This bazar was not as big as the grand bazar but it was very fun with some cool businesses. I went…read morethere multiple times for shopping and I enjoyed the vibe of it. If you find any opportunities, visiting this place is recommended! :)

Much preferable to the Grand Bazaar, it's smaller with less aggressive sales people. Near the Blue…read moreMosque, and like a couple of other Yelpers, we found a nice shop to get scarves. You should still visit the Grand Bazaar and Spice-Egyptian Bazaars for the tourism, but for more enjoyable shopping come here. It's also near the mosaic museum which I'm not sure is worth your time but I mention this for orientation purposes. You can meet some nice cats here.

I mean, you have to visit here, right?! The sights. The sounds. The smells. The haggling…read more Plenty of selection to choose from, whether you are shopping for yourself or someone else. Prices seemed fairly reasonable, even with it being a high tourist area. You definitely shouldn't lack for a helpful guide to assist you with your purchases. Fun to try the samples they are giving out also. Turkish treats and teas a plenty.

This end of the Grand Bazaar is the spice market, and although it's surely worth a visit, it would…read morenot be your best bet for spices. One of our favorite souvenirs is a brass pepper grinder but I prefer to load it up with Penzey's Tellicherry peppercorns. The displayed spices are lovely to admire, but the aggressive sales people can grate on your nerves. Still, you'll be passing through here to visit other sites, especially the Rustem Pasha Mosque so plan for the time.

Tourist trap or not, I was ready to explore the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul. This bazaar is massive…read moreand amazing, so be prepared to walk around. I ended up going multiple times to this bazaar while I was vacationing. The second or third time I visited, my hubby and I got many things from one particular shop. The shop owner wanted to show us more of his merchandise which was not in his store. The best part was that he took us thru a narrow staircase which opened to the factory part of the grand bazaar. Many shop owners have storage units and working areas on the second floor of the grand bazaar. It was a great experience checking out the working place with pots, pans, ceramics etc. Back to the buying part: I bought several goodies such as silk scarfs, jewelry specially rings and other treasures. It was fun walking around the many shops. There are around 3,000 small shops connected to each other. Grand Bazaar is one of the oldest covered markets in the world. Many of the vendors sell similar items. If you feel like your getting ripped off, just walk to the next shop. Bargain like a pro, use sign language, or any other sneaky methods. Some of my recommendations: You want to get the best deals? Do not wear expensive jewelry or clothes. The prices are not set so when the employees see you they can make the price higher or lower. Try not to say your from the U.S, say any other country. U.S is considered a rich country, therefore they will try to sell you everything double the price. Have fun, and definitely buy some items to remember your trip by. I loved the grand bazaar, wish I could shop there every week.~

Tourist Trap? For sure! The Grand Bazaar is a maze you'll get lost!…read more Oldest market, and for me the biggest I have ever been to. It has several entrances and exits, thousands of merchants (no exaggeration) and you'll find everything in here from souvenirs, teas, Turkish delight, spices, fake branded clothes and so on. Higher prices than anywhere else. Beautiful decor, prepare to face the crowds and the maze. You'll be trapped and get lost, so bring your patience along. But when in Istanbul, you have to visit!

This bazaar was recommended to us since we wanted to check out something not so touristy. So we…read moreventured to the Asian side to check this out. The bazaar was ALL locals... as in we had trouble communicating with sellers because they could not speak English. Knowing Arabic did come in handy in a couple of cases. I would not recommend that visitors take the time to come here. The Egyptian/Spice Bazaar in Eminonu had many of the same products for less. The fruit stands were nice... but you can find those all over Istanbul. It was nice to spend half a day completely surrounded by locals and get a more authentic idea of how this city works... however, there are probably better ways to do that than to come here.

Definitely come here more for the hype than the food. The steak was excellent but the appetizer was…read morevery mediocre. The best cuts are either the tomahawk or the dallas cut. Don't get too fancy of a cut of steak but stick to the standard cuts, because others have complained. They try to do a show when presenting your food but it's honestly very bad. They dropped a few pieces of the steak on the floor when cutting it and our steak lost really good pieces. Also the baklava gets really smushed and broke several times when they were preparing it. If they are not good at the showmanship, it would be better if they didn't do it all instead of ruining the food. The baklava was very excellent tasting but very pricey.

A visit to Istanbul is incomplete without a visit to the Asian Side. And this is the best area to…read moredo so. The Kadiköy Market is the highlight of the area.... After you arrive here by ferry you're pretty much there already. Just a few steps away you will find dining and shopping choices a-plenty. The most interesting streets would be Mühürda Caddesi, Yasa Caddesi and of course Günesli Bahce Sokak where you also will find the small but wonderful Kadiköy Market with lots of fresh fruit, veggies and fish. Lots of good and authentic restaurants and Coffee Shops and stores with good prices. In general: You will spend a lot less on food and drinks here than in Sultanahmed or Beyoglu. A great place to get some Börek would be the "Kadikoy Merkez Börekcisi" on Mührürdar Cadessi. Great Mezze and other fresh food you can enjoy at the "Gözde Sarküteri" on Günesli Bahce Sokak. Walk into the small shops and stores. Many products are not found easy in the other districts. We also bought some turkish wine in a shop - for about half the price what we paid in Sultanahmed. We enjoyed our time here very much. It just feels more real, authentic and personal here. And people were lovely.... don't miss out on it!

Kadiköy is on the Asian side of the Marmara sea, and is certainly worth the crossing for its food…read moremarket. It is very close to the piers where the boats from Besiktas, Kabatas, Eminonu and Karakoy arrive. Kadikoy Market is a place where Turkish people live in Kadikoy region like to shop and because of its central location and accessibility, the place is somehow a passage way and it is always crowded. Once you entered the market first the colors of the fresh produced fruits and vegetables capture you. Then you are embraced with the smell of the products such as pastrami, olives, cheese and many more from the delis. It is famous with the fish stores where the fish is cleaned and produced. It is definitely not a tourist spot but a good place to watch Turkish people. There are lots and lots of fast food joints and cafes and taverns and bakeries, patisseries in Kadiköy Market, I recommend Yanyali Fehmi, Ciya Sofrasi for food, Beyaz Firin and Baylan for patisserie. Just live, feel, watch, smell, taste in the environment and let its atmosphere drags you in the vividness of the market ...