Top 10 Souvenirs To Buy In Istanbul, Turkey – How to Bargain & Average Prices
Top 10 Souvenirs To Buy in Istanbul
Traditional Souvenirs in Turkey are endless. When it comes to Which gifts to buy in Istanbul for your friends and relatives, you might need some advice from the locals. Top 10 souvenirs to Buy in Istanbul post might help you to choose which Souvenirs to Buy in Istanbul, and teaches you ( hopefully ) how to bargain in Istanbul's Bazaars or in shopping malls of Istanbul.
Who wouldn't like to get a perfect unique gift from Turkey that features many different cultures and that has thousands of years of history, from Roman and Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire?
There are so many options for buying a gift from Istanbul depending on your budget. From 10.000 dollars for a single rug that's made of silk to 10 dollars cost cheap but nice souvenirs as a Turkish coffee pot or a wool Turkish Hamam Pashmina. But whatever your budget is, these presents from Istanbul will make your loved ones happy.
So here is the ultimate guide for souvenir buying in Istanbul, top gifts, which Top 10 Souvenirs to Buy in Istanbul, for your relatives and friends.
What to Buy from Istanbul?
1- Baklava & Turkish Delight (Lokum)
If you want to know about Where to Buy Best Baklava in Istanbul and Best Turkish Delight (Lokum) in Istanbul, we can recommend popular stores as Karaköy Gulluglu, Faruk Güllüoğlu, Hafiz Mustafa ( opposite the Sirkeci tram station ), Dedeoğlu Baklava, and Koska Turkish Delight Store ( especially recommended for Lokum) without hesitation.
Turkish Baklava Types
1- Baklava with Walnut
2- Baklava With Pistaccio
3- Carrot Sliced Baklava With Pistachio
4- Pasha Baklava
5- Şöbiyet Baklava
6- Burma Baklava
7- Midye Baklava
8- Bülbül Yuvası
9- Dry Baklava
10- Home Made Baklava
You can find more details on our Baklava Buying Guide.
Lokum Types (Turkish Delight)
1- Rose Flavored Turkish Delight
2- Mint Flavored Turkish Delight
3- Orange & Lemon Flavored Turkish Delight
4- Turkish Delight with Hazelnut
5- Turkish Delight with Pistachio
6- Plain Turkish Delight
7- Pomegranate Flavored Turkish Delight
8- Mixed Turkish Delight
9- Bird's Lokum ( Kuş Lokumu)
You can always buy fruit mixed flavored Turkish Delight or Turkish Delight with Pistachio & Hazelnut & Almond mix.
2- Turkish Scarf ( Silk & Cotton Shawl)
Pashmina Shawl or Pashmina Scarf is one of the best gifts to buy in Turkey if you are buying for a female friend or family member.
You can always buy synthetic Pashmina at low prices if you want to buy a simple souvenir. But we always recommend buying wool pashminas, Kashmir pashminas, or silk pashminas if your budget is not that tight. It's possible to find a nice wool pashmina scarf for about 200 -550 Turkish Liras (around 18 Us$) range in Grand Bazaar or in the Egyptian Bazaar in Istanbul.
3- Turkish Towel Peshtemal
Traditional Hamam Towels (also called Peshtemal) are one of the best textile gifts that you can buy as a souvenir from Istanbul. It's really soft and comfortable to use in the bath and even on the beach. You might want to buy more Turkish Towels for yourself than for your friends once you see how nice they look & feel.
Turkish Towels Prices are between 250 and 750 Turkish Liras depending on the quality.
4- Turkish Rugs Kilims & Pillow Cases
We don't know which one you prefer as a gift from Istanbul, but we are definitely sure Turkish Rugs, Turkish Kilims, Carpets will be the most expensive ones.
It's is one of the Top 10 souvenirs to buy in Istanbul, either way, to decorate your house or give it to your relatives as a gift from Istanbul.
