14 Best Bazaars and Markets in Turkey, From Istanbul to Erzurum
The 14 best bazaars and markets in Turkey, from Istanbul's Grand Bazaar and Spice Market to Gaziantep's coppersmith rows and Bursa's silk hall, Koza Han.
Markets are where Turkey actually shops. Locals buy the week’s produce there, trade news and gossip, and haggle over everything from curtains to copper pots. Some of these markets are also among the oldest commercial buildings anywhere; Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar has been trading since the 1450s, longer than the Republic of Turkey has existed.
This list covers 14 markets across the country, from antique stalls in Alaçatı to a Silk Road caravanserai in Erzurum. If your trip stays in the city, our guide to Istanbul’s markets and bazaars goes deeper on the local picks, and the full Istanbul food guide covers what to eat between stalls.
The 14 markets at a glance
| Market | City | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Alaçatı Antika Pazarı | Izmir | Antiques, windmills, street art; dates to early 2000s |
| Çarpa Pazarı | Eskişehir | Wednesday farm-to-table produce market |
| Kapalıçarşı (Grand Bazaar) | Istanbul | Covered market from the 1450s, among the world’s oldest |
| Mısır Çarşısı (Spice Market) | Istanbul | Spices, Turkish delight, henna; trading since the 1600s |
| Tire Salı Pazarı | Izmir | Close to 7,500 merchants, unprocessed olives |
| Kemeraltı Çarşısı | Izmir | 2,000 tradesmen, lace needlework, produce |
| Bakırcılar Çarşısı | Gaziantep | Handmade copper cookware and cezve; 19th century |
| Kapalı Çarşı, Ulu Çarşı, Koza Han | Bursa | Silk, jewelry, traditional Bursa towels |
| Uzun Çarşı | Hatay | Side streets organized by trade |
| Safranbolu Çarşısı | Safranbolu | UNESCO town, 225-year-old Blacksmith Market |
| Alipaşa Çarşısı | Edirne | 130 shops, built by Mimar Sinan in the 1560s |
| Aynalı Çarşı | Çanakkale | Mirrored 1890 passage from the famous Gallipoli song |
| Taş Han | Erzurum | Silk Road caravanserai, Oltu stone jewelry |
| Çıkrıkçılar Yokuşu | Ankara | Textiles and trousseaus, 500 years of trade |
1. Alaçatı Antika Pazarı, Izmir
The touristic favorite of this list. The cobbled streets fill with antiques, windmills, street art, and colorful restaurants and bars, and there is little you cannot find in these lanes. The antique market itself only dates back to the early 2000s, which makes it the youngest entry here by several centuries.
2. Çarpa Pazarı, Eskişehir
A typical Anatolian weekly market. The difference between regular shops and a pazar like this is that the produce goes straight from farm to table. The stalls also work as the neighborhood’s news exchange, and the gossip is half the draw. Head down on Wednesdays to get a feel for everyday life in Turkey.
3. Kapalıçarşı (Grand Bazaar), Istanbul
The Grand Bazaar is one of the oldest covered markets in the world. It dates back to the 1450s, which means it existed before the Republic of Turkey. Skipping it on a Turkey trip would be strange, even if you only come for a bite to eat. You will get lost, and there will be a crowd, but it earns the visit. Shopkeepers can be pushy; just leave the shop if you feel pressured to buy anything. Our full Grand Bazaar guide covers how to shop it without losing a whole day.
4. Mısır Çarşısı (Spice Market), Istanbul
Officially on the European side of Istanbul, this market dates back to the 1600s. If you can navigate the narrow alleyways, you can negotiate with the shopkeepers; the first price is higher than what the seller actually expects you to pay. Stallholders hand out samples of goods like rose-flavored Turkish delight, and the shelves run past food into cosmetics like pure henna powder. Our Taste of Two Continents food tour starts the morning with breakfast near the Spice Market before the ferry crossing to Kadıköy.
