A visit to the Grand Bazaar should certainly be top of your Istanbul sightseeing itinerary. However, if you are not familiar with bazaar life and habits, my Europe travel tip is to have a trial run at a much more sedate place before you venture into the hustle and bustle of  the larger Istanbul market, such as the Grand Bazaar or Spice Market, which can be quite overwhelming. You might want to dip your toe into bazaar visiting skills with a more leisurely stroll around the Arasta Bazaar.

For starters, it’s not a covered bazaar like the other two, but an open air street market, located right behind the Blue Mosque. Instead of a few thousand stalls and shops, you find about 40, all arranged along a center alley which is much wider than the narrow ‘streets’ and aisles of the Grand Bazaar or Spice Market. Therefore it’s easier to negotiate and to actually stop in front of the shop windows and admire the merchandise rather than watching your step or just being pushed along by the crowds.

The structure of the bazaar was built as an extension of the Blue Mosque during the Ottoman Empire and used to house stables. It was severely damaged by several fires and remained in ruins for a long time. Temporarily, squatters occupied what remained of the arches and stables until, in 1980, Istanbul’s General Directorship of Foundations came to the rescue, took over and put the site into use as a picturesque street market. And a lovely place it has become.

The shops along the center aisle display a variety of the finest carpets, silver and gold, leather goods and tiles, ceramic plates and other objects, all hand painted and two smaller shops offer carved  Meerschaum pipe heads. Meerschaum is a white mineral found floating on the Black Sea and the use of Meerschaum carvings has a long tradition in Turkey. I personally love the carpet boots though, a very distinctive fashion item.

The shop keepers sit outside, drinking tea and will invite you to visit but in a much less aggressive way than in the Grand Bazaar or Spice market.

Down a few steps is an open air paintings gallery as well as a café shaded by big trees which invites to a rest.

The proximity of the Arasta Bazaar to the Blue Mosque makes it easy to combine a visit of the two or else you might just venture further into the cobbled streets behind, leading to the waterfront and admire some of Istanbul’s recently restored old wooden houses.

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