The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul offers an extraordinary shopping experience. Enter a historic bazaar with thousands of shops filled to the brim with jewellery, scarves and handicrafts.
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Grand Bazaar in Istanbul
The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is often considered one of the world's first shopping centres. This covered indoor centre dates back to the 15th century and offers a maze of shopping streets.
Grand Bazaar of Istanbul (Kapalıçarşı) is located in the centre of Istanbul, Turkey, in the district of Fatih.
Shopping in Istanbul
Istanbul is a very big city, and if you want to shop, there are of course lots of different places to visit. Alternatively, you could follow our lead and start by walking along Istiklal Street. This is a 1.4 kilometre long pedestrian street, and one of Istanbul's most famous streets.
This street is lined with lots of shops selling clothes, shoes, accessories, perfume and everything else. You'll also find shops selling "Turkish delights" and small street stalls selling bread, corn and chestnuts. One tip is to occasionally look upwards towards the top of the buildings - then you'll discover that this street is lined with very beautiful buildings.
Here and there in the centre of Istanbul you will also find charming little 'passages'. These are often very beautiful, and here you can also find traditional crafts in the form of shawls, bags, ceramics, jewellery and more.
It can also be interesting to look at all the fruit and food stalls. We were particularly fascinated by the large the fruits. We saw peaches and plums that were three times the size we are used to. Not to mention the walnuts, which were... enormous.
Visiting the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul
Of course, the most interesting thing is to visit the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. We walked here with our fellow traveller Charlotte and our Turkish guide, and the shopping started long before we arrived. Around the big bazaar are shops selling clothes, underwear, shoes and everything else.
We then arrived at the main entrance, where we also decided to meet in case we lost each other. It's easy to get lost in the 60+ aisles and 4000+ shops.
The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul has a history dating back to the 15th century, when Sultan Mehmet II decided that the textile trade should be established here. If you look up, you can see older architecture and paintings, and when we were here, restoration was also underway.
The aisles run right and left, and seemingly never end. You'll find jewellery and real gold, ceramics, tiles, leather goods, bags, scarves, hand-woven rugs, lamps, trinkets, Turkish confectionery and all kinds of handicrafts.
Looking around here is really exciting and interesting, whether you make any discoveries along the way or not. Find something you like? Feel free to shop, but don't be afraid to haggle if you think the price is too high! We didn't go shopping this time, but the others in our group each bought a nice shawl.
More to see and do in the neighbourhood
Once you're done with the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, there are of course many other things to see and discover in this great city. For example, you can check out the Spice Bazaar. Also don't miss Hagia Sofia and the Galata Tower. There are also opportunities for boat trips and to visit several different palaces. Find all our tips for Istanbul here.
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Have you visited the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul?
Have you visited the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul? How was your experience? Do you like shopping while travelling?
Facts about the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul
- Location: Fatih district, Kapalıçarşı neighbourhood
- Start date: 1455
- Completion: After 1730
- Dedicated: Mehmet II (also known as Muhammad II, Mehmed II, Fatih Sultan Mehmet, Mehmet the Conqueror or Muhammad the Conqueror)
- Area: 30 700 square metres
- Number of streets: 61 indoor streets
- Number of shops: Over 4000
- Number of visitors: Between 250 000 and 400 000 visitors per day and around 91 250 000 visitors per year.
- Opening hours: All days except Sundays
- Get to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul: Walk or take the tram to Beyazı bus stop
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Lena+in+Wales+and+Spain says:
Wow, what a place.
I'm not a shopper, but I like to look around bazaars. The fun stuff and, above all, the atmosphere.
16 October 2021 - 9:30
Evy Knoph says:
Lovely post! I've visited Istanbul 3 times... and the bazaars have been included... mostly like the neighbourhoods between the bazaars... on our first visit in 08 we were allowed to borrow comfortable ponchos at a restaurant up by the mosques when it got a bit chilly in the evening. The owner told us where we could buy them when we asked..and offered to come with us the next day if we couldn't find them :-). We found it after much searching...
Another memory that stuck is when we were down at the Spice Bazaar and there was a prayer call at 5pm... men in suits with briefcases in their hands came running and kicked off their shoes in a hurry...
I like the treatment in terms of service-mindedness in Turkey ... will be a return visit eventually.
I like to shop on trips and am really excited for the return visit to New York at the end of November... that's where I bought most of the shoes, boots and cardigans I use, for example... you like to think back on the trips when you use the stuff in everyday life :-).
16 October 2021 - 15:16
Helena says:
Evy, glad you've been here so many times! We can easily imagine going back. We feel that there is so much we did not have time for! 😉 Agree with this with thinking back on trips when shopping and then using the clothes. Recognition on that! We like to shop abroad, but a little short of time on press trips, so difficult to find time 😉.
16 October 2021 - 20:17
Helena says:
Lena, I know what you mean! Even if you are not so fond of shopping in general, this is fascinating! 🙂
16 October 2021 - 20:15
Maria's memoirs says:
Haven't been to Istanbul yet. But I would have liked to shop for fruit and ceramics there 🤩 I like to buy some travel memories from my travels, but the type of item depends on the destination. In Thailand, for example, it was jasmine tea and a new much-needed passport case. In Bosnia handmade copper jewellery and in Prague cute house magnets. I wish I had a long row of houses on my fridge from a number of different cute cities 😍.
26 October 2021 - 10:47
bmlarstravellingblog says:
Lovely Grand Bazaar! Although I'm definitely not a shopper, you can't help but love a place like this! My first visit to Istanbul was for a genetics meeting so I had to make the most of every spare second. The premises themselves are also a real attraction but we left with a number of small blue and white ceramic bowls, which are still used today.
16 October 2021 - 14:43
Helena says:
A bazaar like this is an experience whether you like shopping or not!!! 😉 Glad you bargained! 🙂
16 October 2021 - 20:18
BP says:
Once again - what did I say;-) Love this bazaar which is probably the largest of its kind that I have visited. Agadir's souk was also gigantic, but it was outdoors.
Yes, I bought a yellow leather jacket, a lampshade and a pouf at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. It wasn't much fun transporting the lampshade on the plane, but it was possible.
Certainly there is a difference in the size of the fruits here and in Turkey. I wonder why they are so big there.
16 October 2021 - 17:10
Helena says:
Can only agree! We like Istanbul 🙂 What fun finds you made! 🙂 Also wondering how the fruits can get sooo big, amazing! 🙂
16 October 2021 - 20:19
Travelsis says:
Oh😍! Here I was as a new teenager. My mum and I took a night bus from Side to Istanbul. I just loved shopping and haggling in the bazaars. / Pernilla
17 October 2021 - 0:30