Must-see shopping in Istanbul

  • Jennifer's Hamam

    Sultanahmet

    Owned by Canadian Jennifer Gaudet, this shop stocks top-quality towels, peştemals (traditional bath wraps) and robes for both adults and children. All are…

  • Mehmet Çetinkaya Gallery

    Sultanahmet

    Mehmet Çetinkaya is one of the country's foremost experts on antique oriental carpets and kilims. One of his two Tavukhane Sokak galleries is built over…

  • Özlem Tuna

    Beyoğlu

    A leader in Turkey's contemporary-design movement, Özlem Tuna produces super-stylish homewares and jewellery and sells them from her retail space near the…

  • Epoque

    Istanbul

    Serious antique shoppers should make their way to this old-fashioned business near the bazaar's Nuruosmaniye Gate. Silver candlesticks and trays,…

  • Jennifer's Hamam

    Sultanahmet

    A branch of the popular bath-ware retailer, which has its main showroom nearby.

  • Gönül Paksoy

    Nişantaşi, Bomonti & Harbiye

    Paksoy creates and sells pieces that transcend fashion and step into art. In fact, every piece of clothing she designs is a one-off creation that has been…

  • İznik Classics

    Sultanahmet

    İznik Classics is one of the best places in town to source hand-painted collector-item ceramics made with real quartz and using metal oxides for pigments…

  • Mehmet Çetinkaya

    Sultanahmet

    This Arasta Bazaar branch of Mehmet Çetinkaya's gorgeous gallery sells textiles and antique jewellery.

  • Buying from a vendor at the Feriköy Organic Market

    Feriköy Organic Market

    Istanbul

    Established in 2006 as Turkey’s first ‘100% ecological bazaar’, this bustling Saturday market is still going strong, with hundreds of colourful stalls…

  • Woman walking past shop window.

    Vakko İndirim

    Istanbul

    This remainder outlet of İstanbul's famous fashion store should be on the itinerary of all bargain hunters. Top-quality men's and women's clothing – often…

  • Çiçek İşleri

    Kadıköy

    Creative jewellery, colourful ceramics, contemporary tea glasses, olive-wood coasters and bold-patterned textiles are among the ‘ideas inspired by nature’…

  • Şekerci Aytekin Erol Caferzade

    Istanbul

    One of the major draws in Üsküdar's bustling Balıkçılar Çarşısı (Fish Market), this sweets shop has been supplying locals with their regular fixes of…

  • Ali Muhıddin Hacı Bekir

    Istanbul

    Many people think that this historic shop, which has been operated by members of the same family for over 200 years, is the top place in the city to buy…

  • Nilüfer Karaca

    Beyoğlu

    Local designer Nilüfer Karaca creates sculptural pieces in muted tones that customers can purchase off the rack or have made to measure in two or three…

  • Kulak Ceramic Atelier

    Nişantaşi, Bomonti & Harbiye

    Elegant yet just a bit off-kilter, the contemporary ceramic pieces made by Zeynep Saraçoğlu and Pınar Philliskirk have an air of wabi-sabi – the ancient…

  • 3rd Culture

    Beyoğlu

    Having returned to İstanbul after many years living and working around the globe, siblings Emre and Zeynep Lale Rende decided to open a concept store…

  • Brezilya Kurukahve ve Kuruyemiş

    Kadıköy

    Located on the produce market's main strip, this shop has been selling coffee beans, nuts, dried fruit (including particularly delicious plums from…

  • Yastık by Rıfat Özbek

    Nişantaşi, Bomonti & Harbiye

    This sleek designer boutique gives cushions the kind of luxury display treatment usually reserved for Prada handbags. Fashion designer Rıfat Özbek and his…

  • Galeri Kayseri

    Sultanahmet

    A Sultanahmet fixture since 1996, Galeri Kayseri stocks a well-presented selection of English-language novels, history books, maps and coffee-table tomes…

