Like all in nearly tourist regions of Mediterranean, Turkey is a fantastic vacation country, nice people, nice Food, nice weather. Shop for handwoven rugs and kilims, leather and suede items, ceramics, silk, jewelry, alabaster, onyx, embroidery, brass samovars, meerschaum pipes and copperware and brassware. Some vendors in the markets employ quite aggressive selling techniques, so brace yourself. You’ll be offered many “antiques,” but most likely they’re fakes.

If you do want to buy an antique or any item that may be deemed a cultural artifact, make sure you can get an official permit to export it before you purchase it. Those who don’t have a permit sometimes end up in jail (this is increasingly rare), but are most likely to have their treasures confiscated at customs, even when the treasures are of no real antiquity. This even applies to new pine furniture, so always get a certificate Turkish officials have a great respect for stamped and signed pieces of paper.

Useful Tipps For Shopping in Turkey

Shopping Hours
Monday – Saturday 9 am-1 pm and 2-7 pm.

Banking Hours
Monday – Friday 8:30 am-noon and 1:30-5 pm.

Shopping in Cash: It is ideal, if you carry sufficient EU or USD forward in small lights and exist with the salesman on return of the change in turkish Lira.

Shopping with Credit Cards: When large acquisitions such as decoration, which one is otherwise gladly paid with credit card all largest country.