Shopping in Grand Bazaar

Istanbul, Turkey

3 to 4 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Perfect your haggling abilities in the heart of the Grand Bazaar during this 3-to-4-hour small group guided walking tour in Istanbul. With more than 60 blocks of bustling stalls and shops, the Grand Bazaar is one of the biggest covered markets on the planet. Stroll this labyrinth alongside your expert guide and discover the finest merchants and even try your luck bargaining for crafts and souvenirs. This tour is limited to 5 people to provide a more intimate atmosphere with your guide.

Avoid getting lost in this world-famous souk and seek out the best stalls and shops
Learn how to haggle like a local and find a bargain
Shop for authentic Turkish keepsakes like locally crafted jewelry, or alabaster pots
Small-group tour with a maximum of 5 people ensures a more personalized experience

What's Included

English speaking licenced professional tourist guide
A/C Deluxe chauffeur driven vehicle
Pick up from the centrally located Istanbul Hotels

Food and drinks
Hotel drop off

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

Pick-up is included only from centrally located Eıuropean side hotels

Meeting point

Grand Bazaar
Beyazıt, 34126 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Operating hours
.9:00 am

Itinerary

After meeting your guide near Çemberlitaş tram station in Istanbul, make your way through this lively neighborhood to the entrance of the famous Grand Bazaar. Enter the world’s oldest and largest souk and learn how it was built in the 15th century by the Ottomans who defeated and took over Constantinople.

Begin your 3.5 hour walking tour, but remember to keep close to your guide since it’s easy to get lost in the slender alleys and winding corridors of this labyrinth of commerce. Hear how this covered market is home to upwards of 4,000 stalls and shops that provide something for everyone. See striking jewelry, artisan crafted ceramics, traditional Turkish woven rugs and an array of other eclectic crafts. As you roam through this maze, uncover the detailed history of this market and discover its best shops.

Take a break and stop for some traditional Turkish tea or coffee or grab a snack at an eatery which can be easily found in between shops and stalls (own expense).

Listen as your guide explains the tricks of the trade for bargaining with shopkeepers. With your skills honed, search for your favorite items and bargain for great and fair deals. After you finish the tour, bid farewell to your guide and continue shopping and exploring at your leisure.

Grand Bazaar

3 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible

Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 5 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.0

based on 29 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Interesting and personal tour!

Darcy_G, Aug 2022

We enjoyed this tour with Istanbul Walks and guide Tayfun. Tayfun provided a personal and informative tour. He grew up playing hide and seek in the Grand Bazar and could tell us how the Bazar originated and how it evolved up until how it is today. Great tour for everyone in the family.

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Hello Darcy, Thank you for your nice comments & thoughts. We would love to see you again on your İstanbul vacations. Thanks, Caner

Excellent window shopping plus

kingsongeo, Feb 2020

Lutfallah, the guide, did a superb job navigating this incredible bazaar. Nice cultural excursion. Highly recommend to those who are into shopping.

Response from Host, Feb 2020

Thank you very much for your compliments to our guide Lutfullah. We hope to see you again in Istanbul. Kind Regards,

Great tour guide very informative with...

Jason M, Jul 2016

Great tour guide very informative with alot of knowledge and history for the Grand Bazaar

Serhat was a fantastic guide, he...

Lorna H, May 2016

Serhat was a fantastic guide, he showed us around his Grand Bazaar with great pride and insiders knowledge. There were only 2 of us which made it very special and Serhat was in no hurry to move us on. He explained the art of bargaining and took us to some special places we would never have found on our own. At the end of the tour he recommended a place for lunch which was amazing and also ensured we knew our way back to the hotel. Thank you Serhat for the introduction to wonderful Istanbul.

Serhat took my husband and I on a...

Leisa J, Feb 2016

Serhat took my husband and I on a private tour of the Bazaar, very interesting and fun. I definitely would not have been able to appreciate the history and see the little hans, gold and silversmiths with out Serhat. Went in the morning when all the shopkeepers were just opening and setting up for the day, the best time as the bazaar was not crowded.

Incredible. Definitely to the...

