Istanbul’s bazaars are arranged so that the purchase almost always comes last. First the conversation, then the tea, then the price \u2014 and only then the object. Accept that order and haggling stops being a task and becomes a pastime.<\/p>\n
The Grand Bazaar<\/a> has been trading since the fifteenth century: sixty streets under one roof and more than four thousand shops. Carpets, gold, leather and ceramics are grouped by quarter, and everyone gets lost at least once.<\/p>\n On bargaining: the opening price is always high, a counter-offer usually starts near half, and the deal lands somewhere in between. Walking away and coming back later is a normal move, not an insult.<\/p>\n At the Spice Bazaar<\/a> in Emin\u00f6n\u00fc the trade is spices, nuts, dried fruit and tea. It is compact enough to walk in an hour.<\/p>\n Buy what will survive the journey home: baklava in a tin, saffron, tea blends, vacuum-packed Turkish delight. From the hotel it is a ten-minute walk.<\/p>\n Arasta<\/a>, behind the Blue Mosque, is a single short street of ceramics and carpets. The range overlaps heavily with the Grand Bazaar, but browsing is calmer and nobody takes hold of your sleeve.<\/p>\n Once a week every district sets out a street market: vegetables, cheese, textiles, kitchenware, at local rather than tourist prices. Tuesday in Kad\u0131k\u00f6y and Wednesday in Fatih are the largest.<\/p>\n Ni\u015fanta\u015f\u0131 is the district of brands and designer windows. \u00c7ukurcuma is antiques and vintage, shop after shop. \u0130stinye Park<\/a> gathers all of it under one roof, with air conditioning and fixed prices.<\/p>\n A good bazaar purchase rarely happens in the first fifteen minutes. Accept the tea, look in three places, go back to the second \u2014 and both the price and the object turn out right.<\/p>\nThe Spice Bazaar<\/h2>\n
Arasta Bazaar<\/h2>\n
Neighbourhood markets<\/h2>\n
If bazaars aren’t for you<\/h2>\n
But there is no hurry here<\/h2>\n