One thing which suprised me somewhat is that prices in the posh suburbs around Kadikoy are sometimes more expensive than the supposedly more touristic areas of Eminonu, Sirkeci or even Taksim. Most people not familiar with the city would think that prices are lower across the Bosphorus, but on more than one occassions I found out by personal experience that this is not necessarily so. If anything, going out for a meal at a up-market restaurant in a trendy parts of Istanbul's Asian side, where the presence of foreign tourists is definitely not the norm, can cost more than a dinner at some decent restaurants in Istanbul's tourist areas.
If you spend a few hours strolling down Suadiye's premier shopping street, the Bagdat Caddesi that stretches all the way from Kadikoy to Kartal, you get a glimpse of the purchasing power of the rich and affluent Istanbulites living in this part of the city. Along the main boulevard of Bagdat Caddesi are expensive designer boutiques such as Burberry, Vakko, Louis Vuitton, Escaa, DKNY and other global brands. In the side streets you will find plenty of expensive-looking jewellery shops, bistos, cafes, restaurants and more shops catering to the upper class.
The Louis Vuitton flagship store on Bagdat Caddesi is bigger and more eye-catching than the one in the posh neighbourhood of Nisantasi on the European side of Istanbul. It was not unusual to see women with expensive apparels, high heels and designer headscarves inside the Louis Vuitton boutique trying out the latest collections of handbags and accessories. So much for religious conservatism in Istanbul.
Gilan is an exclusive Turkish jewellery shop that specialises in high-end designer pieces. Their designs are an attempt to mix traditional oriental extravagance with contemporary western sleekness. And prices do not come cheap: be expected to dish out thousands of dollars for a simple gem-studded ring.
Not the entire stretch of the Bagdat Caddesi is full of expensive shops. The shopping zone concentrates in the up-market residential neighbourhoo of Suadiye, between Feherbahce and Bostanci. As Bagdat Caddesi is a one-way street with traffics going uptown towards the direction of Kadikoy's pier only, those who are interested in visiting this shopping area can take a suburban train from Haydarpasa train station to Bostanci, then turn around and walk back up the road next to Bostanci Suburban Railway Station, towards the direction of Kadikoy and Haydarpasa. Or one could take a bus from Kadikoy towards the direction of Bostanci or Kartal, and get off at Suadiye and start the shopping walks from there.
In case you need a snack or some refreshments during the shopping spree, there are plenty of cafes and restaurants to choose from. Depending on your budget, you can opt for either the omni-present MacDonald's, Starbucks, KFC and grilled kebabs, or the expensive Godiva chocolate boutique cafe where one cup of hot chocolate sells for almost 5 euro.
For those who are fed up with kebabs, frappucinos or hamburgers, and want to try out some real breads, there are several French-style bakeries along the Bagdat Caddesi offering butter or chocolate crossiants, baguettes, muffins, cakes and various kinds of French pastry and breads. Of course one cannot compare the quality of crossiants in Turkey with those in Francophone countries, but at least it provides a viable alternative to the bland and tasteless Turkish breads you get every morning at the breakfast buffet of your hotel.
Like the Ramblas in Barcelona, the sidewalks of Bagdat Caddesi are dotted with flower stands and open-air florists whose colourful presence adds a sense of joyous and festive feelings to the otherwise busy urban landscapes. And the rows of trees that lined the shopping boulevard - a rarity in a city with more than 20 million inhabitants - make the whole atmosphere even more relaxing for a luxurious shopping trip.
Copyrights@2011. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.
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