  • Yazmacı Necdet Danış

    Istanbul

    Fashion designers and buyers from every corner of the globe know that, when in İstanbul, this is where to come to source top-quality textiles. It's…

  • Mekhann

    Istanbul

    Bolts of richly coloured, hand-woven silk from Uzbekistan and a range of finely woven shawls join finely embroidered bedspreads and pillow slips on the…

  • Altan Şekerleme

    Istanbul

    Kids aren't the only ones who like candy stores. İstanbullus of every age have been coming to this shop in the Küçük Pazar (Little Bazaar) precinct below…

  • Nakkaş

    Sultanahmet

    Nakkaş sells carpets, textiles, ceramics and jewellery. Its varied collection of more than 20,000 carpets and kilims includes antique rugs, hand-woven…

  • Bingöl Bal Pazarı

    Istanbul

    Specialising in the sweet liquid gold so beloved by Turks, this small shop behind the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque sells three types of bal (honey): flower…

  • Mabel Çikolata

    Beyoğlu

    The city's most beloved chocolate company started trading in 1947 and neither its logo nor this flagship store have changed much since that time. The milk…

  • Mephisto

    Beyoğlu

    If you develop a taste for local music while you're in town, this popular store is the place to indulge it. As well as a huge CD collection of Turkish…

  • Necef Antik & Gold

    Istanbul

    Owner Haluk Botasun has been handcrafting 24-carat gold jewellery in his tiny İç Bedesten store for decades, producing attractive pieces in Byzantine and…

  • Eyüp Sabri Tuncer

    Beyoğlu

    Turks of every age adore the colognes and beauty products produced by this local company, which was established in 1923. Its doğal zeytınyağlı (natural…

  • Opus3a

    Beyoğlu

    Those keen to supplement their CD or vinyl collections with some Turkish music should head to this large shop in Cihangir, where knowledgable English…

  • Nahıl

    Beyoğlu

    The felting, lacework, embroidery, all-natural soaps and soft toys in this lovely shop are made by economically disadvantaged women in Turkey's rural…

  • Derviş

    Istanbul

    Raw cotton and silk peştemals (bath wraps) share shelf space here with traditional Turkish dowry vests and engagement dresses. If these don't take your…

  • Beymen

    Nişantaşi, Bomonti & Harbiye

    İstanbul's most glamorous department store stocks European designer labels aplenty, as well as stylish homewares in the Bostan Sokak annexe. The Beymen…

  • Hiç

    Beyoğlu

    This contemporary crafts shop in Tophane is a favourite destination for the city's design mavens. The stock includes artworks, cushions, bags, silk…

  • Khaftan

    Sultanahmet

    Gleaming Russian icons, delicate calligraphy (old and new), ceramics, karagöz (shadow-puppet theatre) puppets, Ottoman prints and contemporary paintings…

  • Abdulla

    Istanbul

    Tucked into the corner of Fes Cafe near the Grand Bazaar, this tiny boutique stocks top-quality towels, peştemels (cotton bath wraps) and olive-oil soap.

  • Mekhann

    Beyoğlu

    The Beyoğlu branch of a well-known Grand Bazaar shop is located close to the Tophane tram stop. It specialises in high-quality textiles from Uzbekistan.

  • Caretta Vintage

    Kadıköy

    For a quirky purchase, head to this boutique, which has walls lined with rows of retro-styled sunglasses that many of Kadıköy's youthful residents…

  • Üç Yıldız Şekerleme

    Beyoğlu

    Generations of İstanbullus have purchased jams, lokum (Turkish Delight), helva (sweet made from sesame seed) and akide (hard candy) at this charming shop.

  • Haşimi Mücevherat

    Istanbul

    Beautifully decorated antique wooden boxes and carved fabric stamps from Afghanistan are the major drawcard here, but there's also some nice silver and…

  • Lale Plak

    Beyoğlu

    This small shop is crammed with CDs, including a fine selection of Turkish classical, jazz and folk music. It's a popular hangout for local musicians.

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