It's definitely a lot to handle and experience. In essence it's a huge "flea market" that is…read moreperfect for souvenirs and such. The people can be alittle aggressive but you just gotta give them that same energy. It's doesn't need to be an all day thing but I recommend spending atleast 3-5 hours in there (thankfully it's huge so that's actually easy)

I was looking froward to the Grand Bazaar and while I'm glad I was able to see it, I would…read morerecommend visiting the Spice Bazaar instead. First, to describe, the Grand Bazaar was overwhelmingly smokey. With the heat the smell was even more unpleasant on top of being extremely crowded and I was disappointed to learn from our guide that everything luxury branded is fake. Our visit was included in a tour we took and while I'm glad I was able to visit it, I much preferred the Spice Bazaar which was less busy and had better air quality. All in all, I wouldn't recommend taking a tour that includes the Grand Bazaar during the Summer but stopping in on your own time for a few minutes to take in the history of the space is definitely worth it.

This large plaza is located between the Topaki Palace and the Blue Mosque…read more It quite litterally contains many of the top attractions in the Faith / Sultanament DIstrict. There are also a few parks, plus the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Basilica Cisterna, The Hippodrome of Constantinople, et al. It is usually packed with people during the day but clears out at night. The fountain near the Hagia Sofia is not exactly the fountains at Bellagio but the color changes with the Mosques in the background are fun to watch. There also is a multitude of restarants, vendors, shops, ATM's and tram station nearby

This is the Mecca of Istanbul visitors! Hard to miss if you plan to check out the Blue Mosque…read moreor/and Hagia Sophia since this plaza is right in between them. It was April when we visited, so the trees where in bloom which is nice! The end of the tulips season well. The fountain is pretty, check out the mosaic fresca-s and details that decorate it! Plenty of benches around, ideal to grab a snack near by and sit here and enjoy it. Not an easy task because the area is crowded with lots of locals, tourists, even huge groups. Lots of photo ops here, everywhere you turn is a nice sight! A few restaurants around, as well as street vendors if you want to grab a simit, roasted chestnuts, corn or fresh squeezed juices for a snack break. Prices are higher than in other areas since it's such a touristy area, but oh well... when in Sultanahmet Square... you should expect it! Our hotel wasn't far, so we would the plaza to get around town since it leads you to the tram, shops and restaurants also! Try to visit in the evening, it gets way quieter and the buildings are beautiful lit up! Hard to miss, good area to check out, stroll, take a break in the action. This is the center of historic Istanbul, expect crowds, but try to enjoy the sights as well!

The old Aponia store on Galip Dede Caddesi, near the Galata Tower has closed and moved to an 18th…read morecentury building in Perşembe Pazarı, which is also near Galata Tower. The new store is called "Cat Museum Istanbul." https://catmuseum.co/ The owner of Aponia continues to offer brilliant, off-beat graphic designs in T-shirts at the new location. He is also continuing the tradition of setting aside 50% of profits for the care of street animals.

Aponia is such a unique place to see even for local people of Istanbul. I've visited the shop at…read moredown Galata and it was a great experience to meet all that designs on all products! They're also selling some special brand coffee that causes the place to have an intimate ambiance. Tshirts, wallets, postcards, boxes, american services... You may find many unusual gifts. The prices are not so expensive when you compare to have a special design products from somewhere else. Tshirts are around 45 tl. You may meet an unexpected guest inside, a lovely, big, brown cat. :)

While the Grand Bazar was incredibly smokey to the point it was difficult to be within it, Misir is…read moreits much younger more comfortable cousin. The air quality is much much better and it's also easier to navigate. If you struggle with air quality issues but want a Grand Bazar like experience I'd recommend stopping in here as it's quite similar but a smaller less busy scale. All in all, I was able to purchase the mini fez I wanted here, so I would definitely come back.

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.

We stumbled into this shop because they had a nice cat inside and there was no aggressive bulky…read moreoutside insisting we go in. Two parts, we got a smaller Turkish mosaic lamp that may or may not make it back packed in bubble wrap and clothes, and a little rug for one of our cats, and a pillow case for our cat sitter, and a scarf for a Philosopher friend. In the ceramics part of the shop we got some pretty bowls which also might not survive the ride in luggage but they did wrap them up well and they are embedded in clothes and yarn. The Chief of Staff is in to knitting and bought yarn in Turkiye, which makes for good packing. None of this was expensive and the attempts to upset weren't overbearing.

I astonished by the beauty and quality of the mosaics Sinan showed me. He was patient and educated…read moreme in the tradition of his craft. After three visits I decided to buy one large plate and a mosaic. They both arrived via UPS a week later in perfect conditions. (He sent them hand-made in crates!) I believe I got an incredible deal for museum quality art, and I can't wait to return and have tea and be educated by gracious Sinan and his brother about Turkish craft. Thank you Sinan!

Enjoyed visiting so much. The vibe, the lovely people, our hotel Sofitel was great. Loved the…read morecats in the streets, the shops and restaurants are fantastic. I would visit again for sure.

Taksim Meydanı or Taskim Square is a large open area with a monument in the center…read more It as a vast complex surrounded by shops, vendors, a huge mosque and the like. There is also a park adjacent as well as several embassys, and its one of the main shopping districts in Istanbul It was later in the day and some light rain on and off so for our visit it was not packed. But we also wanted to get back to Sultanment so we did not spend a ton of time here,

There's lots of stationary stores [so many in fact that i can't understand why Yelp doesn't have a…read morecategory "stationers"] but in ikitelli this is the stationers to go to. they are as friendly, as helpful. as considerate as it gets. honest. always books on sale for kids. if you can get it in turkey, they'll get it for you. - i really wanted will james' 'smokey' and he really searched. no luck finding it but he searched. the big chains don't really care all that much. and of course in the old fashioned "stambouli" tradition, a cup of tea while you wait as they look. they treat everybody with the same deference, little kids, old folks, moms or dads. they don't measure you by your tailor. there are chain bookstores i go to that don't see past my worn jeans. this is one store in one local neighborhood so you aren;t going to drive over from kadıköy of course, but if you're near Atatürk Mahallesi or Arena Park, you'll do better off here than some multı-story commercial stationers. for example, there's a place down the road a bit, where i bought a very expensive fountain pan - the manager let me fumble around looking for files and covers. everybody was too busy to help. i saw the pen, a couple of hundred TL. cartridge. i use ink, but they only carried cartridges. to make a long story short, the manager annoyed, says to me to the effect "don't you know how to load a cartridge!" as he took the pen out of my hands and forced it in backwards. i got a fountain pen pump for that pen at a shop in Eminönü the next time i was there where i've bought pens for about 30 years, but that's a schlep from ikitelli. - we had a good laugh. - i gave up dressing up lifetimes ago. at Batı they literally treat you like their veli. ıt's not just a sign behind the counter.

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.