Christmas Shopping in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland

Author: Mairead Foley

If you're heading across the border to Northern Ireland to do your Christmas shopping (or for the January sales) this year, then Enniskillen is the place to go. It's situated in the heart of County Fermanagh and borders counties Donegal, Leitrim, Cavan and Monaghan in the Republic. Many shops accept the Euro as well as Sterling and you can make some genuine savings here!

Enniskillen is popular for shoppers from the surrounding counties and beyond (even Dublin!) and especially at Christmas time when the town centre is buzzing with bargain hunters.

The Erneside Shopping Centre is a popular first port of call. There's lots of car parking, so no worries here.

Inside there are a number of well known stores including, Harry Corrys, Next, Lifestyle Sports, Barratts Shoes, Exhibit, Adams, H Samuels, Argos, New Look, Monsoon, Claire's Accessories and Millets.

There's also Semi Chem, which is a health and beauty retailer. Here you can pick up your favourite perfumes, and all types of lotions and potions at really good prices. This is very popular with shoppers from the southern counties as even when you consider the exchange rate it's still great value for money.

If you've the little ones with you there's a Santa's Grotto – you can't miss it, it's right in the centre of the shopping centre.

To get to the town centre from here, just cross the pedestrian bridge at the back of the shopping centre – it's about a 5 minute walk.

One place which always catches your eye when crossing the bridge is Crabtree Cottage (near the traffic lights). It's usually all decked out for Christmas and is definitely worth taking a look inside – it's full of unique pressies and Christmas decorations. From here it's only a minute's stroll to the main street .

Here you'll find a whole host of popular stores including Topshop, Boots, Gordons Chemist, Woolworths, Dorothy Perkins, Heatons, and one of my favourites Houstons at the top of the street. It sells womenswear, menswear, gifts and also has a section housing a number of popular high street stores. These include Warehouse, Bay, Principles, Oasis and Wallis.

There's always a festive atmosphere on this street, especially at week ends, with carroll singers etc. And if you're feeling peckish at this stage there are a number of cafes as well as pubs serving steaming hot lunches.

Next on the list are the big supermarkets. At the moment there's Dunnes Stores, Lidl and Asda in the town. Asda, up until recently, was located within the Erneside Shopping Centre – it has moved about 100 metres, you'll see it from the entrance of the centre.

Basically, anything and everything you'll need for Christmas you'll find here. It's got the lot, decorations, all the food and drink you could ask for, clothes, electrical goods and much more.

You can pay in Euro or Sterling here and you really do save money (shoppers from the Republic) and it's especially good for alcohol. No Christmas would be complete without the odd tipple!

The Buttermarket Craft & Design Courtyard is also well worth a visit. Formerly a 19th Century dairy market, it now consists of about 16 craft units, a gift shop and a coffee shop. You can browse through the handmade jewellery, pottery, crafts, paintings, much of which is locally made. It's open 10am until 5pm, Monday to Saturday all year round.

Enniskillen attracts shoppers from both Northern Ireland and the Republic in the weeks running up to Christmas and it's a great spot to soak up the festive atmosphere.

Mairead Foley writes for the Ireland travel and accommodation website http://www.GoIreland.com

Visit GoIreland for all you need to know before visiting Northern Ireland, like what to see and where to go. You can also browse our list of Fermanagh hotels and find yourself a great hotel deal!
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