Go shopping at one of Bengaluru's many malls and traditional markets. Malls typically have high(er)-end stores retailing apparel, footwear, and consumer electronics. Many malls also have food courts (with international cuisine) and movie theaters. Finding a parking spot for your car may not be easy though, especially on weekends. Some of the more popular malls in Bengaluru are:
The Forum (Koramangala)
Garuda Mall (Magrath Road)
Mantri Mall (Malleshwaram)
Bengaluru Central (Residency Road and Jayanagar 9th block)
Sigma Mall (Cunningham Road)
Poorva Mall (Old Madras Road)
Lido Mall (Ulsoor)
Mega Mall (Vyalikaval)
Prestige Mall (Vittal Mallya Road)
Gopalan Innovation Mall (Bannerghatta Road)
Meenakshi Mall (Bannerghatta Road)'
Malls in India are a recent phenomenon, the first opened back in 1999, since then there has been a boom with malls around every corner in large cities (now also in smaller cities). Bengaluru is no exception! Here is list of the major Malls in Bengaluru, but beware that there are at least a dozen in the planning and construction stages!
Forum Mall - The Forum on Hosur road is in the upmarket suburb of Koramangla, fast becoming a key shopping hub in Bengaluru. It is the largest mall in Bengaluru, covering an area of 650 000 ft² (60 000m²) of retail space. Again like other shopping areas, you can find anything at the Forum, high international brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Swarovski Crystals to traditional Indian Khadi clothing at the Khadder. Other brands with outlets include: United Colours of Bennetton (much cheaper here than in the west), Pepe Jeans U.K, William Penn, Wrangler Jeans, Weekender and of course Nike. The Forum incorporates the clothing from international brands as well as haute couture boutiques including: Mustard, Isis, B and the Chai shop. For books head straight to Landmark and huge store has everything from books to perfumes and music. On the top floor of the mall you will find a PVR multiplex comprising 11 cinemas. For eating there is everything, Fast food (KFC, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Subway) Cafe Coffee Day and a food court with world cuisines including: Chinese, Vietnamese, Mexican and Italian and Indian. Not to be missed is the Indian cuisine at Sahib Sindh Sultan and the British style pub, Firangi Pani. So that is a forum for all your shopping needs under one roof! Its just a must see, especially the outside.
Garuda Mall - Located on the corner of McGrath and Commissariat Roads, is the newest and the second largest mall in Bengaluru.
Bengaluru Central - Opened around the same as the Forum, Bengaluru Central is more of a large department store than a mall with separate retailers.
Safina Plaza - The sale capital of Bengaluru, located on Infantry Road. Every week there is sale going on of any type. One week it might be home furnishings and the next men's wear. Good place to find some bargains. Many exhibitions are also held here, although there are retailers (Dockers, Lee Jeans, Titan too name a few) here too. So for quiet shopping come here (much less crowded than the other malls). Its best to visit during end of season sales (summer, monsoon) or during festivals (New Year, Christmas, Ganesh Chaturthi).
Lifestyle - A two-story store on Victoria Road in the heart of the new mall shopping district with malls like Garuda Mall, Bengaluru Central and Globus, all within easy walking distance and was one of the most coveted stores until the malls came along. It's an easy place to go shopping when you don't want too many options to confuse you or when you're tired and don't want to visit too many shops - you can get everything under one roof here. Good for clothes, cosmetics, watches, jewelry, shoes etc. You also get stylish furniture and other home and living items for a decent price.
Mantri Square - It is located in Malleswaram and it is the largest mall in India.
Sampige Road, Malleswaram - Sampige Road is the heart of Malleswaram and connects Sheshadripuram to IISc. Sampige Road is around 2 km, has a wide range of shops that sells books, electronic items, silk sarees, handicrafts, cloth materials, Hindu pooja materials, sweets and all the trivial things you can buy on earth. Also try Malleswaram 8th cross on Sampige road (aptly named Brigade Road of Malleswram) for a vibrant shopping experience. Sampige Road is also home to best flower market and fruits market in Bengaluru. If you are tired of going to individual shops you can go for the best departmental stores in Bengaluru like Fabmall, Foodworld and Nilgiris.
Marathahalli Main Road and Factory Outlets- Located a distance from central Bengaluru (although not difficult to reach), is Marathahalli (a village in a previous life). The main road of this suburb is now a haven for factory outlets for all major brands: Nike, Adidas, Pepe Jeans, Killer Jeans, Louis Phillipe, Levi's, Reebok etc. You can expect prices here to be cheaper than in the Malls, at least 20-30% price difference but can be up to 50% cheaper when it comes to some of the major denim brands! As if India wasn't cheap enough. Although this is the best place to go to for factory outlet shopping, there are smaller factory outlets scattered across the city. Also look out for sales held by the major brands to get rid of end of season stock (again end of summer or end of monsoon), these are usually advertised in newspapers or look for signs posted on major roads.
Metro shopping mall, (near Yashwanthpura railway station and ISKON temple).
Jayanagar Shopping Complex, From antique Jewellery (the famous Bhavani's, the more recent Kushal's, The Gallery), the authentic gold jewellery stores, saree stores (Kalamandir, Kalaniketan, Mysore Silk Udyog), sweet meat stores (Sri Krishna Sweets, Arya Bhavan), classic Iyengar bakeries, dress stores (Paridhan, Rangoli, Bafna's, Vinayaka Collections), through to fresh vegetables, fruits, meat and butter.
Gandhi Bazaar, (in the heart of Basavangudi). One of the oldest shopping areas in Bangalore, Gandhi Bazaar stretches for a short kilometer or so, bordered on both sides by shops selling everything from saris and clothes to plastics and kitchen utensils, fronted by vegetable and fruit stalls. Do not forget to visit Vidyarthi Bhavan whenever you come here for this is the best South Indian restuarant in Bangalore selling the most heavenly dosas.
Apart from the malls one should not forget to visit Commercial street, Brigade Road which are excellent shopping and hanging out places.
The traditional markets have mom-and-pop stores that sell everything from fruits, vegetables, groceries to electronics, music, and mobile phones. The city's largest vegetable and fruit market is in the heart of the city and is called "KR Market" or "City Market". Smaller but more lively traditional markets can be found in residential areas such as Gandhi Bazaar, N R Colony, Banashankari, Malleswaram, Jayanagar, and JP Nagar & Shivajinagar.
For people looking for Girls party wear dresses Magic Threads in Richmond town very close to the popular shopping area of Brigade road is a must visit.
President's Groom Concepts, [email protected] (B.v.k. Iyengar Rd, Kamraj Rd, Rajajinagar, Basveshwarnagar), ☎ +91 80 4147 0910. 11AM-8:30PM. A chain of Fashion stores catering exclusively to men's wear in Bengaluru. Bespoke suits and made to measure clothing. Traditional Indian apparel also on offer. �
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Bangalore
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Bangalore - updated May 2024
SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount Bangalore hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!
Bangalore Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
