The Waterside's handy Tesco-anchored centre — a big superstore, a butcher, a value food outlet and a coffee under one roof, with free parking and no fuss. Not a day out on its own, but a genuinely useful stop on one.
What you'll do — run the everyday errands in the dry: a large Tesco superstore, Poundland, Savers, Card Factory, a pharmacy, McAtamneys butcher and Lynas Food Outlet off the one indoor mall, then sit down for a coffee.
How long — realistically about an hour. It's a neighbourhood centre, not a big shopping day — pair it with something else on the Waterside to make an afternoon of it.
Cost & parking — free to browse, and the car park is free with 560 spaces (parent-and-child and disabled bays included), open 24 hours. You only pay for what you buy.
Food — coffee-and-a-bun rather than a restaurant floor: Costa, the Tesco Café, Subway, The Sandwich Co. and a couple of local bakery kiosks. Grand for a break; not somewhere you'd book for dinner.
Mind the split hours. The mall's long Mon–Sat 7am–11pm window is really the Tesco keeping the doors open — most of the smaller shops keep standard high-street hours and shut around 5.30–6pm, and Sunday is 1pm–6pm only. Check a specific shop's own times before a special trip.
Plan your visit
Just turn up — it's free, and the car park is too
No tickets and no booking — walk in off the free car park any day. The large Tesco superstore anchors the place and keeps the doors open 7am–11pm Monday to Saturday, with Sunday 1pm–6pm; the smaller shops around the mall keep standard high-street hours and mostly shut around 5.30–6pm. Off the one indoor concourse you've the everyday names — Poundland, Savers, Card Factory and a Bradley's pharmacy — plus two things worth the trip in their own right: McAtamneys, a butcher going since 1933, and Lynas Food Outlet for value groceries. Hours shift on bank holidays and around Christmas, so check ahead for a special trip.
The 7am–11pm window Mon–Sat is the superstore's — most smaller shops close around 5.30–6pm, and Sunday is 1pm–6pm across the board. Baby-change and feeding facilities are inside Tesco.
Before you set off
What to bring
🛍️Reusable bagsSaves on carriers, and it's a short walk back to the car with the shop right by the door.
🥩A cool bag if you're stocking upHandy for the butcher counter and the food outlet if you've other stops after.
💳A card for the dayEverything here takes card — the car park's free, so it's just the shopping and the coffee.
🧾Your Tesco ClubcardIf you shop the superstore — the anchor here is a full Tesco, so it's worth having on you.
Good to know
Everything before you go
Cost
Free to browse, and the car park is free too — you only pay for what you buy.
Opening
The centre (Tesco) runs Mon–Sat 7am–11pm and Sun 1pm–6pm. The smaller shops keep standard high-street hours and mostly close around 5.30–6pm. Hours change on bank holidays and around Christmas — check a specific shop before a special trip.
Parking
Free, with 560 spaces including parent-and-child and disabled bays. The car park is open 24 hours.
Shops
Anchored by a large Tesco superstore, with Poundland, Savers, Card Factory, Bradley's Pharmacy, McAtamneys butcher (since 1933), Lynas Food Outlet, Habitat ReStore and a handful of local independents and kiosks.
Food & drink
Costa Coffee, the Tesco Café, Subway, The Sandwich Co. and a couple of local bakery kiosks. It's coffee-and-a-bite territory rather than sit-down dining.
For families
Baby-change and feeding facilities are inside the Tesco superstore. The mall is level and pram-friendly throughout.
Accessibility
Step-free with non-assisted wheelchair access throughout the centre, and accessible toilets near The Sandwich Co. No Shopmobility scooter hire is offered at present.
Getting there
Lisnagelvin Road, Derry/Londonderry BT47 6DF — on the Waterside (east bank), just off the Altnagelvin roundabout. A short drive from the city side across the Foyle.
How long
About an hour for the errands and a coffee — best paired with another Waterside stop for a fuller afternoon.
Questions
Before you go
Is it free — and is the parking free?
Yes to both. It's free to walk in and browse, and the car park is free with 560 spaces, open 24 hours. You only pay for what you buy.
What time is it open?
The centre (Tesco) runs Mon–Sat 7am–11pm and Sun 1pm–6pm. The smaller shops around the mall keep standard high-street hours and mostly close about 5.30–6pm, so check a specific shop's times if it's the one you're coming for.
Is there anywhere to eat?
There's a Costa, the Tesco Café, Subway, The Sandwich Co. and a couple of bakery kiosks — grand for a coffee and a bite. It's not a restaurant floor, so don't come expecting a sit-down dinner.
Is it worth a trip on its own?
Honestly, it's more a useful stop than a day out — a handy, dry, free-to-park errand run. Pair it with St Columb's Park, the Peace Bridge or Ebrington across the river to make an afternoon of the Waterside.
Is it good with a pram or a wheelchair?
Yes — the mall is level and step-free throughout, with non-assisted wheelchair access and accessible toilets near The Sandwich Co. Baby-change and feeding facilities are inside the Tesco superstore.
Getting there
Lisnagelvin Road, Derry/Londonderry BT47 6DF — on the Waterside (east bank), just off the Altnagelvin roundabout and a short drive from the city side across the Foyle. Pull straight into the free 560-space car park at the door.
Lisnagelvin sits on the Waterside — the east bank of the Foyle — where a lot of Derry's daily life happens away from the city-side crowds and the Walls. It's an indoor neighbourhood centre built around a big Tesco superstore, the kind of place families use week in, week out rather than travel to see.
That's really the point of it. Off the one level concourse you can do the whole practical run in the dry, with two local touches worth knowing about: McAtamneys, a butcher going since 1933, and Lynas for value groceries. A Costa and the Tesco Café sort the cup of tea when you're done, and the car park at the door is free.
So it earns its place less as a destination and more as a handy anchor for a Waterside afternoon. Sort the shopping and the coffee here, then cross to St Columb's Park for a walk, over the Peace Bridge to Ebrington, or across the river to the Walls and the city side. This is the warm, dry, free-to-park bit in the middle of it.