Let this list of Istanbul souvenir shopping ideas help you on your bargain hunting adventures at one of the world's largest and oldest covered markets.
Prices may vary depending on location and quality, but you can generally find many goods cheaper than in other European countries. Popular items to buy include textiles, ceramics, and leather goods which are offered at very reasonable prices, particularly when purchasing handmade goods from local markets and bazaars.
Turkey is famous for its hand-woven rugs and Oriental carpets. You'll find plenty of designs to choose from while wandering through souvenir shops in Turkey. The most remarkable thing about Turkish rugs is their superior quality, tight weaves, and intricate patterns that makes them a classic souvenir to possess.
Buying designer clothes in Turkey is a bit risky. It is no secret that Turkey is famous for the production and sale fakes of the world's best fashion brands. Clothes, bags, watches, shoes, etc. These knock-offs are of different quality.
For a holidaymaker coming from the UK, Turkey is much cheaper than home. This applies to everything from hotels to cafes and restaurants and even clothes, shoes and souvenirs.
Clothes. Turkish designs are beginning to match the quality of local fabrics such as Bursa silk and Angora wool. Nowadays you will pay near-Western prices for genuine locally designed items at reputable shops – local brands are aggressively protected from counterfeiting, if necessary by police raids.
Offering the best of East and West, Turkey has some exceptional places for shopping. Stalls packed with handmade rugs, shops filled with souvenirs, and stands offering baklava, Turkey's markets are a vibrant space to be in. Having no corner empty, you can find everything here.
The price of gold is the same all over the world but gold jewellery here tends to be cheaper than many places due to lower labour costs. In the U.K most jewellery is 9ct with just some in 14ct. but here most everyday pieces are 14 or 18 ct with special pieces in 22 and 24 ct.
Silver jewelry is also cheaper in Turkey compared to Canada and America. There's also pretty wide variety of both gold and silver jewelry. And since cost of labour is cheaper getting customized pieces is more affordable.
Most well-known stones are Emerald, Ruby, and Sapphire for Women's Turkish Jewelry. Men's Turkish Jewelry are Aqeeq (Agate), Ferooza (Turquoise) and Tiger's Eye stones. There are no such a great amount of alternatives for Men's Jewelry Collection in Turkish Jewelry since gems culture of Ottomans.
How much money should I take to Turkey for a week?
You'll need to budget for £40 per person per day in Turkey or £280 per week to include meals and excursions. Budget slightly more if you plan daily excursions.
Now is a great time to go; although each year the country attracts more and more tourists, prices remain cheap and economically interesting compared to other countries. Competitive prices are most noticeable in Istanbul and other top tourist spots. As far as accommodation goes, it depends on what you're after.
Accordingly, a classic Turkish breakfast is generally comprised of black and green olives, cucumbers, cured meats, dips and sauces, eggs, fresh cheeses, fresh tomatoes, fresh-baked bread, fruit preserves and jams, honey, pastries, and sweet butter.
Clothes and shoes are very cheap in Turkey but you need to be careful buying something brand-name because there are fakes present. On the other hand there are domestic Turkish brands selling their original stuff of superb quality at affordable price.
However, since fresh turkeys are well, not frozen, they don't keep for nearly as long as their colder counterparts. You should only buy a fresh bird about a day or two before you intend to cook it, so plan to procure your fresh turkey no earlier than two days before Thanksgiving.
If you want to go clothes shopping, 500 TL could get you quite a few items from LC Waikiki, which is a cheap but quite good shop (I buy all my clothes there) or in street markets if you don't mind “cheap and generic” but if you want international brands, or even quality Turkish brands like Mavi, 500 TL will get you ...
You'll be hard-pressed to be able to buy anything with 1 Turkish lira (TL). You try and tip it to someone as Baksheesh and they will look at you funny. Heck. TL 100 can only get you 1 bottle of milk, a bag of chips, and medium-size bags of Nescafe and Coffee-Mate if you like this waker-upper combo like many do.
Most times haggling will be in smaller shops or at the markets, when you see something you want, ask the price, if it sounds expensive offer 50% of the price, if the price seems reasonable then offer 80-90% then the trader will start the game with you, but remember if you do beat him down then its only right that you ...
Istanbul duty free shops are expensive compare to other European big city airport duty free . The main area of duty free cramped and small also . In duty free prices are normal what you get in city shops . And there are not much varieties also for perfumes and alcohol is expensive .
The best currency to take to Turkey is the local currency, the Turkish lira. It is the most accepted currency in Turkey. Although you can pay with euros in some places, you'll always get a better deal paying in the local currency. Get Turkish lira from ATMs using your debit card or travel card.
Air freight, or the shipment of goods through an air carrier, is usually the fastest method of transporting your goods from Turkey to the UK. If you have a small volume shipment, which is valuable, air transport is the most suitable means for you. Air freight also assures quicker delivery compared to sea freight.
