Shopping is a popular pastime all throughout the world, and people of all backgrounds love to spend time at the mall and shop. Most major cities have their fair share of indoor and outdoor malls, but some are known as premier shopping destinations more than others.
Interestingly, most of the biggest malls in the world are located in Asia, so we wanted to highlight several of these and also a couple other big malls around the world. If top selection and variety is important to you and your sense of style, then plan to take a trip and shop at these huge malls in the near future!
New South China Mall – Dongguan, China
The New South China Mall is a great place to start with this list because it is the largest shopping mall in the world based on measurements of gross leasable area. This mall opened in 2005 but has been mostly vacant since that time. The mall is split into several zones that are modeled after international cities, regions, and countries. For example, there’s a replica of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and St. Mark’s bell tower in Venice here. Despite a lack of stores and shoppers and the massive building being referred to as a “dead mall,” the mall has been slowly filling up with shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues to draw in more crowds. The fate of this mall is still up in the air, but still worth a visit to see what it’s becoming!
CentralWorld – Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok is known as a top shopping destination, and CentralWorld is the largest mall here. The building also has a hotel and an office tower, and the shopping area was expanded to 550,000 square meters of space in 2006. You’ll find everything from brand-name clothing boutiques to bookshops, imported groceries, and designer furniture here. The mall itself was inspired by a shopping street concept, and sculptures from famous artists line the venue. Protestors set part of the mall on fire in 2010, but portions were promptly reopened after repair work. The CentralWorld Square is an outdoor activity area that has hosted New Year’s Eve countdowns and has dancing fountain heads in the plaza.
Golden Resources Mall – Beijing, China
Another huge mall in China is the Golden Resources Mall near Fourth Ring Road in Beijing. The mall was opened in 2004, covers six floors, and was once considered to be the largest mall in the world for a short time. It has also been credited for being the first mall that came close to Western standards on the mainland of China. You’ll find everything from goat-leather motorcycle jackets to Jaguar sports cars and diapers here. Performances also take place at Center Stage during festival events and on weekends.
SM City North EDSA – Quezon City, Philippines
Located near the intersection of North Avenue and Epifanio de los Santos Avenue in Quezon City, this is one of the largest malls in the Philippines. There’s an oval courtyard here that is popular for product launches and other events, and there are five levels packed with high-end retail shops, restaurants, digital cinemas, beauty brands, a Food Circuit, and a Hypermarket. The mall has been open since 1985 and was designed to be a one-stop shopping destination. Except during special holiday hours, it’s open from 10 am to 9 pm Monday through Sunday and until 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
Dubai Mall – Dubai, UAE
The city of Dubai is known for its impressive architecture and record-holding buildings, so it should come as no surprise that one of the largest malls in the world is located here too. With 3.77 million square feet of gross leasable space and over 1,200 retail outlets including two anchor department stores, he mall welcomed more than 80 million visitors in a recent year. It has goals to welcome over 100 million visitors per year in the near future, thanks to a massive expansion taking place. There are also more than 200 food and beverage shops here, an aquarium and underwater zoo, an indoor theme park, movie megaplex and Olympic-sized ice rink. If you plan to spend a lot of time here, consider staying at the adjoining five-star hotel, The Address Dubai Mall.
1 Utama – Damansara, Malaysia
This mall has been recognized as one of the largest malls in the world, and undoubtedly, Malaysia is an amazing place to visit if you love to shop. 1 Utama is located in the MSC Malaysia Cybercentre Township Bandar Utama and famous for its lush rainforest that creates a tropical paradise inside the mall. The Secret Garden here is the largest rooftop garden in Southeast Asia. The mall spans six floors and five million square feet, with over 700 retail stores including four department stores (Aeon, Parkson, Tangs, and Isetan) and two cinemas.
Siam Paragon – Bangkok, Thailand
Another great place to shop in Bangkok is Siam Paragon, which is known for having high-end fashion brands and the largest aquarium in Southeast Asia. This is also a great place to come for world cuisine or to watch a movie at the 16-screen Cineplex. There are more than 250 shops here, which makes it much more manageable and easier to navigate than the CentralWorld mall nearby. On the main floor, you’ll find luxury brands, fashion on the first floor, lifestyle and leisure on the second and third floors, tech and restaurants on the fourth floor, and the movie theaters on the fifth floor.
Sunway Pyramid – Subang Jaya
The Sunway Pyramid first opened its doors to shoppers in 1997 and is known as Malaysia’s first themed shopping and entertainment mall. There are four million square feet of space here to indulge in and explore. And there are four shopping precincts to get familiar with: Fashion Central, Oasis Boulevard, Asian Avenue, and Marrakesh. The mall’s expansion added the Orange Atrium and Blue Atrium, which adds to the opulence of the Egyptian-inspired Pyramid and the lion standing guard at the entrance. The mall is accessible by local rail, rapidKL buses, and car.
Greenbelt – Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Five modern buildings make up the Greenbelt Mall, which is located at Makati Avenue, Paseo de Roxas, Arnaiz Road, and Legazpi Street in Manila. Each one of these five buildings has its own architectural style, starting with Greenbelt 1 that was built in the 1970s. Definitely check out Greenbelt 5, which features high-end Filipino designers and other high-end imports. Fast food restaurants are at Greenbelt 1, while the other buildings have a wide variety of restaurants. At the complex’s center, you’ll find the Santo Nino de Paz Chapel, a Roman Catholic worship center under an open-air concrete dome that hosts religious services every day.
King of Prussia Mall – King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
While all of the malls on our list so far have been in Asia, it’s important to remember that there are plenty of huge and amazing malls in other places around the world too. For example, the largest mall in the U.S. is the King of Prussia Mall, and it surprises many people that it’s bigger than the Mall of America in Minnesota. There are over 400 stores here, including popular U.S. chains like Macy’s and Bloomingdales. You’ll find something for every budget here and both casual and sit-down restaurants for dining. This mall is about 25 northwest of the city of Philadelphia.
West Edmonton Mall – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
However, the largest mall in North America is the West Edmonton Mall in Alberta. This mall’s concept was inspired by traditional urban bazaars in Persia where shopping and entertainment were filled with variety and all in one place. The mall spans 5.3 million square feet, the size of a small city, and it’s even accredited as a zoo. More than 800 stores, 100 dining venues, two hotels, and nine attractions are located here. The mall sees about 30.8 million visitors per year, making it the top tourist attraction in the Canadian province. It stays open seven days a week and typically until 9 pm on Mondays through Saturdays.