5. Tire Salı Pazarı, Izmir
One of many street markets in Turkey, with close to 7,500 merchants. If you worry about altered olive oil, you can buy unprocessed olives here and cure them however you wish. You can trust the products because the seller produced them, or the seller’s friend did.
This is the kind of market where the citizens of Turkey gather to share the daily news and buy everything they need, and it exists more in rural towns than in the big cities. The range runs from fresh vegetables, honey, jam, and molasses to wooden spoons.
6. Kemeraltı Çarşısı, Izmir
A fire in 1922 destroyed many of Izmir’s historical buildings, but the Kemeraltı Market remains. Around 2,000 tradesmen keep it busy, including working-class women selling lace needlework. The variety of goods is wide, the produce included, and prices stay reasonable.
7. Bakırcılar Çarşısı, Gaziantep
Cooks favor copper for its even heat distribution, and it is corrosion-resistant and hygienic compared with other pots and pans. If that sounds like something worth investing in, this 19th-century market sells handmade pots, pans, egg poachers, and cezve, the small pots used to make Turkish coffee. You will also find rows of colorful dried vegetables to take home.
8. Kapalı Çarşı, Ulu Çarşı and Koza Han, Bursa
Bursa used to be the capital of silk production, and even today its textiles are beloved in Turkey. This is three markets rolled into one, selling jewelry, silk, and the traditional Bursa towels. Cafes, tea gardens, and restaurants sit between the shops, so you can fully unwind mid-haggle.
9. Uzun Çarşı, Hatay
The variety of goods runs so deep that the side streets are reserved for different occupation groups. Monasteries, mosques, and museums stand nearby. The whole place recalls the bigger markets of Istanbul, the Spice Bazaar and the Grand Bazaar, transplanted to the far southern end of the country.
10. Safranbolu Çarşısı, Safranbolu
A UNESCO Heritage Site since the 90s, Safranbolu built its name selling saffron. Today the town is known for its wooden Ottoman houses. Follow the cobbled streets and you will find souvenirs from Turkish delights to Aladdin lamps, plus a 225-year-old Blacksmith Market that justifies the trip on its own.
11. Alipaşa Çarşısı, Edirne
Edirne is one of the few cities in Turkey that sits in Europe. Local residents call this the Grand Bazaar of Edirne for its 130 shops. The market dates back to the 1560s, when Ali Pasha commissioned the architect Mimar Sinan to build it. It was restored after a fire in the 90s, and the traditional architecture survives, along with whatever else you are in the mood to buy.
12. Aynalı Çarşı, Çanakkale
Aynalı Çarşı, meaning Mirrored Market, became famous thanks to the popular song that dates back to the Gallipoli Campaign of 1915. Eliyahu Hallio, a prominent member of the local Jewish community, founded it in 1890 as the Halyo Passage; the current name comes from the mirrors at the entrance. The small windows by the ceiling and the rows of chandeliers reward a visit by themselves. Because the province splits between Europe and Asia, Çanakkale took heavy bombing in WWI, and the market has since been restored.
13. Taş Han, Erzurum
Five hundred years ago, Erzurum was a central stop on the Silk Road. Rüstem Paşa, the son-in-law and Grand Vizier of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, commissioned this han. A han, also known as a caravanserai, worked like a hotel where traders from Asia settled in before heading on to Europe.
The market still trades in eastern Turkey and is known for Oltu stones, rosaries, and necklaces.
14. Çıkrıkçılar Yokuşu, Ankara
In Çıkrıkçılar you will find textiles of every kind: curtains, scarves, and dresses, plus trousseaus, the traditional dowries of Turkey. Bargain with the shopkeepers and you can land high-quality curtains at a great price. The marketplace dates back 500 years and sits close to the spice and flea markets in Ulus.
Most of these markets feed you as well as they sell to you, between the Grand Bazaar’s lunch spots and the tea gardens of Koza Han. For the eating side of Istanbul’s market districts, our street food guide picks up where the shopping ends.
