The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul has over 4000 shops

Grand Bazaar bears the name Büyük Çarşı, meaning ‘Grand Market’. It’s is one of the first shopping in the world with over 4000 shops and 61 lanes. This Bazaar is 47 times larger than Spice bazaar in terms of shops. The Bazaar’s four entrances make it an ideal location to buy the widest assortment of things.

Warm or aggressive behaviour?

Like in the Spice market, people here are warm as well. They will explain everything to you but they become a little aggressive when you don’t buy anything from them. Too much bargaining will irritate the owner and sometimes they may ask you to leave. They will lose interest and abuse you. You are not the only customer for them; they receive up to 400,000 visitors a day. Don’t get into a fight or argue because they have a union and you are a tourist.

Hacks

These are a few tips for pleasant shopping.

1. Always start low
2. Act dis-interested – The more interest you show, the higher you will pay.
3. Don’t hesitate to walk away – You are not the only customer to him and this is not the only shop for you.
4. Don’t be obliged to buy – The shopkeepers tend to show the entire product on the shelf. That is their selling strategy.
5. Don’t buy impulsively – Don’t immediately buy anything. Go around and ask other vendors as well.
6. Don’t discuss openly with your partner – It is not pleasant to let the shopkeeper know how much you like it.
7. Research on the prices beforehand.

What to buy at the Grand Bazaar?

The 4 must-buy souvenirs from Istanbul are the ceramic articles, Turkish tea set, Evil eye, and glass lamp.

Ceramic articles

Ceramic articles can be a mug, a costar, a wall piece, or a showpiece. These look extremely beautiful. They come in many shapes, sizes and color. These are available everywhere in Istanbul but Grand Bazaar has a wide range of choices.

Prices and where to buy

The mugs prices will be 80-90 Liras and as usual, we have a bargain and bring it down to 25 – 30 Liras. The costars will cost 15-20 Liras for one and if you buy more, you will get a better deal. The cost of the showpieces purely depends on the size.

Turkish tea set

This is one thing I always wanted to have. These are delicate items and it is a pleasure sip tea from it. The authentic tea sets are made of glasses with elegant designs on them. The fancy ones are made of ceramic. These are mostly used for showpieces.

Prices and where to buy

This tea set is widely found throughout the bazaar. We approached numerous vendors and bargained for the best price but in vain. Their last price was 150 Liras. So we just walked out of the Grand Bazaar to stroll the streets adjacent to the bazaar. Luckily we found a souvenir shop with had many ceramic Turkish tea set collections and purchased one set for 70 Liras.

Evil eye

Also called the Nazar, is commonly found in every street and every shop in Istanbul. This is a circular blue stone found on all accessories like necklace, bracelets hair ties, rings, earrings.

Prices and where to buy

The prices vary between 10-70 Liras depending on its size. It is better to buy here because there are infinite options.

Glass lamp

I had planned on the tea set before but the glass lamp was an unexpected buy. The Grand Bazaar is full of these lamp shops and it looks so amazing. I could not resist myself from buying. The lampshades are made of many colourful glass pieces and are arranged to make a specific or random pattern. These lamps come in many shapes, sizes and it is best home décor I have ever purchased.

Prices and where to buy

Initially, we felt that buying in the beginning, won’t be a good option so we decided to roam around a bit to find out the prices. We went to over 15 shops and the prices kept going high as we went deeper into the market. We bargained, but like said, they lost interest. So finally, we ended up buying at shop a meters from the entrance. He realized that he was selling at the best price and ‘’No Bargain’’. We purchased a small-sized one for 50 Liras which is a fair deal. Medium one was around 70 Liras and bigger ones cost over 200 Liras.

Market Streets outside Grand bazaar

Just like the hidden street in Spice Bazaar, Grand Bazaar also has small streets. Like I mentioned earlier we purchased the Turkish tea set, magnet, and a mug here. Only these articles are a lot cheaper than inside. The glass lamps are not available anywhere outside the Grand bazaar.

Markets and shops outside the bazaar mainly sell shoes, clothing, and winter jackets shoes and there are a few souvenir shops.

My experience

Grand Bazaar is not as impressive Spice bazaar mainly because of how they treat tourists. Few are very friendly and some are equally harsh and rude. I bought a few articles for memory but I wouldn’t come back to grand bazaar if I ever visit Istanbul again. Overall experience:  out of 5 FAQs Is it a closed market? Yes, it is covered. When is it open? Mon-Sat from 9.00 am to 7.00 pm and closed on Sundays. Is it too crowded? Grand Bazaar is too big to feel the crowd. How much time do we need? 3-4 hours is a good time to explore. Time of visit: November 2019

”Fear is only temporary. Regrets last forever.”