10 Best Places to Go Shopping in Calgary

Fourth Street in Downtown Calgary straddles the line between old and new. Flanked by historic sites and up-and-coming developments, this thoroughfare hosts more than 300 businesses, including home décor and fashion boutiques.

Inspirati is a great place to shop for linens, beddings and homeware, while Feisty offers brand-name consignment clothes in mint condition. While shopping or browsing your way along Fourth Street, keep an eye out for quirky art installations by the Fourth Street Public Art Society. Standouts include Starting Fourth at 17th Avenue, Counting Crows at 13th Avenue, and Aesop’s Fables near the First Baptist Church of Calgary.

Kensington is an inner-city shopping district overlooking the Bow River in Calgary. You might think that this area is easy to explore within a short amount of time, but it actually has more than 250 businesses.

Fashion boutiques are the main focus of Kensington, so you can find modern and vintage clothes for men, women or children. If you’re looking for a gift or souvenir in Calgary, a few options are available in this area. The Beehive specializes in body products made with organic honey, beeswax, and vegetable oil, while The Naked Leaf stocks a wide range of gourmet tea leaves and associated wares.

17th Avenue is a Calgary entertainment district that follows a busy road lined with local businesses, including shops, spas, restaurants, and nightclubs. From clothes and jewelry to health and wellness products, wines, and candies, you’ll find a store that caters to your shopping needs here.

A few unique specialty shops that you may want to check out on 17th Avenue include Pudding Yarn, Reid’s Stationers, and Ski Cellar. After a day of shopping, you can unwind at one of the district’s excellent restaurants and bars – most venues offer daily happy hour promos from 3 pm to 5 pm.

Victoria Park is an impressive district with warehouses converted into local businesses and specialty stores. You can also find plenty of casual cafés, Jewish delis, and international restaurants. Most venues are centered around Stampede Park and the Scotiabank Saddledome, which take up a fair chunk of the Calgary skyline.

Notable fashion boutiques include The Revente and SalvEdge, both offering unique consignment finds. The Sunday Shop is a cute place for aspiring botanists, thanks to its wide range of plants, candles, prints, and organic body products.

The CF Chinook Center is a massive shopping mall on Macleod Trail, about 6 km south of Downtown Calgary. It’s definitely worth the trip if you want access to a large number of international brands in a single building.

Anchor stores include Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue. Designer retailers include the likes of Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co. and Tory Burch. You’ll also find a large movie theater showcasing the latest movies. Dining options at the CF Chinook Center range from fast-food joints to international restaurants.

The CrossIron Mills is within a 20-minute drive north of Downtown Calgary. It’s a great place to snag deals on over 200 notable brands, such as Levi’s, Brooks Brothers, Kate Spade, and Motorcoach. The outlet mall’s primary anchor store is Bass Pro Shops, which specializes in boating and outdoor sporting goods.

Besides shopping, the CrossIron Mills appeals to families with its onsite entertainment outlets. You can find a cineplex, a racetrack, and a games arcade inside the mall. Food-wise, expect familiar names like Tim Hortons, Taco Bell, and Jollibee.

The CORE Shopping Center is a convenient place to shop in Downtown Calgary. The 4-storey complex offers a wide range of shopping and dining options. You can find prominent brands like ALDO, Banana Republic, GAP, and H&M.

CORE hosts one of the largest skylights in North America. It's also considered the hub for Calgary’s skywalk system – a series of enclosed and elevated walkways to help you traverse the city during the winter months. As a result, the CORE Shopping Center is the busiest mall by pedestrian traffic in Calgary.

TD Square is a mall within a mall that’s part of the CORE Shopping Center. It caters to high-end shoppers looking for a more luxurious shopping experience than what they might find in the main shopping mall.

TD Square is connected to the rest of the complex via enclosed pedestrian walkways. The top floor hosts the Devonian Gardens, where you can find over 550 trees and 50 plant varieties. Some of its standout features include a 900-sq-ft garden wall and a children’s playground. The 1-hectare park offers a quiet respite from the busy city of Calgary.

The CF Market Mall is one of the largest malls in Calgary, with hundreds of retailers and restaurants in a single-floor complex. You can find it in Varsity, a suburb in the city's northwest quadrant.

Here, shops are mostly small and niche boutiques geared toward budget and family shoppers. The CF Market Mall’s anchor stores are Safeway, Toys“R”Us, and Old Navy. You can also find a nice playground for children, along with a food court offering affordable eats.

The Southcentre Mall offers a nice mix of local retailers and large international brands. Standouts include Crate & Barrel, Old Navy and H&M. There are also a few convenient spots for picking up any necessities, such as grocery stores, pet shops, and pharmacies.

Food-wise, you can choose from around 20 vendors, including a craft beer market. The Southcentre Mall offers complimentary RV parking, which is great for those traveling cross-country on a road trip in Canada.