Cairns has an excellent range of markets. The most famous are the Night Markets on the Esplanade, open every evening, which sell local arts and crafts and a wide selection of food. The nearby Esplanade Markets, located near the lagoon, offer excellent quality jewellery and trinkets every Saturday. The Rusty's Markets, held every weekend in the ground floor car park of Gilligan's Backpackers, between Sheridan and Grafton Streets, sell locally grown produce and exotic fruits. The Tanks Market Day, on the last Sunday of the month, June to November, at the Tanks Art Centre in Edgehill, has a different theme each month.

The Cairns Central shopping centre, on the corner of McLeod and Spence Streets, has an extensive range of shops from department stores to small speciality boutiques. On the seafront, Pier Shopping, Pierpoint Road, has a tourist-friendly selection of speciality shops and art galleries.

Aussie Bush Hats and Oilskins is a successful local business that sells authentic Australian bush wear made from traditional high quality materials and has shops in the Cairns Central shopping centre and the Night Markets.