How to shop in Turkey? Essential guide!
Turkey is a well-known tourist destination, famous for its abundant history and diverse cultural traditions. Visitors often leave with an array of souvenirs and precious memories to share with friends and family. Planning a trip to Turkey and looking for gift ideas? This guide can help. Turkey has something to offer everyone. So, make sure to plan your budget accordingly and be ready to bring home meaningful gifts that will forever commemorate your travels.
Turkish carpet
Turkey is famous for the art of creating luxury handmade carpets. Each such craftsmanship product has authentic oriental patterns, which will become a stunning decoration of your home design.
The price of this purchase will depend on the type of weaving of the rug. The more “knots” it will have, the more expensive the product will be.
The cost of quality ranges from $50 for a small model to $800 for a huge rug. You can find carpets of all sizes made of wool or silk in the markets of Turkey. By the way, you do not need to think about how to bring such a purchase home. Many sellers arrange delivery of their goods around the world.
Jewelry
Turkish jewelry charms customers with its elegance and low price. Its represented in large quantities and all kinds of tastes. But watch out – local jewelers prefer to use gold with silver or copper alloys. So, gold of the highest quality is used less frequently.
Turkish staff is inexpensive because of many alloys added, but it is still a popular souvenir.
Prices:
- $34 per gram at markets and small salons.
- $50 per gram in specialized places. In such stores, all jewelry shows certificates of quality.
What should you know when buying jewelry in Turkey?
- In Turkey, the carat system is used to assess the authenticity of gold: 1 carat = 4,2% of the gold in the alloy.
- To bring high-quality silver from Turkey, buy jewelry with a 925 hallmark.
- Do not believe the seller swears that the product is 100% silver. Impure metals are not used in the manufacture of jewelry.
- To distinguish a fake, take a precious metal to the store and compare the two pieces.
- Fake jewelry most often has various defects. When hitting a flat surface, you can hear a muffled sound (not a characteristic sound for gold).
Turkish bazaar
Foodies will love here the variety of exotic spices available to bring back as souvenirs. Visitors can buy these spices either by weight or in gift sets, with popular options such as cumin, red pepper flakes, and sumac.
These spices bring a new twist to traditional dishes, making them a must-have for any gourmet cook’s kitchen. Don’t forget to leave space in your luggage for these flavorful mementos.
You can find gift sets filled with spices in bazaars and souvenir shops or in supermarkets, where more premium sets in wooden boxes are sold at a higher price. These sets offer a unique touch to your cooking and are perfect for gift-giving or treating yourself to a touch of luxury.
The cost of a spice collection is influenced by its packaging, size, brand, and the inclusion of a spice grinder.
Clothes
Turkish textiles are well-known around the world. Clothes can be incredible memory of the trip. Here you can find jeans, suits, original East dresses or T-shirts at a low cost, especially if you buy them in the bazaars. For example, you’ll pay about $4 for a T-shirt and $20-25 for a dress.
Pay attention to leather products, which are made in Turkey. You may look at belts, purses, jackets, shoes, raincoats, and more for an affordable price.
Turkish sweets
Turkish dishes are famous all over the world thanks to their sweets. You probably heard about such desserts as baklava, sherbet, halva or Turkish delight. Well, you can find them in any resort town in the country. A more budget version of the sweets can be bought at the market by weight.
If you want to please yourself and your loved ones with more elite desserts, go to specific stores or author’s pastry shops.
Tea and Coffee
Tea in Turkey is a delightful purchase for yourself or a gift to your family and friends. You can find more original flavored teas, such as apple or pomegranate, along with the classic version (fruit, black, or green).
Turkish Coffee. The subtle notes of coffee can be found in the streets of any city. This country is more famous for its original way of preparing the drink. Therefore, many tourists bring coffee makers to their homes.
Pomegranate wine
Pomegranate wine is made from a variety of garnets with soft seeds. You can find this unique drink in souvenir stores and supermarkets. Also, tourists chose other fruit wines as gifts: cherry, blackberry, strawberry, peach, and melon.
Many visitors advise not to buy local semi-sweet and sparkling wines, as their quality is inferior to European wines. Tourists prefer the leaders of the Turkish market – Kavaklidere, Doluca, and Vin Cent. The cost depends on the particular variety.
You can visit various tours with tastings of Turkish wines. So before you buy, you can choose the right wine.
Natural oils
The selection of natural oils in Turkey is quite large: from inexpensive bottles to Naturmed.
Argan oil is bought because of its healing properties. It helps damaged hair and is practical for moisturizing the skin.
You can buy oil masks in the drugstore and in conventional stores. They nourish the skin and help against blemishes and black spots. Also, it can help against acne and reduce postpartum stretch marks.
Avocado oil can be brought as a gift to those whose skin needs nutrients. It softens and moisturizes the skin and restores firmness and elasticity.
Jojoba oil is another moisturizing oil. It also helps protect the skin and hair from excessive moisture loss.
Coconat oil is ideal for moisturizing your feet and fighting inflammation after shaving your legs. The oil should be labeled Virgin Coconut Oil.
Shopping in Turkey tips
Time for discounts:
- Istanbul Shopping Fest – the end of July and the beginning of August.
- New Year holidays in winter – the end of December and the first half of January.
Take cash to bazaars and markets. You can pay in TRY, USD, and EUR. The best way to pay is to TRY. The price in EUR and USD will be slightly higher than in TRY.
Turkish Fabrics. Look out for LC Waikiki, Koton, and TAC stores. You can find clothing for adults and children made of high-quality Turkish cotton.
Mass-market cosmetics. It makes sense to spend a little time researching the choice of cosmetics because the range of products in Turkey is fabulously wealthy.
Experience the thrill of shopping in Turkey where you’ll discover a range of unique goods, from handcrafted carpets to jewelry. Join a shopping tour to the best shopping spots. With some research and planning, you’re sure to find the perfect keepsakes or gifts to bring back home.
Start your shopping adventure in Turkey. Book Free Shopping Shuttle to the jewelry, carpet, or leather centers today!
