Boston Shopping Malls

Guide to the biggest, best, priciest, and cheapest

Are Boston shopping malls basically clones of each other, differing only by location?

Not by a long shot!  If "shopping mall" makes you yawn, imagining a bunch of suburban cookie-cutter look-alike stores, think again! 

Get ready to find out where you'll find the best malls in Boston for spending tons of money, spending less money . . . maybe even saving some money!

Boston has an amazing variety of shopping malls and shopping complexes, each hoping to attract lots of customers with a unique mix of stores and amenities.

Since Boston and nearby areas are relatively compact, that means you'll find lots of malls that are easy to get to, plus several more that are close enough.

Plus, Boston shopping malls compete for customers with other popular shopping areas like Newbury Street, Beacon Hill, Downtown Crossing, and the South End - so they have to offer top variety and excellent values to attract customers. 

Boston Shopping Malls - by Location

Shopping malls right in the city - no car needed!

Prudential Center, Copley Place, Quincy Market, and CambridgeSide Galleria (Cambridge Mall) are city malls - shopping malls that you can easily get to from central Boston on foot or by "T" (that's what we call the subway here). 

The stores in Pru Center, Quincy Market, and CambridgeSide range from affordable to expensive. 

Most Copley Place stores hit the very expensive mark.   At the priciest boutiques, you can sometimes hit really fabulous sales when the merchants slash prices to make room for new arrivals.

A few miles away - a car is helpful

If you have access to a car during your stay in Boston, you may want to explore Chestnut Hill Mall and nearby Atrium Mall, the Arsenal Mall in Watertown, and the Burlington Mall. 

All of these shopping malls are close to Boston - meaning within or just outside of Route 128, the closer of the two highways that circle Boston.  In non-rush hour traffic, you can reach all of them within 20 minutes or less (assuming you don't get lost).

Can't get there without a car

Further afield (meaning beyond Route 128), but worth the trek if you love to shop and have a car are the Northshore Mall in Peabody, South Shore Plaza in Braintree, and the Natick Collection mega-mall. 

Patriot Place, the shopping / entertainment complex that includes Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, is fun and sports-oriented.  With a luxury hotel and spa on site, Patriot Place doubles as a vacation destination.

For true discount shopping, you'll want try the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets, a fabulous collection of designer discount stores.  Especially if you happen to be here when sales or mark-downs are underway, you can save some serious money.

Boston shopping malls - Guide to each mall

Arsenal Mall 

For almost 200 years, this popular shopping mall just a few miles to the west of Boston was a military weapons research lab, complete with its own nuclear reactor.  Today, Arsenal Mall offers a pleasing mix of national retailers, discount stores, and outlets - a bargain-hunter's paradise!  More about Arsenal Mall . . .

Atrium Mall

This attractive small mall a few miles west of Boston in tony Chestnut Hill includes a well-edited mix of popular clothing and home furnishing stores, one of the area's most popular day spas, a consignment shop specializing in designer clothing, and a unique shop where everything is black and white.  More about Atrium Mall . . .

Burlington Mall

One of the Boston area's largest malls, the upscale Burlington Mall has 4 anchor stores, a huge stand-alone Crate and Barrel, and almost 200 other stores ranging from affordable to high-end.  This popular shopping mall is just north of Boston near Route 128 and, as far as I know, is the only Boston mall to double as a movie set.  More about Burlington Mall . . .

Cambridgeside Galleria (Cambridge Mall)

Just across the Charles River from central Boston, the mixture of practical and trendy choices in CambridgeSide Galleria's 120 stores and boutiques make this Boston shopping mall a popular choice.  More about this convenient Cambridge Mall . . .

Chestnut Hill Mall 

Anchored by Boston's only Bloomingdale's, Chestnut Hill Mall offers an interesting mix of up-scale stores and boutiques just a few miles west of Boston.  Pricey, yes . . . but sales here can be awesome!  More about Chestnut Hill Mall . . .

Copley Place

You'll find Neiman Marcus and 75 boutiques, many of them featuring internationally known luxury designers, in this high-end shopping complex in Boston's fashionable Back Bay neighborhood.  More about Copley Place . . .

Natick Collection

With almost 300 stores ranging from affordable to high-end, the Natick Collection located west of Boston is the largest mall in New England.  More about Natick Collection . . .

Northshore Mall

With Nordstrom opening in 2009, this growing mall on Boston's North Shore offers an interesting collection of affordable and high end shops and restaurants.  More about Northshore Mall . . .

Patriot Place

Way more than just a shopping mall, this sports, entertainment, and retail complex 22 miles south of Boston also includes Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots football team and the New England Revolution soccer team.  More about Patriot Place . . .

Prudential Center 

With more than 75 stores and boutiques plus some of the city's best restaurants, Prudential Center is one of the city's most popular upscale shopping malls.    Located in Back Bay near Newbury Street and Copley Center, Pru Center offers more than just shopping.  More about Prudential Center . . .

Quincy Market

The 100+ stores and artisan pushcarts in Boston's festival-like Quincy Market occupy 4 historic buildings, including Freedom Trail site Faneuil Hall, in the heart of Boston.  When you shop here, you're following in the footsteps of almost four centuries of other shoppers. More about Quincy Market . . .

South Shore Plaza 

Anchored by Sears, Lord & Taylor, and Macy's, this popular shopping mall in Braintree south of Boston offers 180 other affordable and upscale shops and restaurants.  More about South Shore Plaza . . .

Wrentham Outlets

Fashionistas, if you love a bargain, you'll want to visit Wrentham Outlets, the only discount shopping mall in the Boston area.  Expect to find 25-65% savings on big-name designers - even more when sales are underway.  More about Wrentham Outlets . . .

Mall tips - Know before you go

Mall hours: 

All of the Boston shopping malls listed on this page are open 7 days a week.  Typically, malls open at 9am or 10am and close at 9pm or 10pm on Mondays through Saturdays.  Sunday mall hours are typically noon - 5pm or 6pm. 

Hours for restaurants and department stores within the malls may differ from mall hours. 

Because malls may change their hours based on the season (for example, they may open earlier and close later in November and December to accommodate holiday shoppers) and even the economy or marketing strategies, we do not list their hours on this site. You should confirm their hours on their websites before you go if you think opening or closing hours might be an issue. 

Parking: 

Boston suburban shopping malls offer free parking in the parking lots surrounding the mall complex.  A few such as Natick Collection offer valet or VIP parking for a fee.  At Patriot Place, parking is free for shoppers but you'll pay a fee if you're there for a game.

At Boston shopping malls within the heart of Boston (Copley, Prudential Center, Quincy Market) and Cambridge (Cambridgeside Galleria), you'll pay - anywhere from a small fee to potentially a lot.  Fortunately, you can take the T (Boston's subway) to these shopping areas as an alternative.

Here are your best parking options for each of them:

Copley Place and Prudential Center - parking is pricey, but get your ticket validated for cheaper rates - go one minute over the validation time limit, though, and you're back to paying big $$s 

Quincy Market - no on-site garage but plenty of options at nearby Boston parking garages

Cambridgeside Galleria - on-site garage for a reasonable fee if you stay a couple of hours or less - although weekends are more expensive