Istanbul - Exploring the Grand Bazaar and Being Blonde in Istanbul

On our last day in Istanbul, we decided we were ready to face the Grand Bazaar, one of the biggest and oldest indoor markets in the world.

Neither of us had ever been to a country where haggling is encouraged, but in Turkey haggling is a big part of their culture.

We were a bit apprehensive that we wouldn't know how to do it properly, but it's actually really easy once you start. Before we went I read a lot about the custom and what is expected, plus I've never been talked into anything I don't want to buy so I wasn't worried I'd end up with a huge carpet!

We went to the Grand Bazaar first thing in the morning and quickly found that when you're one of the only people in the market, every single stall holder tries to get you into their store. I also felt extremely uncomfortable as I was getting a lot of attention because of my blonde hair, with a lot of men making comments that made both me and Bradley uncomfortable.

Blonde hair is not that common in Turkey, and in a lot of places I was the only person around with light coloured hair. Even when covered up much more than other women around me, I still got a lot of attention, which isn't something I'm used to when visiting overseas. I've never been to a country where I have felt out of place because of how I look and it was daunting!

So we decided to leave the market, and come back in the afternoon when there were more people shopping. I also decided to go back to our room and put on jeans rather than a dress, which was below my knees anyway, and tie up my hair, so the blonde wouldn't be as noticeable!

It seems ridiculous, but when literally everyone is staring at you as you walk down the street, I wanted to blend in as much as possible.

So instead of visiting the Grand Bazaar, we stopped for a coffee in a restaurant in Sultanahmet with a great view out over the water.

After coffee, we headed down to the waterfront and wandered along until we came across Gulhane Park, a big park thats runs adjacent to Topkapi Palace, and is one of the oldest parks in Istanbul.

It was now getting into the late afternoon, so we headed back towards the Grand Bazaar to try our luck again.

The area around the Grand Bazaar is full of pretty buildings and lots of shops, so you can browse and get an idea of prices before you enter the Bazaar.

The Grand Bazaar is absolutely huge, with thousands of shops and a maze of streets, so if you walk past a shop and see something you like, it's best to stop because you might never find that same shop again!

The vibe in the market was very different from when we visited earlier in the day. The shop vendors were much more chilled out and not as pushy, and while the market was much busier, it was late enough in the day that a lot of tourists had cleared out. I also didn't get as much attention with my hair tied back which also made the experience a lot nicer!

The Bazaar sells everything you can imagine, and locals shop here too, not just tourists. In just one small street we saw Fake Designer Handbags, amazing coloured pottery, carpets, lanterns and pashminas.

If you're going to buy anything then you need to haggle. The best tips I found were to ask around a few places to get an idea of the market and the cost. If your starting offer is too low, the vendor will know you don't know the market and can take advantage of you.

You should always let the vendor name the first price, then you offer about half of that and keep haggling until you reach a price you both agree on. Always decide how much you want to pay beforehand, and once a price is agreed upon you have to buy the item. Don't make an offer if you are not prepared to pay that price.

The last thing is to never show too much interest in the specific item you want. Ask about a few different items, even show disinterest in the item you want so you can get a better deal.

We ended up buying everything we wanted to buy when we arrived and left the market with a fair few bags. We ended up with a few brightly coloured bowls, pashminas, some magnets and a couple of handbags.. the handbags may have been a spur of the moment choice!

After feeling disappointed with the market in the morning, we left feeling a lot better and having really enjoyed ourselves, so we're glad we gave it a second chance. Wandering the streets inside the market was amazing, every turn brought you to about six other streets and we never went the same way twice.

Loved these lanterns!

Wandering back to our hotel, we stopped in the Hippodrome outside the Blue Mosque and grabbed some Gozleme, which are almost like Pancakes or Naan full of cheese, chocolate or potato. So delicious!

We were exhausted after such a long day, haggling can really use up a lot of energy. So we headed home for an early night, our last in Istanbul. The next day we were headed to Cappadocia!