Niagara Falls, Canada is full of attractions. There is so much to see and do that you won’t have a moment to be bored on your vacation. However, it is nice, sometimes to take a break from the sights and amusements to try some shopping. Fortunately, the city is packed with great malls and stores, so shopping is one of the best things to do in Niagara Falls. Follow our guide for some of the best shopping opportunities in Niagara Falls.
Duty-Free Shopping
One of the Niagara Falls attractions is its position on the border. An international crossing point also gives opportunities for duty-free shopping. There are lots of duty-free stores in Niagara Falls, so you can get huge discounts on tobacco, liquor, perfume, and jewelry just by crossing the bridge on a day trip. If you go over the water to the USA, make sure you cross back at one of these key locations: Rainbow Bridge, Lewiston Bridge, and Peace Bridge. These are all border crossings that host a Duty-Free Americas store. At Rainbow Bridge you get a double bonus of a Duty-Free Americas store on the U.S. side and a Duty-Free Shop outlet on the Canadian side.
The Canadian Duty-Free Shop has a great ambiance and stocks all of the hot perfume and liquor brands. Get yourself a classy perfume or cologne for your evenings at the falls and pick up a top-of-the-line brandy or whisky for the folks back home. Prices are around half of what you would pay on Main Street.
Canada One Outlet Mall
Outlet malls are great destinations for a day of fun, and Niagara Falls has two great malls for you to try. The first of these is the Canada One Brands Mall to the west of the city on Queen Elizabeth Way. The mall features fashion and footwear stores and is open from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. every day of the week except Sunday, when it closes at 6 p.m.
As this is a factory outlet mall, you are going to pick up some great discounts on your purchases, but look out for special sales season, too, and grab some amazing bargains.
Outlet Collection at Niagara
Your second factory outlet opportunity in Niagara Falls is also accessed along Queen Elizabeth Way, but it is to the north of the city at Glendale. Like Canada One, this mall is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day except Sunday when it closes at 6 p.m.
Fashion retailers at the mall include Saks Fifth Avenue, DKNY, Banana Republic, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Gap Factory Store, and Tommy Hilfiger. Fishing widows beware: there is an enormous Bass Pro Shops Outlet at the mall — you may lose your man for the whole day. You can pick up a bite to eat at a fast food alley and there is a great outdoor space to sit and relax, where you can sample the food from stalls that line the location.
Souvenir City
You can’t return home without gifts for friends and family and you are in luck at Niagara Falls, because the huge Souvenir City will enable you to source all your gifts and mementos in one trip. Trinkets, mugs, caps, sweatshirts, specialty chocolates, and anything that can be made from Canada’s most famous resource, maple syrup, are all sold here.
A huge food court on the premises gives you the opportunity to recharge on a break from your shopping campaign.
Niagara Falls Local Artisan Market
This monthly celebration of local crafts is a rare find and will give you the opportunity to pick up something truly unique to remind you of your visit to Niagara Falls. The market is only held on the first Wednesday of each month, though, so you will be lucky to catch it.
The market can be found in the Little Shop of Beauty on Queens Street in Downtown Niagara Falls, not far from City Hall and Downtown Park. Take the opportunity to check the other great little stores in the neighbourhood of the market and pay a visit to the Old Fort Erie Museum, which is just across the street from the market’s location. Shopping is just one of the many attractions you can find to keep yourself entertained while visiting Niagara Falls.