Royal Arcade
About
Royal Arcade is the oldest of Cardiff's Victorian and Edwardian shopping arcades — a beautifully preserved covered passageway dating from 1858 that runs between St Mary Street and The Hayes. Cardiff has more Victorian arcades than any other city in the UK, and the Royal is the finest: elegant ironwork, tiled floors, and a glass canopy that lets soft light fall across the independent shops below. The arcade houses a mix of independent retailers — Spillers Records (the oldest record shop in the world, founded 1894), Wally's Delicatessen (a Cardiff institution), specialist sweet shops, and boutique clothing stores. It's shopping as it should be: personal, characterful, and a world away from the chain stores on the surrounding streets. Cardiff's arcades connect to form a network you can explore for hours — from Royal Arcade, you can walk through to Castle Arcade, High Street Arcade, Duke Street Arcade, and Morgan Arcade, each with its own character and treasures. The whole arcade quarter is a genuine Cardiff highlight and one of the city's best-kept secrets from the outside world.
Opening Times
Mon-Sat roughly 9:00-17:30. Some shops open Sunday. Individual shop hours vary.
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