Turkey is firmly associated with beach holidays, all-inclusive hotels and oriental sweets. Shopping here is usually a secondary attraction. But here you can buy furs and leather goods at affordable prices. The best shopping is in Istanbul, there is a wide range of local and popular European brands. This city is considered one of the cheapest in the Mediterranean, and there are regularly organized shopping tours.
In Turkey, as well as in China, you can find a lot of fakes (in some places of high quality) of the world’s famous brands.
Shopping hours
Most of the stores and markets in Turkey are open from 9:00 to 21:00, some of them close for lunch time from 13:00 to 14:00. Supermarkets and large shopping malls do not usually have a break, and stores in resort areas are often open until the last customer, so you can expect to shop there until 2:00. Most stores are closed on Sundays, but this doesn’t usually apply to the larger malls and stores in popular tourist areas.
Sales
Until recently, there was no official sale season in Turkey, discounts were announced chaotically, and if they were not, it was almost always possible to bargain. In recent years, Turkey has followed the European sales schedule, and Turkish stores announce a discount season twice a year: from July to September and from mid-January to early March.
With street trading the situation is a little different, especially in the resort towns. Sellers there move in the spring and expect to sell all their goods over the summer. By the end of October, many offer generous discounts on unsold items, and closer to the beginning of winter they may even offer prices below the purchase price, just to avoid bringing everything back.
In Istanbul, from 1 to 31 July is the annual shopping festival. At this time you can buy furs and leather with great discounts – they are especially active sale before the new season.
What to buy in Turkey
- Clothes and shoes,
- textiles,
- Furs and leather,
- Food and wine.
Clothing and shoes
Turkey is known for its high-quality and inexpensive knitwear. This country has many clothing factories, many of which are time-tested and very expensive reputation. It is better to buy in brand stores and shopping malls: at flea markets the clothes are sold for a penny, but the quality is appropriate there. It is worth paying attention to the following brands:
- Adilisik (fashionable youth clothes),
- Sumak XL Fashion (women’s large size knitwear),
- Oztâs Colliery (home clothes, pajamas and underwear),
- Dilvin and Carla (fashionable casual wear for women),
- Philipp Plein (original knitwear for daring fashionistas),
- Wakikiki (quality clothes for the whole family and designer accessories).
Footwear in Turkey should be purchased only in shopping centers and brand stores, because they are often forged and, unlike clothing, always bad. Prices for local brands are European – from 40-50 USD for a pair of shoes in leather and from 70-75 USD for autumn shoes, and the quality of local manufacturers is at par. The prices on this page are for August 2023.
Textiles
Turkish textiles are sold everywhere: from large shopping malls to souvenir shops in resorts. The quality is about the same everywhere, but the closer to the sea and tourist areas, the higher the prices.
Here you should buy towels, linens, linen tablecloths, silk bedspreads and handmade rugs. Carpets are often faked, so it is better to buy them either in the company of a local, or only in chain stores: the prices are higher, but the probability of a fake is practically zero.
Furs and leather
In Turkey you should definitely go for a leather jacket or coat. The choice is not as great as in Greece, but also worthy of attention. Local leather coats, jackets, bags and coats are famous for excellent workmanship, good design and reasonable prices. It is best to buy fur and leather products in factory stores, where you will not be sold a fake, and the prices are the lowest.
You should bargain even in the stores. By the way, many things have no price tags, the seller tells the price verbally, and it is already inflated by the future bargaining – the buyer can “discount” from 20 to 80% of the original price.
The average price of a leather jacket in Turkey is 200-400 USD depending on the model, a sheepskin coat – 300-1200 USD, a fur coat – from 1500 USD.
One of the well-established brands of leather clothing is Punto, this firm also sews in reasonable time to order. The clothing brand D’envener Leathair is also of high quality, but the prices there are exorbitant, and you should go there only if you are really good at bargaining.
For fur coat best go to Istanbul, in resort towns are often overpriced. The most popular shopping areas are Laleli and Zeytinburnu, there are many stores in factories. In Laleli not worth going to the wholesale market: if you do not buy a whole batch of fur coats, you will not wait for discounts. Of resort cities a good range of inexpensive fur coats in Antalya, it is also worth choosing stores in factories, but it is better not to go to the markets – it is expensive and a lot of fakes (read more: shopping in Antalya).
Food and Wine
Turkish confectionary shops have a wide variety of Turkish delight, baklava, and other oriental sweets (you can buy them in any supermarket). There are also beautiful gift baskets at Koska and Bebek Badem Ezmezisi (in Istanbul, for example). Turkish coffee is also available in every grocery store, but if you go to Istanbul, visit the oldest coffee shop, Kucahuesi Mehmet Efendi, with a huge selection of varieties. The coffee will be wrapped in a vacuum bag, so it can be stored for several months.