Kevin P, Aug 2015

Incredible. Definitely to the morning tour - the Bazaar is not crowded. Excellent guide. Lots of information. Lots of fun!

We didn't see enough of the Grand...

Wendy H, Aug 2015

We didn't see enough of the Grand Bazaar - instead we were taken to a rug shop outside the bazaar when noone wanted to see or purchase a rug. Turkish delight shop was excellent

Ended up getting a private tour with...

Julia O, Nov 2014

Ended up getting a private tour with Serhat, which I thoroughly enjoyed, particularly the visit to the silversmith and goldsmith! He was able to answer all my questions (there were lots). The visit to the carpet manufacturer - while somewhat interesting - was not necessary.

The company did not realize there...

Brian T, Sep 2014

The company did not realize there were no tours to this site on Sundays so I was postponed until the following weekend and had to change my travel plans. Only one person (me) on the tour. Kind of short, guide seemed in a hurry to get away.

this tour was nice and the tour...

weteyelashes, Sep 2014

this tour was nice and the tour guide was so friendly, we really enjoyed it! however there were no drop off hotel facility, while it was clearly mentioned into the voucher that it is included! we had to return by taxi!! what is more that we nobody picked up us from hotel till 1 hour and we had to call the contact person, then they had arrived but very lately, so we had lost approx. 1.5 hrs of our tour.

The small-group turned out to be a...

Jonathan E, Aug 2014

The small-group turned out to be a private tour. Our guide Apo determined what we wanted to see and what we didn't want to see and tailored everything to us. Overall a great experience.

was to much on history and how the...

Kaye X, Jul 2014

was to much on history and how the Bazaar came about and about the gold and silver we just wanted to shop hence why we went on a shopping tour

extremely knowledgable and personal...

christine p, Nov 2013

extremely knowledgable and personal guide who took me all over the Grand Bazaar to see things I would never have found on my own. Yuke also helped me by teanslating my bank problem to the person in charge. A most enjoyable experience in evry respect.

Our guide was polite and appeared...

Andrew H, Sep 2013

Our guide was polite and appeared knowledgeable regarding Turkish history up front, but we were very disappointed with the use of our time during the Grand Bazaar tour. The tour was scheduled to begin at 9am and we were told to meet at 8:45am, but then we were informed (upon meeting) that the Bazaar would not be open until 9:30am, so we were not taken to the Grand Bazaar until closer to 10am. During our time in the Grand Bazaar, our guide was not helpful with locating the items that we were interested in buying and her inability to provide relevant input as we shopped within the Grand Bazaar was disappointing to say the least. The vendors we visited sold products we had expressed zero interest in (i.e., leather jackets and Turkish rugs) and to conclude we were dropped off at a Turkish Rug manufacturer at 11:45am, even though the tour was scheduled to conclude at 12:30pm. This was after we had told the guide that we had previously toured a rug manufacturer and that we had zero interest in purchasing a rug. We were taken to the rug shop anyway and spent 30 minutes of our tour listening to the hard sell of the carpet vendor.

This small group tour turned into me...

Neville D, Aug 2013

This small group tour turned into me having my own private guide as I was the only one on it. It was fantastic as my guide showed me some great stores and told me what is locally made (which is very little) and the stuff not to buy. We went to a lovely coffee shop and enjoyed some Turkish coffee. Afterwards my guide took me on a walk of the area to look at the local architecture as I had enough of shopping. The guides in Turkey have to complete a 4 year course so are all highly knowledgable and are really friendly.

This tour guide was brilliant no...

Klaus Jurgen W, May 2013

This tour guide was brilliant no shopping just the history

There were only the two of us in the...

Zaida A, Apr 2013

There were only the two of us in the tour. We met with the young guide on time. We walked the bazaar and received some interesting inside information.

We were the only ones on this tour...

Philip S, Feb 2013

We were the only ones on this tour so we had personal attention. Our guide, Serhat, was very knowledgeable, friendly and spoke perfect English. He showed us and told us many interesting things. Our only slight criticism was that the tour ended in a carpet outlet, away from the Grand Bazaar, that we did not want or need and was a waste of everyones time.