

Acland Street is the better pick for daytime browsing. It has more shopfronts you can walk into, the cake shops and the bookshop, and the car-free plaza at the end.

Do not confuse Fitzroy Street with the suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria. They are on opposite sides of the city. Fitzroy Street is in St Kilda. Fitzroy the suburb sits just north-east of the Melbourne central business district.

What about shopping strips further down the bay?

If you want a calmer, more upmarket strip, the City of Bayside to the south-east has shopping streets in Brighton and Sandringham. Those streets are quieter and more polished. Acland Street is busier, cheaper on average and more casual. Choose Acland Street when you want atmosphere and a beach day. Choose the Bayside strips when you want a quiet shop with easy parking.

When is the best time to shop?

Weekday mornings and early afternoons are the easiest time. Shops are open, the footpaths are clear and you can get a table at a cake shop without a wait.

Weekends are busy, especially on warm days. Saturday afternoon and Sunday from late morning bring the biggest crowds, because people combine the beach, Luna Park and Acland Street in one trip.

Pair it with the Sunday market

Sunday is the best day if you want handmade goods. The Sunday St Kilda Esplanade Market runs on the Upper Esplanade, a short walk from Acland Plaza. Stallholders sell art, jewellery, ceramics, clothing and other handmade items. It is a different kind of shopping from Acland Street. You buy direct from the maker, and many stalls are not stocked anywhere else.

A simple Sunday route is to walk the market first, then head up Acland Street for books and cake. Market hours can change with the season and the weather, so check the official market or City of Port Phillip information before you go.

Watch for show nights and events

When the Palais Theatre has a big show, the area around Acland Plaza fills up in the early evening. Food spots get busy and trams get crowded. If you just want to shop, finish before the pre-show rush. If you have tickets, Acland Street is a handy place for a quick meal before the doors open.

How do you get there without the parking hassle?

Take the tram. Parking near the bottom of Acland Street is limited and metered, and it fills fast on weekends.

Melbourne tram route 96 is the easiest option. It ends right at Acland Street, so you step off near the plaza and the cake shops. Route 96 runs from Brunswick East, down Nicholson Street past Fitzroy, Victoria, through the Melbourne central business district along Bourke Street, then out to St Kilda along the light rail line and Fitzroy Street. That means you can do a vintage hunt in Fitzroy in the morning and finish with cake on Acland Street in the afternoon on the same tram line.

Remember that the free tram zone only covers the city centre. You need to touch on with a myki for the trip to St Kilda. Check Public Transport Victoria for current timetables and any track works, because tram replacement buses do sometimes run on weekends.

If you do drive

• Arrive before late morning on weekends.
• Read every parking sign, as time limits and fees vary by street.
• Check the City of Port Phillip website for current parking rules and any works that close streets.

What do shoppers often get wrong?

They expect a big shopping centre. Acland Street is a strip of small shops. If you need a long list of chain stores, go to a large shopping centre instead and save St Kilda for browsing.

They trust old shop lists. Small retail turns over. Old blog posts and maps often list shops that have closed. Walk the street and look at what is open.

They come at the worst time. Sunday at 1pm on a hot day means queues and crowds. Come earlier or on a weekday if you want space.

They forget the rest of the area. The pier, the beach and the foreshore are minutes away. A shopping trip here pairs naturally with a walk. If you have children with you, our guide to St Kilda family friendly restaurants covers where to eat with kids nearby.

They assume everything nearby is open. Some attractions close for works. For example, St Kilda Adventure Playground is temporarily closed for upgrades at the time of writing, so check its current status before promising it to the kids as a post-shopping treat.

Your Acland Street shopping plan

The one thing to remember: arrive by tram on a weekday or early on a weekend, browse first and buy cake last.

Here is exactly what to do:

1. Pick your day. Choose a weekday for quiet browsing, or a Sunday if you want to add the Esplanade market.
2. Catch Melbourne tram route 96 to the Acland Street terminus. Check Public Transport Victoria for works first.
3. Start at Acland Plaza and walk up the street towards Carlisle Street, looking at every window before buying.
4. Stop at Readings St Kilda for books and gifts.
5. Check the vintage clothing and op shop racks nearby if that is your thing, and save serious vintage hunting for Fitzroy.
6. Walk back down and buy cake from two or three shops, including Europa Cake Shop, in takeaway boxes.
7. Finish at the foreshore with Luna Park, the Palais Theatre and the bay right in front of you.

Follow that order and you will see the whole street, carry less, skip most queues and leave with the best of what Acland Street does well.

Related guides: St Kilda Local Markets and Groceries, St Kilda Fitzroy Street Neighbourhood Walk.