Repeat after me. Malaysians love shopping, we really, REALLY love shopping.
For better or worse, Malaysia is a nation of shopping malls, from brand new megamalls like The Exchange TRX to faded, cult legends like Amcorp Mall. Plenty of our discerning readers seemed to like them ALOT in 2025 too!
Besides the obvious shopping therapy, malls are also one of the great Malaysian ways to beat the heat!
But we aren’t the only retail in the neighbourhood! Old school Japanese shotengai, European high streets and American supermalls – it’s a big, big mall out there.
So, let’s check out some of the more beautiful or simply impressive shopping malls of the world!
West Edmonton Mall (Edmonton, Canada)
Most Malaysian malls shy away from having large or expansive skylights to keep the sun and heat out. But this can make them feel like sunless tombs.
But not with Canada’s West Edmonton Mall!
Graced with a monumental skylight that consumes the entire sky, the mall seems more like a theme park or indoor swimming pool. Funny thing is, it has both!
There’s Hasbro’s toy-themed Galaxyland, an ice rink, mini golf course, aquarium and, of course, a waterpark that’s home to the world’s largest indoor wave pool!
And we haven’t even gotten to its whopping 800 stores spread out across 5.3 million square feet. Injecting a bit of international flavour are two boulevards themed after Chinatowns and European boulevards.
Speaking of Europe…
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (Milan, Italy)
There’s shopping, and then there’s shopping with style.
Located in the economic powerhouse and Winter Olympics host of Milan, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II simply oozes 19th century charm while offering a haven for shopaholics with an eye for class!
Beneath gorgeous facades sporting neoclassical flourishes and a jaw-dropping glass roof, dozens of high fashion houses, storied restaurants and classy cafes spread out across four floors. Here, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Prada coexist with niche surprises, such as one of Italy’s oldest bookstores – Libreria Bocca (est. 1740).
Sprawled on the grounds of its spacious avenues are also colourful murals and various coat of arms from throughout Italy. One mural in particular – the central bull that represents Milan – has a fascinating tradition: if you manage to spin three times with your right heel on the bull’s testicles, you will be blessed with luck! Though you might have some trouble finding said genital after its recent makeover.
GUM (Moscow, Russia)
Built on the site of the former Upper Trading Rows shopping arcade, right next to Red Square, GUM is yet another example of turn-of-the-century grandeur when it comes to shopping.
Though GUM is only about half the size of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, it more than makes up for it with its upper balconies and bridges that encourage visitors to shop and explore. Its glass roof is lengthier too, which will no doubt please photographers.
Outside, the mall sports medieval Russian influences with an eye towards similar European arcades. The open Red Square also lets you appreciate its sheer quasi-Versailles size, more so when it’s lit at night.
As for why it’s named GUM, it originated as a Russian acronym for “State Department Store”, a nod towards its function as a Soviet state-owned mall. Later, it would be rechristened as “Main Universal Store”.
In fact, during the tsar years, this luxury goods hub even counted Tolstoy and Tchaikovsky among its patrons.
After surviving the end of the Russian tsars, the rise of the Communism and the collapse of the Soviet Union, GUM is a sheer testament to the talent of Russian engineering and its love of retail therapy.
Mall of America (Bloomington, USA)
There’s a saying that everything in the USA must be BIG.
Well, if Mall of America has a claim to anything – it’s being BIG.
Built on the site of a former stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota of all places, this shopping mall has become an attraction in its own right with these mind-boggling stats:
5.6 million square feet, 32 million annual visitors, 500-plus retail outlets, 1.2 miles (2km) of skylights and plenty of other numbers make Mall of America the USA’s largest shopping mall.
Though it isn’t the prettiest with its warehouse-lite aesthetic, you’ll probably be too knee deep in fashion, food and entertainment outlets to even notice! And, of course, there’s a Nickelodeon theme park, laser tag arena and a Sea Life aquarium included.
Once you’re done, you can even head to the mall’s transit hub– Minnesota’s busiest – to explore more of this urban perch on the Mississippi River. Make sure to get a selfie with the Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture!
Melbourne GPO (Melbourne, Australia)
An odd one out in this list thanks to its much smaller footprint, Melbourne GPO is nonetheless one of the most impressive and colourful shopping malls.
GPO or General Post Office was once the city’s main post office, connecting Melbourne folk to the wider world via mail and telegraph, all the while sporting a gorgeous Renaissance Revival façade of arcading arches and pilaster-topped columns. Oh, and a handsome clocktower too!
So iconic was its role and look, the GPO was even used as an official reference point when calculating distances from Melbourne!
Today, after multiple rounds of renovation, it’s now more like your neighbourhood mall than an American supermall or European high street, with the main building chiefly occupied by Australia’s first H&M branch.
What were once rooms for mail delivery lanes are now restaurants and cafes. One of these is the Federal Coffee Palace, which serves up some of Melbourne’s famous caffeine concoctions.
And if the classic GPO isn’t your style, you can simply walk out to one of the 10+ malls that dot the blocks all around. Melbourne’s famous trams and insanely walkable streets certainly help with that!
Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Street (Osaka, Japan)
As an advanced economy, Japan is not lacking in shopping malls and choices, as pop culture shopping havens like Akihabara and Ikebukuro can attest to. But if there’s a shopping arcade experience that’s uniquely Japanese, it’s the shotengai.
Meaning “shopping street”, shotengai usually feature covered streets closed to traffic that are filled with everyday shops. Born out of Japan’s postwar reconstruction and boom, many shops are run by families or independent owners, giving you a glimpse into where everyday Japanese shop (or used to, sadly) shop at.
And there’s no better place to see a shotengai in action than in Osaka, Japan’s culinary and mercantile heart, particularly at the Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Street.
Throughout its 2.6km length – the longest shotengai in Japan – 800-plus restaurants, bakeries, music stores, clothes stores and more vie for your attention and yen. Some recommended foodie stops here include homemade takoyaki at Takoyaki Hiroko , tofu dessert at Maeda Tofu Shop and classic croquettes at Nakamuraya.
Once you’re done shopping, stop by the nearby Osaka Tenmangu Shrine to pray for some luck in academic pursuits. Or stop by the Osaka Museum of Living and Living for a glimpse at how life was like in the city over the centuries.
Still got room in your budget? Then check out our Seoul shopping guide or Akihabara and Ikebukuro pop culture shopping list. Closer to home, we’ve also got guides to Amcorp Mall and Klang Valley bundle stores too!
Links
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
https://www.introducingmilan.com/galleria-vittorio-emanuele-ii
Mall of America – About
https://www.mallofamerica.com/about
GUM. TIMELINE
https://gumrussia.com/history
Melbourne – Official Site
https://melbournesgpo.com
Tenjinbashisuji Must-see Sights (Japanese) – 天神橋筋商店街の観光を攻略する
https://note.com/pre_boy/n/nd8e32728f68c
Tenjinbashisuji Foodie Guide – 関西最長！大阪「天神橋筋商店街」の地元民が愛するおすすめランチ＆食べ歩きグルメ
https://travel.rakuten.co.jp/mytrip/howto/tenjimbashisuji-shopping-street-guide
.jpg){kind=link}