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.

When my neighbors in Zurich heard that I was partly relocating to Istanbul, they didn't wast any…read moretime - they almost immediately handed over an old label on a small empty bag, which they said had been filled with the finest pistachios they had ever had. And yes, they would love to get more if I could find them. Not easy. All the label said was that it was from a place or company called Güven. No address or anything. But of course I found them. Not, as I had thought, in Macro or some other upscale supermaket, but on Teşvikiye Caddesi. So I went there, walked in, and immediately knew that this was my place for almonds and pistachios in Isanbul. It's like a showroom for all kinds of nuts, and everything you get there is first class. Some people may argue that you can't really taste much of a difference between regular pistachios and expensive ones - but if you really love them you do. And if you do, this is your place. As expensive as they may be - the peeled pistachios are as good as it gets, trust me. Grab a bag of them, don't look at the price, just swipe your card, punch in your number, and take them home. Beware. You'll never buy them anywhere else again. Oh, and - they have a second shop, in Nisantası as well. Valikonagi Cad. No:50