Over 50 stores under one glass roof, right beside Derry's old city walls — with what's said to be the biggest Dunnes Stores in Northern Ireland and a café looking out over the Foyle. When the rain rolls in, park once and the whole day is indoors.
What you'll do — work through 50+ stores across four levels: M&S, Dunnes, Frasers, Next, H&M, River Island, Boots, Waterstones and more, with escalators, lifts and that big arched glass roof overhead.
How long — a solid 2–3 hours, easily half a day with lunch. The city walls are a two-minute walk, so pair the two and Derry hands you a full day out.
Cost & parking — free to browse. Two multi-storey car parks with around 1,500 spaces, from £1.90 for up to an hour; the East car park runs 24 hours. Confirm current tariffs on the day.
Food — the new Dunnes café looks straight out over the River Foyle, with McDonald's, Costa, Starbucks, Caffè Nero and Greggs around the centre. Honest steer: it's reliable high-street food, handy rather than fancy — and it does the job on a busy shopping day.
When — open 7 days: Mon 10am–6pm, Tue 9am–6pm, Wed–Fri 9am–9pm, Sat 9am–6pm, Sun 1pm–6pm.
Come ready — comfy shoes, a card for the shops and parking, and reusable bags for the haul.
The hours shift day to day. Monday doesn't open until 10am and Sunday until 1pm — and bank holidays and Christmas run their own times, so check before a special trip.
Plan your visit
Just turn up — it's built for easy days
No tickets, no booking — Foyleside is free to browse, seven days a week. Drive into one of the two multi-storey car parks (around 1,500 spaces between them, with parent-and-child and disabled bays) and you're straight into the centre without touching the weather. Standard parking starts at £1.90 for up to an hour, the East car park runs 24 hours, and there's an early-bird deal on weekday mornings — confirm the current tariffs on the day. Inside it's four levels of shops under the glass roof, with lifts and escalators between every floor and a Customer Service Desk on Level 3 that can sort anything from lost property to a loaned wheelchair.
50+ stores over four levelsTwo multi-storey car parksCafés & fast food throughoutShopmobility & sensory supportLifts & escalators to every level
Big change if you haven't been in a while:
Dunnes has just finished a multimillion-pound rebuild of its store — now said to be the largest Dunnes in Northern Ireland — and it absorbed the old food court along the way. In its place there's a new in-store café with panoramic views over the River Foyle, and the rest of the food (McDonald's, Costa, Starbucks, Caffè Nero, Greggs) is spread around the centre instead of one court.
Before you set off
What to wear & bring
👟Comfy shoesFour levels and 50-plus stores — you'll cover more ground than you think.
🛍️Reusable bagsFold a couple into a pocket and carry the haul home the easy way.
💳A card and a little cashFor the shops, the coffee stops and the car park on the way out.
💧Water for the small onesShopping legs run out fast — a drink and a snack in the bag keeps the day rolling.
Good to know
Everything before you go
Opening hours
Mon 10am–6pm, Tue 9am–6pm, Wed–Fri 9am–9pm, Sat 9am–6pm, Sun 1pm–6pm. Individual stores can set their own times, and bank holidays and Christmas run special hours — check before a big trip.
Cost
Free to browse. The only cost of the day (beyond what you buy) is the car park.
Parking
Two multi-storey car parks with around 1,500 spaces, plus parent-and-child bays, disabled bays and coach parking. From £1.90 for up to an hour; the East car park is open 24 hours, and there's an early-bird full-day rate on weekday mornings. Confirm current tariffs on the day.
Shops
Over 50 stores across four levels — M&S, Dunnes, Frasers, Next, H&M, River Island, DV8, Boots, Waterstones, Clarks and more.
Food
The new Dunnes café with panoramic views over the River Foyle, plus McDonald's, Costa, Starbucks, Caffè Nero and Greggs around the centre. Reliable high-street food rather than fine dining — grand for a shopping day.
Family
Parent-and-child parking bays, lifts to every level and pushchair-friendly malls throughout. The Customer Service Desk on Level 3 is the place to ask for anything.
Accessibility
Lifts throughout, disabled parking, and a Shopmobility service (wheelchairs, rollators and scooters) from the Customer Service Desk on Level 3. There's also a wheelchair-accessible adult changing facility with a height-adjustable bench and ceiling hoist.
Sensory support
Free ear defenders and sensory bags to borrow, and quiet Sunday sessions before the centre opens for trade — reduced volume, no music, a calmer run at the shops. A sensory room is in the works (being relocated), so ask at the desk.
Christmas
Santa lands at Foyleside each year with a grotto and an "enchanted elevator" ride to reach it — book ahead, it's popular. Check the centre's What's On page for dates.
Address
Foyleside Shopping Centre, 19 Orchard Street, Derry/Londonderry, BT48 6XY — a two-minute walk from the city walls.
Questions
Before you go
Is it free to get in?
Yes — free to browse, seven days a week. The only cost of the day beyond what you buy is the car park, which starts at £1.90 for up to an hour.
What are the opening hours?
Mon 10am–6pm, Tue 9am–6pm, Wed–Fri 9am–9pm (late nights), Sat 9am–6pm and Sun 1pm–6pm. Bank holidays and Christmas run their own times, so check the centre's website before a special trip.
Where's the best place to park?
Either of the two multi-storey car parks — around 1,500 spaces between them, with parent-and-child and disabled bays, and you walk straight into the centre without going outside. The East car park is open 24 hours. Confirm the current tariffs on the day.
Where do we eat?
The new Dunnes café looks out over the River Foyle and is the pick for a sit-down; otherwise it's McDonald's, Costa, Starbucks, Caffè Nero and Greggs spread around the centre. Note the old food court is gone — it was absorbed into the new Dunnes.
Is it good with a pushchair or a wheelchair?
Yes — lifts to every level, wide malls, disabled parking, and a Shopmobility service from the Customer Service Desk on Level 3. There's also a wheelchair-accessible adult changing facility with a hoist, plus free ear defenders and sensory bags to borrow.
Does Santa come at Christmas?
He does — a grotto reached by an "enchanted elevator", with the lights switch-on to open the season. Booking ahead is the safe move; check the What's On page for this year's dates.
Getting there
Foyleside Shopping Centre, 19 Orchard Street, Derry/Londonderry, BT48 6XY — right in the city centre, on the slope between the old walled city and the River Foyle. The two multi-storey car parks put you straight inside, and the walls, Guildhall and riverfront are all a short walk from the doors.
Foyleside was dreamed up in the late 1980s as part of a regeneration push for Derry, and it opened its doors on 25 September 1995 — a huge glass-roofed centre built into the slope that runs from the old walled city down towards the River Foyle, on ground that once led to the city's quays. At around 400,000 square feet it's said to be the second-largest shopping centre in Northern Ireland, behind only Belfast's Victoria Square — a serious statement for the north-west when it landed.
The anchors have shifted with the decades. Marks & Spencer and Dunnes were there from the start; a 2004 extension brought in Debenhams, and when that chain wound down, Frasers took over the unit in 2021. In 2023 the whole centre changed hands again — bought by a consortium of local business people, putting Derry's biggest shopping centre back into Derry hands.
The newest chapter is the boldest: Dunnes has just rebuilt its store into what's said to be the largest in its Northern Ireland estate, swallowing the old food court and opening a café with panoramic views straight down the Foyle. Thirty years in, the place is still investing in itself — and with the city walls two minutes from the doors, it makes a rainy Derry day embarrassingly easy: walls in the morning, warm glass roof in the afternoon, coffee looking over the river. Get out and make a day of it.