Grand Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar, Kapalıçarşı in Turkish, is one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world. Construction began in the 1450s, soon after the Ottoman conquest, around a fortified hall known as a bedesten, where valuable goods such as jewellery and textiles were stored and traded. Over the following centuries the market spread outwards, and today it covers 61 covered streets with several thousand shops, entered through a series of gates.

The main streets are lined with jewellers, carpet and kilim dealers, and shops selling lamps, ceramics, leather, textiles, towels and souvenirs. The more interesting corners are often away from the main thoroughfares. The two bedestens at the heart of the bazaar hold antiques and older pieces, and around the edges are hans, courtyard inns built for travelling merchants, where workshops for metalwork, jewellery and repairs still operate. Look up as you walk to see the painted vaults and the old shop signs.

Entry is free. The bazaar is closed on Sundays and on public holidays, so plan around that, and it closes early in the evening. Mornings are noticeably quieter than afternoons. Haggling is expected for carpets, jewellery and larger items, so look at several shops before you buy and agree a price before any discussion of payment. For carpets, ask about origin, age and whether the piece is handmade, and take time over the decision; there is no obligation to buy after a glass of tea.

Allow at least two hours, longer if you are shopping seriously. It is easy to lose your bearings, so note the name of the gate you came in by and use it as a meeting point. Watch your belongings in the crowded main streets. There are small cafés and lokantas inside where you can stop for tea, coffee or a simple lunch among the shopkeepers.

The bazaar suits shoppers, photographers and anyone curious about how a centuries-old market works. Beyazıt-Kapalıçarşı and Çemberlitaş tram stops on the T1 line are both a few minutes from the gates. The Süleymaniye Mosque is a short walk north, and the downhill streets towards Eminönü, packed with wholesale shops, lead to the Spice Bazaar, making a natural half-day route through the old commercial city.