Kapali Carsi

We visited here on a Saturday and while it was busy, we didn’t feel it was overrun. We enjoyed walking around the complex for a few hours, taking in the sights and sounds. Haggling for the couple of things I bought was simple enough. We didn’t feel harassed by vendors and flound a lovely cafe for lunch and had tea at another. For us it was a nice way to spend the morning and a must see.

In November 2022, I finally made it to Istanbul. I discovered Eğin Tekstil and I must recommend to other prospective tourist.

Beautiful architecture and alleys, but all the same and just a great, wonderful tourist trap, really. I'm glad we went and wandered, but nothing bought as quite pricey for anything. You are mobbed as you wander, but all are polite, with a wave of a hand, a no, and a walk on by.

The structural beauty to the eye surrounded by colors of spices, teas, trinkets, jewelry and other assortments of foods were nice. The costs were pretty substantial and the overwhelming smell of cigarette smoke took center stage. Expect a lot of fast talking, perfume samples on your arm and food and tea samples as you are being presented with multiple items to purchase. Be sure to have the salesman to explain "YOUR COST" outside of their "LIRA COST". I walked out, looked at my banking application to see that I'd bought $350 worth of items I originally understood to be less than $100. I took them back and got a refund for most. I don't play the "Fast Talking or Swindling Game". Definitely a place to stop by to visit yet be aware of your costs before checking out.

I’m glad that we made it to the Grand Bazaar as part of our trip to Istanbul. We were able to haggle to get a better price on a few things we purchased, including some scarves and ceramics. The place is vast, with winding corridors and tons of stalls selling very similar products. It was difficult to know where to even start! I rate it as an average experience because I’m sure we could have found similar items elsewhere for cheaper, but the sheer selection at the Bazaar did make it easy to pick up multiple things at once. What really bothered me was the amount of smoking that was happening indoors and in very close proximity considering the narrow lanes (both inside and outside of the covered areas). It was just a bit too overwhelming for me, so I don’t think I would want to spend an extended amount of time there.