Grand Bazaar Istanbul
 

Any advise on where to go and what to buy would be much appreciated. With 4000 stalls I am sure there is better places to spend you time the others?

Shelleyw:

What are you interested in? That way you can focus if you want. I collect copper for my kitchen and I love spices from other countries so that made it "easier" for us.

However...to go to such an incredible place for "easier" our focus immediately seemed foolish...
We lavished our time instead of checking it off the list.

I did get some fabulous copper for the kitchen and learned all about the spices and so much more...enjoy your Turkish tea and colorful conversations and take as many photos as you can stand.

Our son wound up doing a great report for school (years ago) using the photos.

If you ARE interested in things such as spices there is a separate "spice bazaar" in a separate location in Istanbul

...Which is EXCELLENT!

Thanks for adding and jarring my memory.

Like said, it depends on your interests. I didn't buy anything, I just lingered from stall to stall, and did that more than once (the hotel was nearby). Most time I spent in shops that sold antiques, particularly one that was specialized in antique watches. There is also one little "street" with shops that sell all kinds of exotic stuff from Uzbekiztan/Turmenistan/Kirgizia. Look out for those antique shoes! I haggled a bit over one utterly beautiful leather coat, but I was stupid, he didn't lower the price, and only later I learned that the price he gave me was extremely good to begin with, and he could not go lower. If you like beautiful lanterns, there they are. Just make sure that the colours are in the glass, not painted. Copper, like was already mentioned. My husband bought a wallet and a briefcase.

We also had a couple of lunches there, which were good and cheap. And we got lost every time, which was really fun. It is a place where you are supposed to get lost.

There was a topic some time ago what to buy from Turkey;
the list is amazing and endless.
What we export most as goods tourists would buy and usually carry with : rugs, kelims, beats, leather goods, copperware, garments & textile, apple tea, tea and coffee sets, wooden handycrafts & tools, Turkish Delight ofcourse,more beats, silk scarfs, gold jewellery etc.... Good Luck at Grand Bazaar