Tourists in Istanbul inevitably are drawn to the grand bazaar, but if you want to see and be attracted to much higher quality and more unique Turkish made items you must go to the Arasta Bazaar. It takes a little more effort to find this street, tuck behind and below the Blue Mosque, but I promise you that it will... More

Tourists in Istanbul inevitably are drawn to the grand bazaar, but if you want to see and be attracted to much higher quality and more unique Turkish made items you must go to the Arasta Bazaar. It takes a little more effort to find this street, tuck behind and below the Blue Mosque, but I promise you that it will... More

This is a great place to wonder if you are staying in the Sultanhamet area. It has pretty much the same kind of items that you will see at most bazaar's in Istanbul heavy on the scarves) but it is a nice leisurely stroll and you can meander through after your dinner.

A micro version with a sampling of shops from the Grand Bazaar. Not as busy and crowded but also not as much choices. Went there to visit Jennifer's Hamam shop which was highly recommended on this website. She has 2 stores there (one at each end). Both have fixed prices. The other stores sell more of less the same items... More

As the Istanbul bazaars go, this one is small and low key with only a few shops - but there are also fewer people and less hassle from the sellers. It's an interesting contrast to the Grand and Spice bazaars, but it certainly wouldn't ruin your holiday if you gave it a miss.

If you're near the Blue Mosque you should visit the Arasta Bazaar. Facing the mosque you will find it to the left and down the hill a few yards. Its much smaller than the Grand Bazaar but still has good choices of almost every item you would find there and usually priced less. It is also not as crowded or... More

The Arasta Bazaar was a much more pleasant shopping experience for me than the Grand Bazaar. It is much smaller but there are some nice shops and you can still bargain for some good shopping deals. Worth checking out.

We found this little bazaar our first night of wandering and revisited it a couple more times. No people each time meant keen shopkeepers pounced but there were far fewer here so it made it much less intimidating than the Grand Bazaar. The quality of goods here I found was excellent. My young adult son needed to pick up a... More

After walking all day, this was our nightly hang out spot. Make sure you get a Pomegrante and Orange Juice here. Excellent stuff!