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Shop Istanbul with Atlasjet

31st May 2012 Print
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The second annual Istanbul Shopping Festival kicks off on Saturday 9th June promising discounts, extended opening hours, street parties and giveaways galore.

Atlasjet’s convenient new daytime flights from London Stansted to Istanbul Ataturk present the perfect opportunity to shop to your heart’s content, return fares starting from just £138. With standard EkonomiPlus fares including a generous 20 kg luggage allowance, how best to use it?

5 kg – The Spice Bazaar is a foodie paradise so limiting yourself to just a few kilos will be tough. Highlights to look out for include plump pistachios from Gaziantep, mouth-watering Manisa dried apricots and nar eksisi, Turkish pomegranate extract delicious in marinades and dressings. Don’t forget to stock up on the finest Turkish coffee at Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi just outside the main entrance on Tahmis Street.

2 kg – From elaborate costume pieces to dainty silver and gold, Istanbul is one of the best places in Europe to buy jewellery. The 550-year-old Grand Bazaar dazzlingly boasts over a thousand jewellery and gold shops. Look out too for works by local designers such as Özlem Tuna (Büyük Yeni Han, Eminönü, ozlemtuna.com) and Bengü Karaca.

3 kg – The Grand Bazaar is the perfect place to browse textiles, attracting leading fashion designers from all over the world: Pick up pashminas and cashmere scarves at Yazmac, which counts Donna Karan and Jean Paul Gaultier amongst its clientele, whilst Dolce and Gabbana are said to be frequent visitors to Egin Textile.

6 kg – Head to the districts of Çukurcuma and Cihangir for antiques ranging from Ottoman art and carpets to copperware, Iznik tiles and Kütahya porcelain.

4 kg – Istanbul caters for everybody from bargain lovers to high-end fashionistas. Explore the various passages off Istiklal Caddesi for high street seconds – brands spotted include Topshop, H&M, Zara and Banana Republic. Ni anta is the go-to area for designer boutiques, Turkish labels Arzu Kaprol, Atil Kutoglu and Dilek Hanif sitting alongside the likes of Alexander McQueen, Cartier and Prada.

Stansted-Istanbul Atatürk flights operate six days a week, Sunday-Friday.

EkonomiPlus fares include 8 kg carry-on luggage, 20 kg hold allowance, in-flight meals and beverages, allocated seats and 30 inch leg-room are included as standard.

Book online at atlasjet.com.

More Photos - Click to Enlarge

Atlasjet Logo Istanbul's 550-year-old Grand Bazaar