This is a must see, must do while in Instanbul, but the shop owners and sales people while kind,…read moreare also aggressive. If you ignore them in English, they will try talking to you in Spanish. They immediately want to know where you are from (probably to adjust the price). If shopping for rugs or gold, it's imperative you haggle with them otherwise they will not respect you. I only bought costume jewelry, cocktail purses, some silk shawls, a cotton table cloth and pillow cases....I bought so much that I had to buy another suitcase.

I was looking froward to the Grand Bazaar and while I'm glad I was able to see it, I would…read morerecommend visiting the Spice Bazaar instead. First, to describe, the Grand Bazaar was overwhelmingly smokey. With the heat the smell was even more unpleasant on top of being extremely crowded and I was disappointed to learn from our guide that everything luxury branded is fake. Our visit was included in a tour we took and while I'm glad I was able to visit it, I much preferred the Spice Bazaar which was less busy and had better air quality. All in all, I wouldn't recommend taking a tour that includes the Grand Bazaar during the Summer but stopping in on your own time for a few minutes to take in the history of the space is definitely worth it.