I did a walking tour in Istanbul. Our last stop was at the Grand Bazaar. I have been told that it…read moreis the largest market in the city. It's huge! You can easily get lost looking at a ton of merchandise. I bought M&M's cell phone cases. I also got Turkish tea. You can score pretty decent deals. If you need to bring back gifts, this place is for you. It does get busy. Pack patience with you! (106)

This place is a haggler's dream. I remember my visit so vividly. From the Turkish delight samples…read moreand gentleman pushing free apple tea to the comical haggling and beautiful scarves. This is *the* grand bazaar often credited fir today's modern mall concept. The energy is buzzing in every nook and cranny of the grand bazaar and you could easily lose yourself in the abundance of colorful stalls selling nearly everything under the sun- but most importantly, artistic Turkish treasures like rugs, lighting, scarves, etc. A few other notables that will mark this experience in your memory forevermore: -The beautiful call to prayer playing over the speakers throughout the hallways -the Grand Bazaar is located conveniently not too far from the spice bazaar (another great stop for treasures and smells) Don't be shy! Bartering is part of the experience and if you work at it, you're in for some deals and fun. (Note that bartering is part of the Turkish culture and almost like a sport in the Grand Bazaar).

The Grand Bazaar has been around since the 1400s and is one of the oldest and largest covered…read moremarkets in the world. It is worth a look just for the experience. There are several gates to enter and it is easy to get lost if you are not paying attention. You will find all kinds of stores here: clothing, jewelry, shoes, souvenirs, teas, spices, carpets and more. In terms of actual shopping though, you can find cheaper prices outside. Because their rent is higher and because they know they can ripoff many tourists, the prices here are inflated even after bartering.

If you've come to Istanbul then you have to visit the Grand Bazaar but be warned: It's nuts in…read morehere. Lots of traffic, lots of confusion, lots of vendors and lots of walking. One thing they don't have? Lots of prices. As with many things in this part of the world, you're expected to haggle. Pick a shop, pick your item and decide how much you'd like to pay for it. Me? I like knowing how much something costs. I don't want a conversation. I want to browse and look and try to figure out if the items I see are something I might be interested in purchasing. And so I found the Kapalıçarşı to be very hard for me to shop. I ended up buying nothing. Way too much going on here for me. The Grand Bazaar is historic. Gate number 1 (there are some 19 "official" gates) dates back to 1461. Yeah, that's seriously old!