Kapali Carsi, Istanbul

It's a fantastic place. You can come here for the history and culture of the place as well as to get some goods or souvenirs at good bargain prices. The place has around 4000 shops, and is located over a large area. From my experience, shops that are near the entrance or on the immediate outside, were selling at cheaper rates than the ones deeper inside the bazaar. Always remember, unless the shop strictly says fixed price, there is always room for bargaining. Items such as shoes, leather items, carpets and lighting are usually more bargain heavy, items such as Turkish delights and spices are more of fixed pricing, but some shops allow you to haggle.

One of most famous visited places in Istanbul. Yet consider one of the best place to experience locals. This is consider tourist bazaar and one of the tourism places yet full of locals too. With 4000 shops here... You will absolutely can waste your time for more than 3 hours to explore at almost everything. From spices to jewellery, fabrics, souvenirs, restaurants and home decorations all are here. Easy excess by public transportation. Know which gate you are going in from as it could be a bit confusing. Money changer and machine at convenient both outside and inside this place. Most of the shops offered same products but different quality and prices. Try your best bargain technique here to get the best. As this is tourist place and with too many people do extra care of your belonging.

Grand bazaar is the oldest and largest covered market in the world. It’s known to be the oldest mall in the world. It’s an amazing place to visit. There are many amazing handmade and cultural items there. Many great Turkish sweets and delights. One tip to foreign visitors is to avoid eye contact with the sellers. If you make eye contact, they’ll make you buy something. 😁 They are great at convincing you to buy by giving you great discounts. If you have hard time saying no, just keep your eyes on the items.

It is usually crowded and lively here and bargaining is a must. Look for narrow corridors and stairs to get to more secluded places to experience genuine locations and views of the rooftops. There are some places with really good Turkish food. See my photos for places I like!

Wow what a place... Over 4,000 shops! It's a maze. Easy to get lost. Bring a map or know which entrance you are coming in. There are 21 of them. Spices, purses, teas, scarves, jackets, gold, silver, dishes and so much more. A must see when in Istanbul Turkey.