What to buy in Istanbul

The Grand Bazaar is the headline buy: roughly 4,000-4,500 shops across about 61 covered streets with 22 gates. Jewelry is one of its largest categories (including local gemstones like Zultanite), alongside hand-woven carpets, textiles, hand-painted ceramics, leather, lamps and copperware (per GoTurkiye).

Haggling is the norm at the historic bazaars; the tourism board frames it as expected, not rude. Note: neither the bazaar's own site nor the tourism board publishes opening hours, so check locally before planning a visit around one.

The Spice Bazaar (Eminonu, 17th century) is the category stop for spices, spice blends, lokum, black and herbal teas, dried fruit, honey and Turkish coffee; merchants offer tastings.

VAT refund for visitors: shop where the Tax Free logo is displayed (most Istanbul malls participate), have the Tax Free form filled with your passport at checkout, and claim the refund in cash or to card at customs at Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gokcen (SAW) before departure, with goods, invoices, boarding pass and passport in hand. Forms are valid three months from the invoice date. (GoTurkiye's page still lists old VAT rates and TL thresholds, so treat the specific amounts there as stale; the process is the durable part.)