5 Best Places to Shop in Istanbul, Turkey

Background Illustration for Shopping

Istanbul has been a shopper's town for, well, centuries—the sprawling Grand Bazaar, open since 1461, could easily be called the world's oldest shopping mall—but this is not to say that the city is stuck in the past. Along with its colorful bazaars and outdoor markets, Istanbul also has a wide range of modern shopping options, from the enormous new malls that seem to be sprouting up everywhere to small independent boutiques. Either way, it's almost impossible to leave Istanbul without buying something and some say you haven't truly experienced the city until you take a whirl through the Grand Bazaar or Spice Bazaar. Whether you're looking for trinkets and souvenirs, kilims and carpets, brass and silverware, jewelry, leather goods, old books, prints, and maps, or furnishings and clothes (Turkish textiles are among the best in the world), you can find them in this city. Shopping in Istanbul also provides a snapshot of the city's contrasts and contradictions: migrants from rural Turkey haggle with tourists and sell their wares on the streets while wealthy shoppers browse the designer goods found in plush, upscale Western-style department stores.

?stiklal Caddesi is a pedestrian-only boulevard with everything from global brands like Levi's and big-name Turkish companies like Mavi to small bookshops and old-school shoe stores—though, sadly, increasingly high rent prices mean there are fewer and fewer independent local stores located on ?stiklal these days. Down the hill from ?stiklal, Çukurcuma Caddesi is home to a miscellany of antiques dealers carrying everything from small, Ottoman-era knickknacks to enormous antique marble tubs. Meanwhile, the character-filled Galata and Karaköy neighborhoods are becoming the places to find independent boutiques and intriguing shops selling clothing, jewelry, housewares, and objets d’art created by up-and-coming local designers.

The high-fashion district is the upscale Ni?anta?? neighborhood, 1 km (½ mile) north of ?stiklal Caddesi. This is where you'll find the boutiques of established Turkish fashion designers, such as Özlem Süer, Arzu Kaprol, and At?l Kuto?lu, as well as the flagship stores of high-end international brands like Chanel, Prada, and Louis Vuitton—though because of high import taxes and unfavorable exchange rates, these labels are usually considerably more expensive in Turkey than they are in the United States.

Istanbul is also a good place to buy jewelry, as Turkey has a long tradition of jewelry making, and many jewelers are skilled at working with both gold and silver. While local brands often tend to copy European designs in their collections, recently there has been a trend towards creating beautiful pieces with a local flavor, using traditional motifs or taking Ottoman-era charms and setting them in silver or gold. The jewelry sold in the Grand Bazaar and in high-end boutiques in Ni?anta?? tends to be fairly classic and high quality; if you’re looking for something a bit more unusual or easier on the wallet, try the smaller-scale boutiques in Beyo?lu or Galata.

Galeri Kayseri

Sultanahmet

If you're looking for books about Turkey, this is the place to visit. The two Galeri Kayseri shops (the storefronts simply say "Bookshop") are across the street from one another, and between them you'll find an outstanding collection of nonfiction books about Turkey in a variety of subject areas, as well as a selection of Turkish and Turkey-related novels and elegant coffee-table books on Islamic art, architecture, and culture. Number 58 is the main store, No. 11 is across the street.

Homer Kitabevi

Beyoglu

One of Istanbul's best bookstores carries an impeccable selection of English-language books, especially ones dealing with the politics and history of Turkey and the Middle East.

Istanbul Kitapçısı

Beyoglu
This municipality-run bookshop near the Tünel funicular entrance just off İstiklal Caddesi carries a broad range of coffee-table books and other titles on Istanbul and Turkey, as well as arty and historical postcards and small gift items. There are also branches in the Taksim metro station and at the Kadıköy and Eminönü ferry docks.

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Pandora

Beyoglu

One of Turkey's premier booksellers for more than two decades has an upstairs floor dedicated to English-language works and carries an impressive selection of books in all genres, with a particular emphasis on nonfiction. A second branch in Nişantaşı ( Vali Konağı Cad. 5) also carries a good selection of English-language books, along with nice stationery and small gifts.

Robinson Crusoe

Beyoglu

This Beyoğlu institution, now associated with the local arts institution SALT, stocks a well-chosen selection that includes fiction and nonfiction in English, with a focus on the arts, architecture, and urban culture. Specialty magazines and journals are also available.