Chandigarh is a popular destination for people all across North India. There are many popular tourist places in Chandigarh which are a must-visit. From Sukhna Lake to Rock Garden to beautiful parks, the city has it all. Apart from all the popular tourist hotspots, Chandigarh also has an array of malls to indulge the tourists and residents of the city alike. In this article, we are taking a look at some of the best malls in Chandigarh which you can visit and have a good time!
Fun Republic
Fun Republic, popularly known as FR is the oldest mall in Chandigarh. Opened in 2003, it was the first multiplex experience for the residents of Chandigarh. Before it started operating as a multiplex, it was a single screen cinema known as Dhillon Theatre. There was also the bottling plant of CocaCola in the basement of Dhillon Cinema. It is located in Manimajra and apart from serving the residents of Chandigarh, it’s also very popular among the Panchkula residents due to it being in close proximity to Panchkula. Apart from having some of the most popular brand outlets, Fun Republic has a 4 Screen multiplex.
Location
Dhilllon Complex, Manimajra, Chandigarh – Panchkula Rd, opposite Busstand, Panchkula, 160101
Centra Mall
PVR Centra Mall was the entry of cinema chain PVR in Chandigarh. It was inaugurated in 2008. While Fun Republic was a popular mall, it’s main challenge was the location. it was situated at the border of the city. Since Centra Mall was located in Industrial Area Phase-1, it became very popular very quickly among the Chandigarh residents. It is smaller in size than its other counterparts but is quite popular due to its 4 Screen Multiplex. It is one of the favourite destinations for movie goers of the tricity.
Location
177/D, Near Tribune Chowk, Industrial Phase-1, Chandigarh
DLF City Centre Mall
DLF City Centre Mall is situated in Rajiv Gandhi Technology Park, Chandigarh also known as IT Park. It was established in 2008. Earlier, it was called DT Mall and has a total area of 19,000 m2. The main advantage of this mall is its location in the IT Park where the youth, after getting free after their office hours, can rejuvenate and have a good time. It has a 3 Screen Multiplex and total occupancy of about 700 people.
Location
22, DLF City Centre Mall Rajiv Gandhi Technology Park, 23, IT Park Rd, Sector 13, Chandigarh, Haryana 160017
Elante Mall
Opened in 2013, Elante Mall is not only the largest mall in Chandigarh but is also one of the biggest malls in India. It has a total area of more than 10 lakh sq. ft. Elante has a lot of outlets from some of the most popular brands in the world along with 8 screen PVR Gold multiplex. Over the years, it has undergone a change in ownership. Initially, It was developed and owned by L&T in 2013. Then, Carnival Group bought it in 2015 for a whopping amount of 1,785 crores. If that was not enough, it was again resold to Nexus Malls, a subsidiary of Global Investment firm – The Blackstone Group for an undisclosed amount. It is considered as one of the biggest deals in the history of real estate in India. Elante is the most popular mall among the residents of tricity.
Location
178, Industrial Area, Phase 1, Chandigarh
TDI Jagat Mall
TDI Mall might not rank among the best malls in Chandigarh but this Mall has an advantage no other mall in Chandigarh has, its location. It is located in Sector 17 – the heart of Chandigarh. But despite its location, it has not picked up the way owners had hoped. Jagat cinema is one of the oldest theatres of Chandigarh designed by Aditya prakash with the guidance of Pierre Jeanneret. TDI purchased Jagat cinema from Seth Charandas, the owner of Jagat cinema and Kiran Cinemas in 2005 and announced conception of mall in 2006. But due to legal reasons, it got delayed and the mall was finally opened in 2016. It has an area of around 1,20,000 sq.ft. with a 3 screen multiplex owned by Cinépolis – an international theatre chain.
Location
Plot No 32, Madhya Marg, 17D, Sector 17, Chandigarh, 160017
Picaddilly Square
Piccadilly Square is the re-incarnation of the Piccadilly cinema. Piccadilly cinema was one of the oldest and popular cinemas in Chandigarh which was re-opened as Piccadilly Square in 2012. It was the first cinema in Chandigarh to go through a revamp and become a multiplex. Jagat Mall was not functional at the time. Located in Sector 34, the multiplex in Piccadilly has 3 Screens with a total seating capacity of 955. Piccadilly Square belongs to the Sharma family who are one of the biggest hoteliers in Chandigarh.
Location
Piccadily Rd, Sub. City Center, Sector 34A, Sector 34, Chandigarh, 160022
VR Punjab
When talking about the best malls in Chandigarh, VR Punjab is right up there with Elante. VR Punjab is the biggest mall in the region with an area of more than 20,00,000 sq.ft., almost double that of Elante. It was inaugurated in 2013. At the time of launch, it was named North Country Mall. In 2016, it was acquired by international Mall Developer/Operator Virtuous Retail South Asia(VRSA) and the name of the mall was changed to VR Punjab. It is situated in Kharar, Mohali and is at around 10km distance from Chandigarh. The mall houses 9 Screen PVR Gold multiplex.
Location
NH-21, Chandigarh Kharar, Chandigarh Rd, Sector 118, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Punjab 160055
Bestech Square
Bestech Square is the latest entry of all the malls in Tricity. It was inaugurated in 2018 and situated in Sector 66, Mohali. It caters to the growing population of Mohali. Although not huge in size, it houses Cinépolis multiplex having 5 Screens with a seating capacity of more than 1,150.
Location
Focal Point-1 Industrial Area Phase-9, Mohali Railway Station Rd, Sector 66, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Punjab 160062
Paras Downtown Square
Paras Downtown Square is a shopping mall situated in Zirakpur, a town bordering Chandigarh on the Chandigarh-Delhi Highway. It opened in 2010 as there was a demand for a new mall in the rapidly establishing Zirakpur. Also, there were no malls in the vicinity. It was a very popular destination among the people of Zirakpur until 2013 when Elante opened. Due to Elante being in close proximity to Zirakpur, Paras Downtown suffered. Currently, the mall is not the most happening place but serves as a decent place to hang out for the people of Zirakpur.
Location
Paras Mall, Tiki Taka Football Ground Rd, Zirakpur, Punjab 140603
Cosmo Mall
Cosmo Plaza is another Mall in Zirakpur serving as a shopping hotspot not only for the people of Zirakpur but the tricity as well. The mall houses factory outlets of many popular clothing and footwear brands where you can easily find good quality branded products at a decent price. Also, Cosmo Mall has a variety of Restaurants to serve its visitors with their delectable food.
Location
Ambala Chandigarh Expy, Zirakpur, Punjab 140603
Wave Emporium
Wave Mall is another Mall that came up in Chandigarh along with Centra Mall. Initially, it was very popular among the movie going crowd of the city as they charged less for movie tickets than their counterpart. But eventually, the popularity began to wane with new upcoming malls in the region. Also, its close proximity to Centra Mall and Elante did not do it any favours as brands are reluctant opening their stores at such close vicinities.
Location
Plot No.143 A, Industrial Area Phase I, Chandigarh, 160002
So, these were some of the best malls in Chandigarh. There are a couple of others but they are either not functional or not maintained properly. One of them is the Shalimar Mall in Panchkula. It opened in the premium location of sector-5 in Panchkula. It had a promising start. But soon, it ran into controversies with its owners getting arrested for tax evasion.
Also, there’s the KC theatre. It was one of the older cinemas in Chandigarh and was demolished so that it could be rebuilt as a multiplex. But until now, there are no signs of the project moving forward.
So, if you are visiting Chandigarh, do check out some of them. And if you are a resident of Chandigarh, please let us know which one of them do you find the best.