From Turkey are traditionally brought tea (with special cups in the form of tulips), olive oil and olives, which are better to buy by the weight. Turkish wine is a bit of a connoisseur’s item. Many people find it too tart and sour, but there are interesting exclusives, such as sweet cherry, mulberry and pomegranate wine, which are sold in liquor stores and large supermarkets.
Stores in Turkey
Large Turkish cities have modern malls and entire shopping districts. In Istanbul, it is Istiklal Street, which goes from Taksim Square to the Golden Horn. There are many small stores and several shopping arcades where you can buy clothes, accessories, books, musical instruments, antiques and much more. The district of Laleli is an abundance of cheaper but lower quality goods: textiles, leather, furs and so on. It is not as beautiful as Istiklal, but you can bargain to very good prices.
In Ankara for shopping you should go to Tunali Street and Kizilay Square, in Izmir – to Kemeraltı market, and in Antalya – to the new port.
Shopping centers in Turkey
Most shopping complexes in Turkey are concentrated in Istanbul:
- “Cevahir” mall is one of the largest in the world, it has 6 floors with more than 600 stores, a huge food court, an entertainment center and a movie theater.
- “Akmerez” is one of the oldest shopping centers in Istanbul and in Turkey in general, there are more than 240 stores, and there are banks, beauty salons and other services.
- “Marmara Forum is a multifunctional shopping mall in Istanbul. There are about 300 international and national brands, stores for children’s products and entertainment area: a cinema with 16 halls, a bowling club, children’s playgrounds, an entire floor of restaurants and a terrace overlooking the Marmara Sea.
- The Canyon Shopping Center is designed for the affluent public and mainly offers luxury goods.
“Migros” is a well-known chain of malls in Turkey and has stores in Antalya, Istanbul, Kemer and Manavgat. Locals and tourists love these malls for their abundance of inexpensive brands and wide variety of entertainment, from playgrounds to movie theaters.
A popular shopping center in Antalya is TerraCity, which has more than 160 stores, a children’s corner, a movie theater and a food court. Allanium State Mall (3 floors of stores selling clothes, shoes, cosmetics, accessories, and other products) is a popular shopping destination in Alanya.
Turkey Outlets
Turkey’s most popular outlet is located directly opposite Antalya International Airport, on the highway that connects this city with Alanya. Deepo Outlet AVM offers 30-70% discounts all year round, and during sale periods you can save up to 90%. The outlet is open every day without holidays, and sometimes on weekdays it organizes lotteries for all visitors, in order to participate in which you must present a receipt for any purchase. The range of goods in the outlet includes both local and popular European brands, especially a large selection of sportswear and footwear Adidas and Nike.
Another large outlet is located in Ankara – Forum Outlet Ankara. It has more than 140 stores with a wide variety of goods and year-round discounts of up to 90%.
Outlet Olivium, Istanbul, is located in Zeytinburnu, within the city boundaries and can be reached by bus or metro (Zeytinburnu station). Due to its convenient location and wide range of goods it is also popular among the locals: there are more than 130 local and European brand stores, restaurants, a cinema and a bowling alley.
Markets
Turkish markets are not only shopping, but also a national attraction, people come here not so much for shopping as to have fun and haggle. The most colorful bazaars are located in Istanbul, but even in small resort towns have their own markets that are definitely worth visiting.
“Grand Bazaar Kapaly Charsi” is the oldest and most popular market in Istanbul. There are about 4000 different stores selling Turkish textiles, leather, furs, ceramics, hookahs, carpets and more. It is very beautiful here, there is an old mosque, a fountain and the ruins of an ancient wall, but since the place is touristy, the prices here are overpriced. The Laleli Indoor Bazaar, located in Istanbul’s district of the same name, is a more budget-friendly place, but primarily for wholesalers. If you are not planning to buy large quantities of goods, you may not be offered good discounts. The Egyptian market in Istanbul is worth special attention – it is an ancient spice market built in 1660 and today you can buy there spices, dried fruits, sweets, cosmetics, etc.
- In Antalya visit the Central Market with everything from sweets and tobacco to fur coats and leather jackets.
- The Oriental Bazaar in Alanya, known as the cheapest market in the country, is worth a visit.
- There is a textile market in Kemer, where you can buy Turkish textiles at very low prices, but you need to check the quality of goods without leaving the cash register.
Tax free
To get a refund for the purchase in Turkey you need to spend at least 120 TRY in stores, where there is a sticker Tax Free Shopping, and fill out the form at the cash register or special rack. Keep in mind that Turkish vendors are often unfamiliar with this system and are too lazy to issue refunds, and it is easier to offer you an additional discount than to bother with this kind of bureaucracy.
The filled in form together with the receipt and your passport must be presented at the airport before departure. The money (up to 18%) will be returned to you in cash or to the card you used to pay for your purchases.
