The Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı, "the covered market") is one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world. Its core, a vaulted warehouse for precious goods, was built on the orders of Mehmed II shortly after the conquest of 1453, and the market has kept growing ever since. Today it covers about 45,000 m², with some 3,600 shops, 22 gates and 14 hans, the old caravanserais where craftsmen and wholesalers still work. Entry is free, Monday to Saturday. People come for jewellery, carpets, ceramics, lamps and leather, but also for the atmosphere of its vaulted streets, between Beyazıt and Nuruosmaniye, a fifteen-minute walk from Hagia Sophia.
Highlights
The great vaulted streets
Kalpakçılarbaşı Street links the Beyazıt gate (gate 7) to the Nuruosmaniye gate (gate 1): it is the main axis, lined with jewellers, and the best thread to follow so you don't get lost. The side streets lead to the specialist quarters: ceramics, textiles, leather, antiques. The roof and the gates were restored during a large project carried out in stages since the early 2020s.
Lamps, ceramics and textiles
Glass mosaic lamps, plates and tiles decorated in the Iznik style, peştemal (cotton hammam towels) and carpets are the most common buys. Quality varies a great deal from one shop to the next: compare several stalls before you buy.
The bazaar's cafés
Small cafés tucked into the vaulted streets serve tea and Turkish coffee to traders and visitors alike. It is the place to take a break, watch the porters and shopkeepers come and go, and think things over before a big purchase.
The Cevahir Bedesteni
At the centre of the bazaar, this vaulted stone hall, the oldest part of the market, held valuable goods and was locked at night. Today it houses antique dealers, jewellers and sellers of old objects.
The hans
Around the bazaar, old caravanserais such as the Zincirli Han, on the northern edge, or the Büyük Valide Han, a little further along the sloping Çakmakçılar street, house workshops of jewellers, goldsmiths and weavers. Quieter than the main streets, they show the bazaar at work, not just the bazaar that sells.
Haggling without falling out
The marked price, when there is one, is a starting point for souvenirs, carpets and leather. Ask the price in two or three shops, make a clearly lower counter-offer, then meet in the middle calmly; don't start bargaining if you have no intention of buying. Paying cash often gets you a discount; gold, for its part, is sold by weight at the day's rate, plus the cost of the workmanship.
Infos pratiques
Tips
Entry is free and most shops accept bank cards; pay in Turkish lira rather than euros, as the rate applied to foreign currency is often poor (situation in October 2026). Beware of designer bags and watches sold cheaply: they are fakes. For a carpet or a piece of jewellery, insist on a detailed invoice. Keep your bag closed and in front of you in the crowds. Since 2024, travel agencies have offered small-group tours of the restored roof.
How to get there
Beyazıt, Kalpakçılar Caddesi, 34126 Fatih, Istanbul. Tram T1, Beyazıt-Kapalıçarşı stop (gate 7, Beyazıt side) or Çemberlitaş (gate 1, via Nuruosmaniye street). Metro M2, Vezneciler station, a ten-minute walk. From Sultanahmet, allow about 15 minutes on foot along Divanyolu avenue. The Spice Bazaar, in Eminönü, is a 15-minute walk downhill through the shopping streets of Mahmutpaşa.
Opening hours
Nearby
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