There is a lot to see in Istanbul, and there is a lot to see in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar. The 560 year old tourist shopping mecca is home to over 4000 individual stores and sees hundreds of thousands of shoppers each day. What did we find and what did we think of it? Read on …
Still feeling a little jet lagged, we stumbled along the hot streets with the sun beating down on everything and made our way to the covered and shady Grand Bazaar. If you are staying within the old district of the walled city, the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and the Grand Bazaar are all within walking distance of each other.
Entering the bazaar through one of its 21 gates our first thoughts were how do we find our way back from the maze of over 60 internal streets that stretch over 5 football fields in area? Even there there are thousands of stores, there is a huge amount of overlap with what goods are being sold. The trick therefore is to ascertain what is the best quality item and at what price you can get it for. Of course the other thing you need to figure out, is when you are back to your hotel or accommodation, how do you get all of these purchases in your suitcase to take them home?
We all noted what gate we were at, on The Google Maps App, and decided what time we would meet back there if we split up. I didn’t have anything on my shopping list so for me, no haggling, no comparing prices at different stores, no rushing to find the best deal before we had to leave. All I had to do was stroll the shady interior and take in the sights, smells and observe the local customs.
The Bazaar is split into 9 different product areas or merchant ‘zones’ so that different ‘guild’ members can be together.
- Gold
- Carpets
- Denimwear
- Copper
- Fabric
- Souvenirs
- Leather
- Antiques
- Silver
Have a look at the color coded map below so you can plan where you need to go to get what you need.
Exploring the Bazaar & People Watching.
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The Bazaar is open;
- Monday through Saturday 8:00am to 5:30pm
- Sunday 9:30am to 7:00pm.
