You don't need a guide. You can easily spend a 1/2 day wandering & never get bored. It doesn't matter if you get lost, because you can enter & exit from many places. The place is safe & friendly, & stocked with thousands of colorful shops with everything from jewelry, rugs, ceramics, & leather to lamps, linens, spices, etc. They... More

With over 4000 stalls, and tons of souvenir options, the Grand Bazaar should definitely make your list when visiting Istanbul. Crazy chaos, pushy salesmen and inflated prices, but a great experience.

Over 5,000 stores! And very few of them were empty. The overall setting and feeling is beautiful, fun and safe! We wandered through this amazing covered marketplace for several hours, exploring specialty areas and side lanes and bantering with shop keepers ("Please, I want your money!" with big smiles). The one puzzle: many stores seems to be near replicas of... More

Do not miss the experience they call the Grand Bazaar, even if you are not a shopper nor interested in buying anything. Tips: #1 Go EARLY EARLY, from 11am on it gets CRAZY busy especially as the cruise ship and tour buses start showing up after their breakfast. Also, by going early, the shop keepers are more accomodating and willing... More

Okay, it's a chaotic zoo, with between 3-4000 vendors (many of whom sell exactly the same stuff) but it's still a must-see place. If you have time, you can shop for the cheapest deal on leather, scarves, lamps, spice, gold, evil-eye merchandise, and pretty much everything else...it's just fun to see all the stuff. We tended to shy away from... More

I really enjoyed my day at the Grand Bazaar. It was very easy to reach the Bazaar from my hotel in Sultanahmet and Sirkeci by trams ( Line "T1", tram stop "Beyazıt-Kapalıçarş).Strolled through the hundreds of stall and shops, talked with shop owners, had Turkish coffee and apple tea. I loved the atmosphere and the amazing colors of beautiful Turkish... More

Hectic but a must for visitors. Great for shopaholics but definately haggle (they expect it so dont think youre being offensive) Go for as low a price as possible (without being ridiculous & haggle from there)

Scarves, towels, shoes, carpets, pillow cases, jewelry, lamps, ceramics, Turkish snacks and tea, hats....go to the bazaar at the end of your trip cuz chances are you're going to buy a lot of stuff you don't want to lug around with you! Check hours of operation....closed on major holidays!

The Grand Bazaar was a great experience, all the colors, the products...but prices there are incredibly high and, especially with the turkish delights and tee, the quality is not good. If you want to buy turkish producs buy in the stands outside the Bazaar or even better go to the Egyptian Bazaar (Spice Market), it's a bit more local and... More