The Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı) is open Monday to Saturday, roughly 09:00 to 19:00, and closed on Sundays and on the first days of the two Bayram holidays. Entry is free. It is a covered market of several thousand shops across 60-odd streets, and the honest advice is: go for the building and the atmosphere, buy a few specific things, know your price before you start, and treat everything else as theatre.
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Opening hours | Monday to Saturday, about 09:00 to 19:00; many shops do not open fully until 10:00 and some shutter by 18:30 |
| Closed | Sundays; first day of Ramazan Bayramı and Kurban Bayramı; some national holidays. Confirm at kapalicarsi.com.tr |
| Entry | Free, through any of the gates; bags are checked at the main ones |
| Nearest tram | T1 to Beyazıt-Kapalıçarşı (Beyazıt Gate) or Çemberlitaş (Nuruosmaniye Gate) |
| Payment | Cards accepted almost everywhere; cash gets a better price. Euros, pounds and dollars accepted at poor rates: pay in lira |
| Time needed | 90 minutes to half a day |
The bazaar’s own association publishes hours and holiday closures, and they shift a little year to year, so the site above is the place to check for a specific date. If you only have a Sunday in Istanbul, go to the Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı, open Sundays) or the Arasta Bazaar behind the Blue Mosque instead.
Construction began under Mehmed II in the 1450s, soon after the conquest, around two stone bedestens (lockable warehouses) that still form the core. Everything else grew around them. There are more than 20 gates; the two you will use are:
Walk Kalpakçılar Caddesi end to end once to orient yourself (about five minutes), then turn into the side streets. Streets are still named for the trades once grouped there (Kuyumcular for jewellers, Halıcılar for carpets, Takkeciler for hat-makers), even though the trades have mixed. The İç Bedesten (Old Bedesten) in the centre is where the antiques, old silver, icons and higher-value curios are. Mobile signal is patchy under the domes; screenshot a map before you go in.
The hans are the old caravanserai courtyards around and inside the bazaar, where goods were stored and made. Several are open to walk through and are the quietest, most photogenic parts of the whole complex.
Pricing below is a rough sterling guide to what a fair agreed price looks like in 2027, based on roughly ₺67 to the pound in November 2026. Starting prices quoted to you will be higher, sometimes much higher. For the longer list of souvenirs and where to get them, see Istanbul souvenirs.
| Item | Worth it? | Fair price guide | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peshtemal (hammam towel), cotton | Yes | £6 to £15 | Check it is 100% cotton and loomed, not printed. Light, packable, genuinely useful |
| Mosaic glass lamps | Yes, with care | £15 to £60 depending on size | Ask for bubble wrap and a box; check the cable fits a UK plug (you will need an adaptor) or buy the shade only |
| Ceramics (Iznik or Kütahya style) | Yes | Small bowl £5 to £12; large plate £25 to £80 | Hand-painted quartz-body pieces from Iznik cost far more than Kütahya transfer-printed ones; the shop should be able to tell you which it is |
| Gold jewellery | Yes, if you know gold | Priced by weight at the day’s gram rate plus workmanship | Kalpakçılar is a genuine gold market; ask the gram price, check the hallmark (14, 18 or 22 ayar), get a receipt. Not a place for impulse buys |
| Spices, Turkish delight, tea | Buy at the Spice Bazaar instead | Lokum 250g £3 to £6 | Cheaper and fresher five minutes downhill at Eminönü |
| Carpets and kilims | Only if you have done your homework | Kilim from £80; room-size carpets into the thousands | Hand-knotted, wool-on-wool or silk, dyes, knot density, provenance: if you cannot judge these yourself, do not spend serious money here |
| “Designer” bags, trainers, sunglasses | No | n/a | Counterfeit. Illegal to import into the UK for sale and can be seized at the border; poor quality in any case |
| Leather jackets | Mixed | £80 to £250 | Some good Turkish leather, lots of pushy selling. Check seams and lining, and never pay a deposit for a “custom fit” to be posted on |
| Evil-eye (nazar) beads, bookmarks, magnets | Fine for small gifts | £1 to £5 | Identical everywhere; pay little and do not haggle over pennies |
Haggling is expected on anything without a printed price, which is most things apart from gold (where the gram price is fixed and only the workmanship is negotiable) and fixed-price shops that say so. It is not expected over a £2 magnet. The rules:
A few useful lines are in our Turkish phrases page. Tea offered during a negotiation is hospitality and carries no obligation; accept or decline politely either way. For what a day of shopping and eating in Istanbul costs overall, see Turkey travel costs 2027.
Turkey runs a VAT refund scheme for non-resident visitors on goods bought from shops displaying a tax-free sign, above a minimum spend, with the goods taken out of the country unused within three months. The shop issues a form; you get it stamped by customs at the airport before check-in and claim at the refund desk. In practice it is only worth the effort on a sizeable purchase (a carpet, a serious piece of jewellery), and the shop must be registered in the scheme, so ask before you pay. Standard VAT on most goods is 20 per cent; the refund after fees is less. Check the current minimum and procedure with the shop or at the refund desk, as the figures change.
There are decent lunch options inside the bazaar and the prices are not as inflated as you might expect. Look for the small lokantas and kebab counters on the side streets rather than the cafés on Kalpakçılar Caddesi. A plate of köfte with bread and ayran should be in the £5 to £8 range; a Turkish coffee or tea £1 to £2. Toilets are at several gates and cost a few lira. If you want a sit-down lunch, the terraces of the hans around the Nuruosmaniye side are the pick. Our Turkish food to try page tells you what to order.
No. It is closed every Sunday. The Spice Bazaar at Eminönü and the Arasta Bazaar behind the Blue Mosque are open.
Yes. There is no ticket; walk in through any gate.
It is safe and heavily policed, but it is crowded and pickpocketing happens, as it does in any busy market. Keep your phone and wallet in a front pocket or zipped bag. The sales pressure is the main nuisance, not crime.
Almost everywhere, yes, including small stalls. If the terminal offers to convert to pounds, press no and pay in lira. Cash still buys a slightly better price.
Ninety minutes to see the building, two to three hours if you are shopping seriously. Combine it with Süleymaniye and the Spice Bazaar for a full half day.
Istanbul souvenirs: what to buy · Topkapı Palace guide · Hagia Sophia visitor guide · Tipping in Turkey
Prices and rules checked on 8 November 2026 and change often; always confirm before you travel. Opening hours: Kapalıçarşı Esnafları Derneği, kapalicarsi.com.tr. Exchange rate: GBP/TRY, 6 November 2026. Price guides are our own estimates from current market prices, not official figures.