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Grand Bazaar: Shopping Madness for the Best Gifts and Souvenirs In Kapali Carsi
Grand Bazaar: Best Gifts and Souvenirs In Kapali Carsi
Who would have thought that the cheapest and best-est tourist shop for souvenirs, gifts, clothes, and interesting shopping finds will truly be in Istanbul? If only I knew better, I would have prepared my luggage and extra baggage, because Turkey is apparently the splurge space to be at, if you are looking for that cheap shopping for almost anything you can think of! There are so many streets and shops selling souvenirs and stuffs, but the mothership of everything purchase worthy is inside THE Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. It’s called Grand Bazaar for a very good reason, indeed! Imagine East meets West, merchants meet shoppers, boutiques meet outlets, you really have to go here (among many other places in Istanbul) where you can shop and buy.
With 60+ covered streets and 4,000+ shops, there are about 400,000 avid visitors who visit this largest and oldest covered market in Turkey. No wonder it is known to many as THE first shopping mall of the WORLD and I am completely impressed by the quality and quantity of trinkets and things that you can buy here. I could easily say that it’s best to shop here if you want to find anything Asian, Eurasian, or European because the mix of merchandise and goods here are quite all-encompassing. This covered bazaar, built on 1455, has stone piers, brick domes, drinking fountains, and cellars. It has four phenomenal gates, namely: “Second-hand Book Sellers’ Gate” (Sahaflar Kapısı) in the north, “Skullcap Sellers’ Gate” (Takkeciler Kapısı) in the south, “Jewellers’ Gate” (Kuyumcular Kapısı) in the east, and “Women’s Clothiers’ Gate” (Zenneciler Kapısı) in the west. Start at the main gate and try not to get lost inside this labyrinth of inexpensive luxury.
I’ll have to be honest, I was a bit skeptical to go here because I somewhat assumed that this is just like any other tourist trap. There are quite a few that’s similar to this one in Asia, like the one in Vietnam, called the Ben Than Market, or the one in Thailand called the Chatuchak Market. Both are good, but it’s somewhat of a tourist trap because there are better options that can be found elsewhere. I also had a really bad experience in Vietnam’s Ben Than market. Nonetheless, when I visited the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, my impression became different. Perhaps it’s because of the crowd, or maybe it’s because of the overflowing options that can be found here, but I really think that this Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is one of the best in the world. Easily one of my top 3 bazaars of all time that needs to be visited!
Fine carpets, belly dancing costumes, a wealth of jewelry, oriental finds, and everything that looks vintage, you can find here. There aren't any designer bags, shoes, or big labeled brands here, but here you’ll easily find perfectly designed carpets, kilims, scarves, bedspreads, quilts, arts, antiques, not to mention lamps and other handmade pieces of stuff. The furniture, ceramics, and souvenirs all look charming too! I think you should buy a Turkish lamp of some sort because they are really nice and you can actually take it back as a hand-carry item when you fly back to your homeland. Plus, they also have spices and food options like the famous “Turkish delight”. Now yes, I thought it was a tourist trap too, but when I went there and when I saw all of these and much more; and experienced the buying, window shopping, and bargaining like a pro that could happen here – I fully understood why it was called “Grand”. Of course, you still should be wary of tourist scams, but the truth is: if you know what you came for, and you know the ropes of shopping, you’ll surely enjoy all the things that the Grand Bazaar has to offer! Now, will all the choices available, my gnawing question is, with all the choices and shops here, what’s the best thing to purchase in the Grand Bazaar?
Address: Beyazıt Mh., 34126 Fatih/Istanbul, Turkey
Opening Hours: Weekdays 08:30 A.M. – 7:00 P.M.; Sat 08:30 A.M. – 7:00 P.M.
Official Website: https://www.grandbazaarshopping.com/
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