5 Best Places to Shop in Turkey

Just behind the Blue Mosque, the Arasta Bazaar is a walkway lined with shops selling items similar to those you'll find at the Grand Bazaar (primarily carpets, ceramics, textiles, jewelry, and other handicrafts), at sometimes lower prices. The atmosphere is also considerably calmer, and, unlike the Grand Bazaar, the Arasta is open on Sunday and stays open later (until about 9 pm).

The 19th-century Mirrored Bazaar remained unused for much of the last century after being seriously damaged by shelling in the Gallipoli campaign. It was renovated in the early 2000s to house about two dozen shops, mostly selling souvenirs. Its design is based on Istanbul's Mısır Çarşı (Spice Bazaar).

The open-air street market held on Wednesday in the Bostanlı neighborhood of Karşıyaka features the usual array of fruit and vegetable vendors but is also known for its good-quality inexpensive apparel under the market roof. The earlier you go, the better the selection.

As is traditional, each section of the Kapalı Çarşı, behind the Ulu Cami, is dominated by a particular trade: jewelers, silk weavers, antique dealers. The Koza Han (Cocoon Kerrvansaray) section next to the Orhan Gazi Mosque by the east entrance is the center of the silk trade. It has a lovely courtyard with a tiny mescit (prayer room) and a 150-year-old linden tree under which you can sip your tea. The Emir Han, behind the Ulu Cami, in the southwest section, is an interesting combination of jewelers and a religious book market; it also has a fountain and a courtyard tea garden. Antiques and souvenirs can be found in the small Eski Aynalı Carşı section, between Koza Han and Emir Han. Try Karagöz for traditional shadow puppets and other interesting items.

Reached through a doorway just outside the Fesciler Kapısı (Fezmakers' Gate) at the western end of the Grand Bazaar, the Sahaflar Çarşısı is the traditional home of Istanbul's secondhand booksellers. The market now mainly houses bookshops selling new editions in Turkish, primarily school textbooks, though a handful of secondhand and rare book dealers carrying books in English and other languages, as well as prints and other ephemera, is still located here. The market is open every day.