Tours and Tickets to Experience Spice Bazaar (Misir Carsisi)

There are plenty of ways to experience the Spice Bazaar. Looking at ratings and reviews previously given by customers, these are the best tours available right now:

• Best of Istanbul 1, 2 or 3-Day Private Guided Istanbul Tour

• Istanbul Taste of Two Continents Food Tour - Spice Market & Ferry

• Bosphorus Yacht Cruise Experience: Visit the Asian Side

• Luxury Bosphorus Yacht Tour – Asian Side Stop & Exploration

• Best Of Istanbul 1, 2 or 3 Day Private Guided Tour

There’s no charge to visit the Spice Bazaar, but many travelers opt to visit on a tour. Private custom bazaar tours start at around US$75, while prices go up for Istanbul food tours that visit the bazaar, and for full-day tours of Istanbul.

The Spice Bazaar is near the water on the Asian side of old Istanbul, close to the Galata Bridge, a little less than a 1-mile (1.6-kilometer) walk northwest of the Blue Mosque. Catch tram 1 or 5 to the Ëminönü transport interchange, go by boat, or join a tour that includes transportation.

Hours for the Spice Bazaar are 8am–7:30pm daily, though some stalls may close for Friday prayers around the middle of the day on Friday. If you can, plan your visit for midweek rather than going on a weekend, and visit early to get ahead of the crowds.

Yes, some vendors at the Spice Bazaar will allow bargaining, though it’s not quite as much of a free-for-all as the Grand Bazaar. As a general rule, where prices for items are marked, they tend to be fixed; where prices are not marked, bargaining is accepted.

Yes, the Spice Bazaar is broadly wheelchair accessible, but some of its individual stores or specific stalls may not be. Note that Istanbul in general remains a challenging destination for travelers who rely on wheelchairs, due to the cobbles and the hills.