La Cañada Shopping Centre – situated just off the N340 at the junction for Ojén – is a hive of activity, and is the largest mall on the Costa del Sol with over 150 shops split over two levels. Fashionistas flock for the clothes, foodies for the restaurants, movie-buffs for the cinema, and everyone else for a good day out.
Parking is completely free and you’re usually able to park fairly easily (except, perhaps, at Christmas and the middle of August). Shoppers are, however, advised to park underground during the summer months, as the outdoor car park is like a giant frying pan and it can be uncomfortable getting back into your car. Before you hit the shops, treat your car to a valet from the on-site service. As well as being cheap and professional, your car will be ready upon departure. For those without a car, buses are available to catch on the edge of the car park, about three minutes walk away. Buses arrive every 10 minutes, so there’s no need to rush. Two taxi ranks are also just outside the main building for those with too many bags to take on the bus!
Inside the main building of La Cañada Shopping Centre, shoppers will find a seemingly never-ending corridor of shops, set on either side of a long, marble walkway. The American-style mall is sleek and polished, with green plant pots and aluminum bins separating one shop from another. The air-conditioning inside is part of the reason it’s so busy during the summer! As well as housing a selection of recognisable British stores, such as Dorothy Perkins, The Body Shop, Women’s Secret, Top Shop, Evans, Habitat and Wallis, La Cañada has a large Alcampo Supermarket that stretches from one end of the mall to the other. Here, you’ll be able to pick up practically everything you could ever possibly need, including food, clothes, electronics and furniture, all for ridiculously low prices. In fact, it’s worth looking in here before you go anywhere else.

Other well-known shops you’ll be able to browse in include Zara, H&M, Mango, Massimo Dutti, Casa, S’Fera, Punto Roma, Benetton, Often, Stradivarius, Adolfo Dominguez, Springfield, Promod, Pull and Bear, Oysho and Imaginarium. There’s elso a huge branch of French store FNAC near the furthest entrance, great for new-release CDs and DVDs, top-of-the-range computers and hard-to-find books. Be warned though, these often retail here for a lot more than they do in Alcampo.

Outside the main building is the big electrical store, Boulanger, as well as DIY store Leroy Merlin, INTERSPORT and Norauto Garage, for car repairs and accessories. Shoppers sometimes skip these and rush straight into the main building – but these big warehouse-style stores are often far cheaper than the smaller ones inside the main building. What’s more, they’ve got a much wider selection of goods, so you’re likely to find what you want straightaway.

If you get a big peckish between purchases then they can opt for fast- food at either Burger King, McDonald’s or KFC, or a more civilised sit-down meal at any number of Italian restaurants, pubs, cafés and bars If it’s not a full meal you’re after, then you can grab a smoothie, coffee or ice-cream many places on the second floor, as well as tapas from one of the traditional Spanish restaurants.

After you can shop no more, why not pop into the Oxigeno gym for a workout, or stop by the ten-pin bowling alley or the adjoining amusement arcade for some fun? Afterwards, make your way to the multiplex cinema and catch the latest Hollywood blockbuster with a big bucket of popcorn.

Whether it’s a rainy day and the beaches are closed, or you’re fidgety and looking for something a bit more active than usual weekend of doing nothing, La Cañada is the perfect day out.
Open Monday - Saturday, 10am - 10pm
Tel: +34 952 866 650