Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar

Souks, markets, bazaars, these are the things that draw holidaymakers in from far and wide to get a taste of the true culture of the destination. They are usually a cluster of shops where all kinds of local goods are bought, sold and exchanged.  Famous ones include Dubai’s Gold Souk, the Dubai Spice Souk, Bangkok Chatuchak Market and the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.

Grand Bazaar – Istanbul, Turkey

Turkey’s biggest and oldest market, the Grand Bazaar attracts between 250,000 and half a million visitors from Turkey and around the world everyday with over 4,000 shops and 58 covered walkways. It is one of Istanbul’s most popular tourist attractions and even houses two mosques, two hamams (Turkish baths), fountains, and multiple restaurants and cafes.

 

 Walking around the bazaar is the closest thing you will get to a true adventure in this great urban city of Istanbul. You can find all types of goods in the Grand Bazaarincluding fabrics, leathers, carpets, jewellery and spices. You name it, you can find it! Each road in the bazaar is dedicated to a certain good so it will be easy to find the exact thing you are looking for. The main street (Kalpakcilarbasi Street) is full of jewellery stores and from here you can turn in all directions to find more interesting stores. If you are after a hand-made leather bag then turning left from the main street will take you to a street called “Leather Goods Section”. With so many shops, you can easily spend a whole day touring the Grand Bazaar.

Not only do visitors come to the Grand Bazaar to shop but they also come to try the excellent local food at the great restaurants. Explore the quiet back alleys and interior courtyards and you can find excellent dining possibilities serving traditional Turkish food from an assortment of kebabs to wraps, salads and tender lamb and grilled meats. Highly recommended are the Turkish coffees
You can’t come to Turkey and not try Lokum, famously known as Turkish Delight. Traditional versions of this can be found all over the city but particularly plentiful in the Spice Bazzar, as well as the Grand Bazaar. This tasty sweet tooth delight can contain a variety of nuts, walnuts, almonds, and pistachios, and comes in various flavours, ranging from rose and strawberry to lemon and orange.