The quick answer
- Choose the Grand Bazaar if you want atmosphere, shopping (jewellery, carpets, lamps, ceramics) and are happy to haggle.
- Choose the Egyptian Bazaar if you want to bring back food (spices, tea, Turkish delight, dried fruit), have an hour, and prefer a place that is easier to walk around.
- Both: for a day in the old city, the Egyptian Bazaar in the morning at Eminönü, then the Grand Bazaar after a walk of about twenty minutes.
At a glance
| Grand Bazaar | Egyptian Bazaar | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Dozens of covered streets and over 4,000 shops (order of magnitude) | An L-shaped hall, much smaller |
| What you find | Jewellery, carpets, leather, ceramics, lamps, textiles | Spices, tea, Turkish delight, dried fruit, cheese |
| Suggested time | 2 to 3 hours | 45 minutes to 1 hour |
| Closed | Sunday | Open every day |
| Atmosphere | Maze, frequent sales pitches | Easier to read, but very busy |
| Access | T1 tram, Beyazıt-Kapalıçarşı or Çemberlitaş | T1 tram, Eminönü |
Hours are indicative and not published by an official website in service: see the pages for the Grand Bazaar (Monday-Saturday, about 08:30-19:00, closed on Sunday and on the first day of the major religious holidays) and the Egyptian Bazaar (every day, about 08:00-19:30, opening at 09:30 on Sunday).
The Grand Bazaar: who is it for?
It is Istanbul's most famous market and one of the oldest covered markets in the world. You will get lost, and that is part of the fun: note the gates and keep an exit in mind before you head in. The streets are organised by trade, and the hans (multi-storey courtyards) hide quieter workshops and cafés. It is the right place for a carpet, a piece of jewellery, a mosaic lamp or ceramics, provided you compare prices in several shops. Haggling is the rule; for carpets, beware of very high "opening prices" and of middlemen who steer you to a particular shop. See also our advice in scams and safety.
The Egyptian Bazaar: who is it for?
The Egyptian Bazaar, in Eminönü, is smaller and easier to understand: a hall of spices, teas, Turkish delight, dried fruit and cheese, with market streets around it. It suits food gifts and a first immersion at the time of day when the district comes alive. Compare prices and taste before you buy: shops near the main entrance cater to groups. For sweets, our guide to pastries and baklava gives benchmarks. The Galata Bridge and the ferry piers are next door.
Visiting both in the same day
- Arrive in Eminönü around 09:00 (T1 tram). Walk through the Egyptian Bazaar, then the nearby Rüstem Pasha Mosque, decorated with Iznik tiles.
- Walk to the Grand Bazaar through the Tahtakale shopping streets (twenty to twenty-five minutes), or take the T1 tram to Beyazıt-Kapalıçarşı.
- Stop for lunch in a lokanta, then spend the afternoon in the Grand Bazaar. Finish at the Süleymaniye Mosque, ten minutes' walk away.
On Sunday the Grand Bazaar is closed: keep that day for the Egyptian Bazaar and the Eminönü district, or read Istanbul in 2 days to plan the rest.
Hours and closing days to be confirmed before your visit; they change during religious holidays (see public holidays and bayrams).