Prices start from 500 Turkish Liras (doesn't worth carrying) and go up to 100.000 Us$ (yes you saw it right, we didn't mistype) depends on the quality and the years of handcraft spent on it.
You can buy a small size good quality Turkish Rug for around 1000 US$. It's also an investment to buy a good quality Turkish Kilim.
If you are on a tight budget or no place in the luggage to carry a Turkish Carpet, they can always post it by cargo to your address.
You can also buy Turkish Pillow Cases with traditional patterns.
5- Turkish Mosaic Lamps & Lanterns
We can't think of a better decoration item than a Beautiful Turkish Mosaic Lamp if you want to give an Oriental look to your house. There are different kinds of Turkish Lamps to buy;
- Turkish Hanging Lamps
- Turkish Floor Lamps
- Turkish Table Lamps
Some of the Turkish Mosaic lamps don't need electricity. You can use a candle to lightening the Mosaic Lamps.
6- Turkish Coffee Cups, Pots (Cezve) & Turkish Tea Glasses
If you learned How to Brew Turkish Tea or Turkish Coffee during your vacation in Turkey, you can buy one Turkish Coffee Cup or Turkish Tea set for yourself as well.
Make sure you buy Copper Turkish Coffee Sets to get the maximum taste.
You can read our Turkish Coffe Pots & Coffee Machines Buying guide for more information.
7- Accessories & Jewelry
If you are planning to buy accessories gifts from Istanbul, we would recommend getting lost in the deeper parts of the Grand Bazaar to find some unique souvenirs. Some of the precious stones such as Zultanite, Olivin, Pink Turmalin, Opal, Amethyst can be easily found in Turkish Soils.
You can buy a ring made with those stones or buy only the stone and give it to a master Jewellery to create a uniquely designed accessory for you.
8- Turkish Plates & Ceramics
Turkish Plates will always be our mother's favorite to hang on the kitchen wall. You can always buy a colorfully designed Turkish Plate or Turkish Ceramic Vase to give as a gift from Istanbul.
If you have a budget, go ahead and buy a handmade Turkish Plate with Blue colors & Red Tulip.
9- Turkish Henna Dress (Kaftan)
10- Hammam Soaps
Other Souvenirs to buy from Istanbul
- Evil Eye
- Nargile ( also called Sheesah or Hookah or waterpipe)
- Spices,
- Different kinds of tea,
- Arts from the Street Workshops (Calligraphy etc.)
- Hammam Soaps
- Beautiful Magnets
Where To Go For Shopping in Istanbul?
Grand Bazaar & Egyptian Bazaar & Arasta Bazaar
It's not possible to visit and shop in all 4000 shops of Grand Bazaar. But if you spent more time in the back streets of it, you might really find the same product at half price or even 2-3 times cheaper.
What tourists mostly buy and what we also recommend is to buy different kinds of Turkish delights (Lokum) and Baklava.
These should be in your Top 10 Souvenirs to Buy in Istanbul list.
How to Bargain in Istanbul's Bazaars
There is a thin red line between bargaining and insulting the shop owner or the salesman.
We recommend you to offer half of the price they offer on some high-priced items like Turkish rugs and expensive ceramics etc.
The salesman will probably reduce the price %20 - %30. If you meet somewhere around %25 of the first price, it's a good price to buy.
If you come across with pro seller (most probably you will), he might want to try his chance and insist on the first price.
You can try to turn your back and leave the shop. If he really wants to sell his product to you, he will make a discount.
Again, if you want to buy expensive souvenirs like Turkish Carpets, offer half of the price and insist on your offer.
Always be friendly and smile, and if possible use the Turkish Language. "Merhaba" means hello. It's a good start.
Do not try to bargain on cheap souvenirs like magnets or plastic bracelets etc.
And most importantly never, never, never show that you liked the product you check. We are not saying despise the product. Just do not show how much you liked it. Did we mention "never"?
The best places to buy souvenirs and bargain, negotiate on the prices are Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar & Arasta Bazaar.
Bargaining is not possible in the shopping malls of Istanbul
