Bodrum shopping guide – where and what to shop

Many of the towns and villages on the peninsula have weekly open-air markets which sell a variety of goods from fresh fruit and veg, textiles, tourist trinkets and fake designer clothes.  From souvenir shops to luxury boutiques along the marina, shopping hungry travelers will find a whole host of ways to spend their money and the colorful wares and delicious fragrances along the way will make shopping a delight.

Turgutreis Market

 

Besides offering sun and sea, Turgutreis is also a hotspot for shopping as it hosts the largest market on the peninsula. The open-air market offers a full range of fruit and vegetables, cheese, olives and ingredients to make traditional mezes, as well as areas devoted to clothing and textiles. The streets near Turgutreis marina are packed with neat-looking stalls displaying handmade jewelry, pottery and paintings. A relaxing day out this is not, but it’s an adventure full of local flavor.

 

Bodrum Town

 

Shopping is a real pleasure in Bodrum with it’s many shops lined in the white-wash narrow streets. Leather goods of all kinds, natural sponges and the local blue glass beads are among the bargains to be found among the shops. Leather, carpet, jewelry, copper and souvenir shops are lined on both sides of the street and it’s impossible to resist the urge to enter and start bargaining with the shop keeper as you sip on the drink that is offered to you as you enter. Look out for unique double-knotted Turkish carpets or kilims, steeped in the history and tradition of Turkey these carpets symbolize many different faces of Turkish culture.

 

Milas Textile Market

 

Situated 45 kilometres from Bodrum, the Milas Textile Market is a large street market on Tuesdays famous for its sale of colorful local fabrics sourced from all over the region. The array of colors and patterns on offer appeal to all tastes and give the marketplace a fairground atmosphere. As well as fabrics, the market offers kilims, carpets, kitchen ware, and clothing. Most of the sellers here are villagers from the surrounding area making it a great opportunity to buy traditional handicrafts directly from the people who make them. Part of the fun of the day is listening to the witty exchanges between neighbouring stallholders as they compete for your attention.

 

Oasis Shopping Center

 

For all your shopping needs, pop to the Oasis Shopping and Cultural Center on the main Bodrum to Gumbet Road (at the crossroads). The Oasis is the middle-ground between the designer goods available at the Marina and the fakes on offer at the market. It’s a modern shopping center with a selection of 200 shops spread over two floors, as well as cafes, restaurants and a cinema. Whilst it’s feasible to walk to Oasis from Bodrum town center, there is a big hill so it’s not advised. Instead you can catch a dolmus there in no time.

 

Bodrum shopping tips

 

Bargaining is commonplace within the open-air markets, and you can expect to pay a half to a third of the initial asking price in the markets and occasionally in some of the smaller shops too. Don’t overestimate the value of market stall goods however. When haggling, start low and let the seller coax you up to what is a realistic and reasonable price.