What to Buy in Istanbul? 8 Souvenirs Worth Packing

The question I get asked more than almost any other is simple: what should I actually bring home from Istanbul? It comes up constantly, and I understand why. Turkey is the kind of country where you are better off arriving with a half-empty suitcase, because once you start shopping you will not want to stop. The choice is genuinely overwhelming, so the real skill is knowing what is worth the weight and where to buy it without getting fleeced.

Below is my short, opinionated list of the eight souvenirs I think are actually worth packing, with the specific shops and neighborhoods I would send a friend to. Add your own favorites in the comments if I have missed one.

One quick rule before you start. In modern shopping malls, prices are fixed and haggling is not a thing, so do not bother. In the bazaars it is the opposite: haggling is expected and part of the fun. Stay friendly, keep a smile on your face, and aim for a price that feels fair to both sides. Aggression gets you nowhere; a bit of charm gets you a discount. For the full layout of where to shop, my Istanbul shopping guide and the rundown of the best bazaars in Istanbul are good companions to this list.

1. Turkish delight and other sweets

If I can only give you one souvenir, it is Turkish sweets. They travel well, everyone back home loves them, and the good stuff bears no resemblance to the dry, powdery cubes sold abroad.

For baklava: the pistachio version is the most famous and, in my opinion, the best. The name everyone points to is Karaköy Güllüoğlu, the family business that traces its roots to Gaziantep back in 1843 and now runs its flagship in the Karaköy district. It is widely considered the best baklava in Istanbul, and they vacuum-pack boxes specifically for travel, which solves the “will it survive the flight” problem. Mado is a solid runner-up if you want something more widely available. Beyond baklava, do not leave without trying Şekerpare, Revani, İrmik Tatlısı, Lokma, Kadayıf or Künefe at least once. They are gloriously, unapologetically calorific.

For lokum (Turkish delight): go for rose, fruit or hazelnut, and ideally the pistachio-stuffed kind. You will find good boxes inside the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar, but for the genuinely old-school names, two are worth a detour. Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir in Bahçekapı has been making lokum since 1777, and Hafız Mustafa 1864 has shops around Sirkeci and Eminönü with proper cafés attached if you want to taste before you buy. If you want a fuller list of what to chase down, my guide to Turkish desserts covers the rest.

2. Spices

You have probably seen the photos of those neat, towering cones of red, yellow and ochre spices. They are real, and they live in any proper Turkish market. The obvious place is the Spice Bazaar in Eminönü (the Mısır Çarşısı, also called the Egyptian Bazaar), built in 1660 as part of the New Mosque complex. At the time of writing it is open daily, roughly 9am to 7pm, including Sundays, which is handy because the Grand Bazaar stays shut on Sundays. My full Spice Bazaar guide has the practical details if you want them.

The spices I would actually load up on: pul biber (Aleppo pepper, a mild flaky red chili), isot (the dark, smoky, very strong Urfa chili), oregano, paprika, saffron (most of it comes from Iran), bay leaf, sumac, dried mint, cinnamon, cumin and ginger. Ask the vendors whether they have their own ready-made blends for meat or chicken. Those mixes are where the real flavor hides, and they make a great gift for anyone who cooks.

3. Tea and coffee

Tea and coffee are woven into the rhythm of every single day here, so taking some home is a way to bottle a bit of that. For black tea, the reliable supermarket brand is Çaykur. For coffee, Mehmet Efendi is the classic, and you can grab both in any Migros or Carrefour for very little money.

If you want something less industrial, buy loose tea or freshly ground coffee at the Spice Bazaar instead. It costs a touch more, but the aroma is on another level, and you can pick up regional blends you will not find on a supermarket shelf. While you are at it, consider buying a set of the little tulip-shaped tea glasses or a cezve (the long-handled copper coffee pot). They are cheap, instantly recognizable, and make brilliant gifts. Paşabahçe stores have good glassware, and the Grand Bazaar has the prettier copper pieces. If the ritual interests you, here is where to drink Turkish coffee in Istanbul before you commit to a bag of beans.

