The Shopping Guide for the European Side in Istanbul

With its convenient prices, enormous shopping malls, both traditional and modern goods, unique shopping streets and word famous brands, there is no wonder that tourists and locals often go on a shopping spree and lose themselves in the exciting world of shopping in Istanbul. While the Asian side offers plenty of shopping centers, the whole shopping experience is more colorful on the European side.

Levent

Levent is not the kind of place where you will find single stores lining up on the street but big shopping malls located side by side. White-colored workers are heavily populated in Levent, making the shopping malls within it offer a wide range of products. Metrocity, Özdilek and Kanyon shopping malls are built just around the metro so that you can arrive conveniently and enjoy your shopping.

NOTE: Kanyon is the upper-crust shopping mall of Levent, housing gourmet restaurants and luxury brands. You can enjoy a nice meal and buy yourself that expensive coat you always wanted!

Çukurcuma

If you are a fan of nostalgia, obsessed with vintage clothing and antique decorations, Çukurcama will meet your expectations. The stores are not lined up but scattered around the district -that’s okay because you will be walking on magnificent streets reflecting the old-school aesthetics of the city- elite. You can browse the century-old clothes and splendid antique items in the stores with dim lighting, then have a break in a small cutesy café drinking tea. Çukurcama is in Beyoğlu, so the transportation is pretty convenient.

Nişantaşı

One of the most widely known districts in Istanbul, Nişantaşı has a special place in the shopping addicts’ hearts. When you hear ‘fashion’, you immediately think of Nisantaşı -It is the most iconic neighborhood where you will feel the heartbeats of fashion with ultra-luxurious brands, chic boutiques, local designer stores and goods of fine taste. Clothing, jewelry and accessorizes dominate the district, so be prepared to spend some money on a designer’s item! Nişantaşı is located near Beşiktaş, Taksim and Mecidiyeköy, so transportation is no problem.

İstiklal Street

İstiklal Street is the true center of the whole city and amazes the visitors with how colorful, how enormous and how enjoyable it is. Not only it provides access to numerous goods from reasonably priced clothing to every kind of technological device, but it also offers a visual feast with the historical buildings lined up on the street. The passages in the street are also worth looking at -Atlas Passage, Çiçek Passage, Halep Passage, Terkos Passage are only a few of them. You can find brand stores in the street whereas small boutiques with good prices await you in the passages.

Zorlu Center

An international attraction center, Zorlu Center combines open-air shopping experience with the conventional mall aesthetics. There are both high-end and mid-end brands located within the mall along with some of Turkey’s biggest stores. It is conveniently located in Zincirlikuyu where you can take a bus or the metro to.

Grand Bazaar

The biggest and the oldest mall of the world, Grand Bazaar promises an Ottoman sense of shopping experience. Once filled up with rare goods for the Ottoman public, it now offers both authentic and modern products. You can find one-of-a-kind Turkish rugs and local spices while having a walk between thousands of stores. We have to warn you that it is an enormous place to get lost in it easily. And don’t forget to bargain with the merchants -a traditional Turkish shopping practice. Grand Bazaar is located 700-meter away from Grand Sirkeci Hotel.