Grand Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı, "covered market") is less a market than a small city under fifteen domes and a maze of vaulted streets. Built in 1461 by Sultan Mehmed II shortly after the conquest, it's the oldest continuously operating market in the world, with 4,000 shops across 61 streets and up to half a million visitors a day.

Most first-timers get lost. That's half the experience. Each gate (there are eleven around the perimeter) opens into a different trade: jewelers near the Nuruosmaniye gate, carpet dealers inside the Cevahir Bedesteni (the original 15th-century inner market), leather in the western corridors, antiques around the Sahaflar gate. Look up: the painted ceilings and lanterns are works of art in themselves.

Haggle respectfully and you're expected to — start at 50-60% of the asking price and settle around 70%. The "fixed price" stores exist for tourists who'd rather not. Most merchants can quote prices in EUR, USD, GBP, and increasingly crypto. The bazaar is closed Sundays and during religious holidays.