4. Nazar boncuğu (the evil eye)

The blue glass evil eye is everywhere in Turkey, in every size and form: hanging on doors, dangling from rear-view mirrors, set into jewelry, glued onto keychains. The idea is that it absorbs jealous or ill-meaning stares and protects you from bad luck.

Whether or not you believe in it, it is the ideal souvenir. It is small, it is cheap, it packs flat, and it carries real cultural meaning rather than feeling like generic tourist tat. Buy a handful for the people you owe gifts to. You will literally trip over them, from bazaar stalls to the corner shop next to your hotel.

5. Textiles and leather

Textiles are one of Turkey’s biggest industries, and the thing I would steer you toward is a good pashmina. Be warned, though: plenty of Grand Bazaar stalls sell cheap pashminas while swearing they are handmade, when they were actually shipped in from China. You need a little knowledge here, or a shop you trust. Cashmere House is one I would point you to, since they stock pieces genuinely imported from India alongside local weaves.

Leather clothing is the other thing I get asked about constantly: where to buy a jacket, a bag, a decent pair of shoes. In the malls, DESA (founded in Istanbul in 1972) and Derimod (1974) are the two reliable names, both with stores in places like İstinye Park, and both worth catching during the sales. Near the Grand Bazaar, Prens Leather has a serious reputation for quality. Do not expect bargain prices, though. Good leather is expensive everywhere, Turkey included.

For leather shoes, DESA is again a safe bet, or hunt through the small independent shops in Cihangir, Galata and Beyoğlu, which turn out some lovely pieces. If you wander into Cihangir anyway, treat the shoe shopping as a bonus. For leather bags, Tergan makes beautiful ones and often runs sales at its Fatih store, and Galip Dede street between Tünel and Galata is a good strip to browse.

6. Carpets and kilims

First, the warning: avoid the carpet sellers clustered around the Sultanahmet mosques. That area is so heavily touristed that honest dealing is the exception, not the rule.

For carpets and kilims, the Grand Bazaar is where I would shop, but choose a store where you feel relaxed and not pressured. Şişko Osman, tucked into Zincirli Han in the northeastern corner of the bazaar, is the name I hear praised most often. It is a fourth-generation family business that hunts down rare pieces from across Anatolia, some genuinely antique. A few honest pointers: take your time, compare several shops before buying, and always ask for a certificate of authenticity and whether they ship worldwide. As a rough guide at the time of writing, a small souvenir kilim runs a few hundred dollars, and the handwoven silk pieces climb fast from there. For more modern carpets and kilims at gentler prices, try the shops in the Mahmutpaşa market behind the Spice Bazaar.

7. Ceramics

What you are after is hand-painted İznik or Kütahya tableware. It is the prettiest souvenir on this list, one of the pricier ones too, but it is authentic and it lasts. The patterns often echo the tiles inside the Blue Mosque, all cobalt blues, coral reds and tulip motifs. You will find good pieces in the Grand Bazaar (look for established names like İznik Works or İznik Classics) and in the Arasta Bazaar just behind the Blue Mosque.

Here is how to spot the real thing: authentic İznik is always hand-painted, so no two pieces are identical, and slight variations in the pattern are a good sign, not a flaw. Real İznik also contains a high proportion of quartz, which gives the glaze a bright, almost glassy glow. Haggle by all means, but be suspicious of anything suspiciously cheap, because it probably came from a factory in China. Examine each piece, compare prices across a few shops, and accept that the back-and-forth is part of the experience.

8. Everything else

For all the smaller bits and pieces, costume jewelry, little pouches, scarves, fridge magnets, olive oil soap, keychains, small paintings, music, books, home textiles, Istanbul lays it all out in front of you. The trick, once again, is buying it in the right place rather than the first place. Skip the area immediately around Sultanahmet, where prices are inflated for the tour-bus crowd, and head instead to:

• The Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar
• Çukurcuma, Ortaköy or Cihangir for the more characterful, boutique finds
• The Mahmutpaşa market behind the New Mosque in Eminönü for everyday prices

Do that, keep your suitcase weight in mind, and you will fly home with a proper haul of Istanbul rather than a bag of forgettable trinkets.