As the capital region of Canada, the Ottawa-Gatineau area contains plenty of excellent shopping options. Whether you’re just visiting from far away and looking for souvenirs of your trip, or have recently relocated to the Ottawa area and need to get accustomed to the surrounding area, you’re going to want to know the best places to buy all the things you need.
One easy way to find the best options in shopping when you move to Ottawa or another region is to frequent a website that specializes in listing all of the most popular shopping complexes in each part of Canada. If you’ve been bitten by the travel bug and love shopping in new places, an online guide will prove invaluable.
Luckily, you now have the following list of the biggest and best shopping experiences around the national capital region to get you started.
Rideau Centre
Located on Rideau Street, right in the heart of Ottawa, the Rideau Centre is the largest shopping mall in the national capital region. Suppose you’re visiting Ottawa as a tourist. In that case, the location of the Rideau Centre is perfect for your shopping needs since it is just a short walk from the parliament buildings, the National Art Gallery and many of Ottawa’s most popular attractions.
Bayshore Shopping Centre
As the second-largest shopping mall in the area, the Bayshore Shopping Centre has everything you need. It can also accommodate almost 4000 parking spaces so that you can avoid some of the traffic headaches of the downtown area.
This makes Bayshore an attractive option if you’re already in the North Shore community. Along with many stores to choose from, the Bayshore Shopping Centre frequently invites guests to enjoy events, such as concerts and festivals.
Les Promenades Gatineau
The biggest shopping centre in Gatineau – a medium-sized city directly across the river from Ottawa – is Les Promenades Gatineau. Like the Bayshore Shopping Centre, Les Promenades Gatineau is easy to access with a vehicle because it is located at one of the city’s major intersections, on its main highway, Autoroute 50. It is also comparable in size with about 165 stores.
Place d’Orléans
A little further down the highway east, you can find Place d’Orléans, which contains more stores than Les Promenades Gatineau. Besides its many retail venues, Place d’Orléans boasts a Goodlife Fitness exercise facility and a substantial food court.
Sparks Street
Sparks Street is a historical area located a short walk from parliament hill. While all of the locations listed so far have been significant shopping centres containing an abundance of stores, Sparks Street provides a different kind of shopping experience as a pedestrian mall. Along with shops, it contains government offices and many attractive restaurants.
St. Laurent Shopping Centre
The St. Laurent Shopping Centre offers a whopping 174 retail stores in one easy-to-find location on St. Laurent Boulevard. Like many of the finest large shopping complexes, the St. Laurent Shopping Centre also holds special events suitable for families. For example, their most recent event, called Got Your Ears On, invited the Earth Rangers organization to teach kids about sustainability while emphasizing helping them relieve their anxieties about the environment.
One of the best parts about shopping at St. Laurent Shopping Centre is that you’ll also be near the Ottawa Train Yards and can cover both locations in a single day.
Ottawa Train Yards
The Ottawa Train Yards is a massive shopping district covering 750,000 square feet over 110 acres of property. The complex is located in the heart of the city, so it will be easy to find no matter where you happen to be staying.
The Ottawa Train Yards area gets its name from the city’s train station, which is situated close to the shopping area, so if you’re visiting the city by train, this should be your first stop for shopping. Another option is to plan out a route using Ottawa’s convenient travel planner website.
Ottawa Farmers’ Market
If you’re shopping for fresh farmers’ produce, local and artisanal foods, or handmade crafts and souvenirs, then you won’t want to miss out on the Ottawa Farmers’ Market. Featuring over 150 vendors selling goods produced, this market offers something for everyone.
Since it also frequently hosts buskers, musicians and other types of local entertainment, a visit to the market is as much of a fun way to spend the day as it is an excellent resource for shopping. If you’re looking for a way to spend the day with toddlers or young children, then the Ottawa Farmers’ Market will provide a wholesome and exciting new experience.
Ottawa may be known as a tourist destination because of its abundance of cultural attractions, such as museums and art galleries, but it is also packed with everything you could want in shopping options. This list only contains a few of those choices, so it remains up to you to find your own hidden gems.
If you’re an avid shopper who considers a trip to the mall to be an essential pastime, then you’re probably not going to be satisfied until you’ve checked out every possible location for yourself. The only way to ensure you’ve covered all of your bases is to stay informed with an online shopping directory.
