Shopping in Istanbul is known to be a magnificent experience and also a cultural comprehension regardless if you are shopping for a home environment, your wardrobe or an art and antiquities collection.
If you are shopping for …
Carpets (Kilimis), fabrics or linen, Istanbul is the place to be; Grand Bazaar and the surrounding area host some of the finest in the world. Make sure you negotiate for the price, its essential; otherwise you will get ripped off by the Turkish salesmen.
Jewelry is one fine piece of art, and once you lay eyes on what Istanbul masters have to offer you will be bewildered. Gold, silver combined with various precious stones engraved gracefully on necklaces, tiaras and bracelets are majestic. They are however complex and overdone, and sometimes kitsch for people with refined taste. But, then again, you have something of the kind for them as well.
Art and antiques is another specialty for the ones with the deep pockets. Whether it is vintage wooden furniture, or rare chandeliers or some oriental flavor to spice up the love making, Istanbul is your temple. If you want a piece of contemporary art, again you are in the right place. Contemporary Istanbul (contemporaryistanbul.com), features around 100 galleries and 600 artists who reflect the city’s busy art scene.
Food and spices, especially there is nothing better than the Spice Bazaar, a unique and insightful experience that best describes the Asian flavor to this awkwardly modern metropolis.
Around the Galata tower there are pubs and bars, yet hidden in the cobblestone alleys, up-and-growing designers present their latest pieces in tastefully decorated small boutiques. Also if you’re aiming for vintage, Istiklaal Street is the core of some amazingly furnished vintage boutiques.
Mall shopping is rather easy. You can decide at which shopping mall you will find most of the stuff you think on buying, they are pretty similar regarding the content of the brands. You have several gigantic shopping malls you can always lose yourself into.
- Istinye park
- Kanyon Istanbul
- Akmerkez
- Trump Towers Mall
- Forum Istanbul
- Istanbul Cevahir
- Metrocity
- City’s Nisantasi
- Sapphire Istanbul
- Astoria Istanbul Shopping Centre
You can always hire a professional shopper to guide during the days in Istanbul if you are having doubts whether you can make the right choices on your own. If you are travelling alone that would be of course more fun than shopping alone, yet of course it will cost you money.
