Whether you are looking for an exclusive shopping area or a cheap street market, you’ll find it here. Historical bazaars such as the Grand Bazaar and the Egyptian Bazaar are especially good for buying souvenirs, scarves, leather, spices and decorative items.
Istanbul offers affordable, quality clothing and dozens of Turkish labels are popular export brands. In addition, many international chains, such as H&M and Benetton, sell pieces manufactured in Turkey. Those pieces that don’t make it abroad are sold in Istanbul’s street bazaars for 3–10 euros. The Fatih Çarşamba Pazarı, the biggest and oldest of Istanbul’s street bazaars takes place every Wednesday in Fatih district. Istanbul’s most traditional street bazaar, it is worth visiting even if you are not planning to buy anything.
The best shopping street is Beyoğlu’s main boulevard, İstiklal Caddesi, where there are lots of Turkish as well as international stores. Look inside the passageways (
pasaj) for cheap clothes and souvenirs. The smartest and most expensive shopping streets are in Nişantaşı, around Teşvikiye Caddesi and Abdi İpekçi Caddesi, where all the famous labels are situated side by side, and on the Asian side you can visit Bağdat Caddesi.
In recent years Istanbul has seen a boom of glitzy shopping centers. They are mostly concentrated in Levent or Mecidiyeköy, and are reachable by subway. The most popular ones are
Akmerkez and
Kanyon; the newest one – and presumably the most expensive – is
İstinye Park.
For antique and retro shops, head to Çukurcuma neighbourhood in Beyoğlu. Over a hundred little shops are to be found around a street called Faik Paşa Yokuşu, known as the SoHo of Istanbul.
Keep in mind that it is illegal to sell, buy or take any truly valuable antique outside of Turkey. This includes all items from the Byzantine era and any Ottoman antique over one hundred years old. Usually there is nothing to worry about, though, as few travellers could afford these items anyway!