Shopping in Belfast in the Greater Belfast Area
I am a man and therefore absolutely no shopping. However, I am a married man with an excellent shopping wife and two shopping daughters in their twenties. When I came to write this post, I went to them for their expert advice, so here it goes. With the Peace Process now underway, many people are returning to Belfast to shop or are visiting Belfast for the first time. What visitors are discovering is that there is a driving cultural scene alongside a very unique heritage. There has been a complete regeneration of the city in the last five years and Belfast is a very changed city.
Belfast is now awash with prestigious shopping centers such as Victoria Square Shopping Center and CastleCourt Shopping Centre. There are many high street big brand stores, family run businesses, luxury designer stores and specialist shops to choose from. These, combined with a wide variety of pubs and restaurants, are more than enough to spend an exciting day with your credit card. Belfast also has many visitor attractions, fascinating tours, award-winning hotels and great nightlife to match.
If you like her style, start at Donegall Place with stores like Karen Millen and Zara and not far away CastleCourt contains Debenhams, GAP and Warehouse. The new Victoria Square Shopping Center features stores like Apple, CRUISE, House of Fraser and Build A Bear. There are also downtown streets like Liberty Blue, Carter Style Emporium, and stores like Rio, Brazil, Hilfiger, Miss Sixty, and Diesel. A little out of town on busy Lisburn Road, you’ll find an array of unique boutiques and designer meccas. It is known locally as the “BT9” area, which is simply a zip code associated with a good area to live in. There are also a host of excellent spas, restaurants, chocolate specialists, and beauty salons, so you won’t be spoiled for choice.
Elsewhere in the city there are also excellent boutiques on Bloomfield Avenue, including Utopia, Equinox, Steensons and The Wicker Man. There is also multi-award winning designer Una Rodden on Arthur Street, just off the Corn Market, who designs for many celebrities. Catherine B makes highly sought after jewelry and Mary Rose McGrath is famous for designing her dresses. Anita Flavin is also a famous shoe designer for celebrities like Christine Bleakley, Shirley McLaine, and Zoe Salmon.
My wife and daughters usually start here at the Victoria Square shopping center in the city center and see what’s new there. There are also a couple of good cafes inside the House of Fraser and I particularly like the little cafe. Their coffee is fabulous. There are about 70 stores there, so there is plenty to do and see. It’s also packed with other places to eat that offer a variety of dining options to satisfy just about any taste.
From there, they go in and out of Corn Market, exploring the shops there, and heading to CastleCourt Mall. After that, they could end up anywhere. The Ormeau Road has recently become a haven for the best independent boutiques. This includes the rather exclusive Evelin Brandt, a very elegant European women’s label.
Just a 10-minute taxi ride from the city center is elegant Bloomfield Avenue and Belmont Road in the east of the city. If you like Vintage then be sure to check out Raspberry Beret. You will also find La Bicicleta Blanca and La Tienda de Moda Peel there. From there it’s easy to get to the variety of cafes in Connswater Shopping Centre. I have mentioned the Lisburn Road (BT9) area in the leafy suburbs of Malone Road, which is close to Queen’s University. This is best described as “every girl’s dream come true.” If you are looking for the best names in haute couture, accessories, beauty and designer stores, this is the place for you. It is often called a style mile. It is rich in some of the best art galleries in Belfast.
Here is a quick list of shopping malls in Belfast and the greater Belfast area:
- Abbey Center – in NewtownAbbey, about 15-20 minutes from Belfast city center
- Boucher Road Retail Park – 10 minutes by taxi from the city center and includes stores such as New Look, Next and Matalan
- Bow Street Mall – In Lisburn, which is a 20-minute drive or taxi ride from Belfast.
- Castlecourt – smack bang in the middle of the city center and has Debenhams, GAP and Miss Selfridge, Bargain Books
- Castle Mall – in Antrim City and about half an hour from Belfast city center
- Connswater – Bloomfield Avenue with over 50 stores including Tesco, Argos, Dunne’s Stores and Game.
- De Courcy Center – In Carrickfergus and about 30 minutes from Belfast city center
- Forestside – is located in Upper Galwally, about 15 minutes from Belfast and is very popular; includes M&S, Sainsburys and Dunnes.
- InShops – right in the center of Belfast and has lots of different shops, oriental art, girls and braids.
- Junction One International Outlet Center – in Antrim, about a 30 minute drive, with over 70 stores and 60% off (my daughters favourite)
- Lisburn Square – In Lisburn, about a 20-30 minute drive and a hot spot to be seen.
- Queen’s Arcade – Victorian decadence of this beautiful arcade and includes Lunn’s Shops famous for their jewelry, Atelier and others.
- Sprucefield Shopping Center – a short taxi ride away with stores like M&S, Boots, JJB Sports
- The Outlet – In Banbridge and a good 45 minute drive, but again a designer outlet with great discounted prices.
- Victoria Square – Right in the center of Belfast and already discussed
- Westwood Shopping Center – In Belfast with stores such as Safeway, SUperdrug, NPO and Tylers
This is a brief overview of shopping in Belfast and I hope it gets you started for now.
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