I knew what to expect when I was going to this shopping district, but I was just not in thr mood…read morefor the haggling. I wanted to walk around and check out the stuff maybe get something to eat and purchase 2 t-shirts. lol. However, that plan ended quickly. Window shopping in peace is not an option. Don't get me wrong. the locals are very sweet and everyone wants you to stop by their shop. Each section sells similar to the same products. I stopped to get my two shirts and the bidding started at $40 for two t-shirts. I just smiled said no thank you and left. lol. I absolutely could've stayed and played the back and forth haggling but I wasn't interested. I walked around got lost trying to get back to the tram because this place was huge. They sell just about any and everything. All I can say is I went and don't have to go back. lol.

Tip: If you're visiting Istanbul for the first time, dropping by this bazaar is a must. It's a…read morecultural experience! I visited Grand Bazaar back in November 2014, a few months after I had joined Yelp. Back then, I wasn't fully on Yelp. I was still trying to figure out what to do, so posting photos and writing reviews weren't the norm for me. I had booked my flight on Air Canada to and from Istanbul. It had a number of touristy ideas. One of them was doing a sightseeing tour. A bus would pick you up at your hotel and drop everyone off at one tourist attraction. You then walked to various attractions with your sightseeing group, with lunch being a mid-point stop along the way. The last stop was Grand Bazaar. We were given some time to shop. It was roughly two hours. We then met at the main entrance where the bus picked us all up and got us back to our hotels. Grand Bazaar is one of the oldest covered ones in the world. It is hectic, but impressive. What surprised me was shopping and given a glass of Turkish tea with a saucer to enjoy. On the house. Wow! I wasn't expecting it, but I loved the tea sipped traditionally from a glass and saucer. It was a bit cold in November, so it helped warm me up. I did end up buying a Turkish tea glass cup with a saucer, but not from this bazaar. I ended up going to another one and getting a set there. I had an iPhone 5 at the time. This bazaar had every iPhone case that you could possibly imagine. I went to town and got a few silicone cases featuring M&M's characters. I was elated. I kind of miss having so many phone case styles to choose from for my Google Pixel phones over the years. I will admit that I have saved a lot on accessories! I remember seeing handbags at one stall. One featured a rotary dial on the front. i thought it was fun and cute. There were a lot of stands with fragrant spices. I loved smelling them a I walked by. I got apple tea from this bazaar. I still remember how juicy it tasted when I steeped each tea packet. Istanbul is famous for its carpets. I had bought a small carpet from a store that was a part of the tour. It actually rolled up and fit in my luggage. This bazaar had a lot of carpet styles and sizes to choose from. I do miss Istanbul. This bazaar was a nice final stop to a wonderful walking tour. I'd love to return. (6)

HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE!!!!…read more This is the worst experience ever at a Sephora Store! I´ve visited several stores in different countries and the one that I visited at Turkey near Taksim is the worst experience ever!!!!! Lousy personnel, bad maintenance and order of products. Cubicles of Sephora brushes (most of them) broken, not working, out of stock or mixed. The pencil eye liners broken and not organized. The pressed powder foundation area THE WORST!!!!!! No indication of the type of color or skin tone any of the testers is aproaching. Opened up cases, mixed columns with different tones... Nars area also out of stock. Personnel, dirty, not attentive and when asked about something doesn´t pay attention to you. When finally the girl payed attention and I asked her about something, she suggested me something else (another brand instead of Sephora compact foundation). When I asked her about that product again and pointed the area without checking correctly suggested a tone that was over my skin tone!!!! I told her it was darker than my skin (face, neck or chest), she said that was the correct one. ¡HORRIBLE! Try a Sephora of some other place...

I've been to many Sephora stores in Europe and always shop here for my lipsticks if I can…read more I visited the Istanbul shop a couple of weeks ago and received the rudest service ever encountered in a store. While waiting to pay (two cash desks, one queue), people behind me where asked to come forward to make their payment ahead of me because they had been assisted by a member of staff. Only after complaining and dumping my shopping on the counter, did I get a feeble apology and begrudgingly my payment taken, but still surly service. The staff in here area n absolute disgrace.