Galataport runs along the Bosphorus between Karakoy and Tophane. The cruise terminal was built underground so the shoreline above it could stay open, giving about 1.5 km of public promenade where the docks used to be. What is there: waterfront restaurants and cafes, a shopping level, and Istanbul Modern at the Tophane end. Entry to […]

Karakoy sits on the northern side of the Golden Horn, directly across the bridge from Eminonu. The streets between the ferry terminal and Galata now hold most of the city’s independent design shops. Practical notes: ceramics, jewellery, leather goods and stationery are the main categories; prices are fixed and cards are accepted everywhere; most shops […]

The Book Bazaar sits in a courtyard on the Beyazit side of the Grand Bazaar. It is compact, easy to find once you know the gate, and takes about twenty minutes to walk through properly. Stock is mostly secondhand Turkish books, but the stalls also carry framed calligraphy, Ottoman map reproductions and miniature prints. These […]

Tahtakale is the wholesale market district between the Spice Bazaar and the Golden Horn. It is not a tourist attraction and does not present itself as one, which is the main reason to go. The area is organised by trade. One street sells coffee, nuts and dried fruit; another kitchen and restaurant equipment; another haberdashery. […]

Nuruosmaniye Street connects the Nuruosmaniye Mosque with the eastern gate of the Grand Bazaar. In practical terms it is the shopping street for anyone who wants the bazaar’s goods without the bazaar’s crush. Expect jewellers, carpet and kilim dealers, and antique shops. Most are long-established businesses with fixed premises, which means fixed opening hours, card […]

Arasta Bazaar is a single pedestrian street of roughly seventy shops directly behind the Blue Mosque, built in the seventeenth century as part of the mosque complex. Stock is mainly carpets, kilims, ceramics, textiles and silver — much the same as the Grand Bazaar, but the street is narrow, quiet and impossible to get lost […]

Istinye Park is a large shopping centre in Sariyer, north of the city centre, with roughly three hundred shops including a separate luxury wing. Practical notes: open daily 10:00 to 22:00. There is a cinema, a supermarket, a covered-bazaar style food hall and valet parking. Tax-free refund forms are issued at the information desk on […]

Forum Istanbul is a large shopping and entertainment complex in Bayrampasa with around 250 shops, an aquarium, a Madame Tussauds, a snow park and a cinema. Practical notes: open daily 10:00 to 22:00. Attractions are ticketed separately from the shops; combined tickets are available and are cheaper than buying individually. Turkuazoo takes about an hour, […]

Cevahir is a large shopping centre in Sisli, opened in 2005, with about three hundred and forty shops over six levels. Practical notes: open daily 10:00 to 22:00. Mainstream high-street brands, electronics, a cinema, a large food court and a children’s play area. Cards accepted everywhere; tax-free forms available at the information desk. Getting there: […]

The Grand Bazaar is a covered market of roughly four thousand shops on sixty-one streets, in continuous operation since 1461. It sits about twelve minutes on foot from the hotel, mostly along the tram line. Orientation. There are more than twenty gates; the Nuruosmaniye Gate on the east side is the least crowded and the […]

The Spice Bazaar sits beside the New Mosque at Eminonu, about ten minutes downhill from the hotel. It is an L-shaped covered hall with roughly eighty shops, built in 1664. What to buy: saffron, sumac, pul biber, dried apricots and figs, pistachios, Turkish delight, apple and herbal tea blends. Most shops vacuum-pack on request, which […]