Kadıköy Market

The streets immediately behind Kadıköy's ferry pier form the best food market in Istanbul - not a covered bazaar but a grid of ordinary shopping streets where the trades have concentrated. Fishmongers work the middle of it with the catch on ice and lemon halves stacked beside, and the fish restaurants behind will cook what you buy. Around them are pickle shops with jars of turşu from cabbage to green plum and the sour pickle juice sold by the glass, cheesemongers with the full range of Turkish cheeses laid out for tasting, dried-fruit and nut sellers, coffee roasters, a very well-known baklava counter, spice merchants and shops selling nothing but Turkish coffee or nothing but honey. It is a working market for local people rather than a tourist attraction, prices are ordinary, and shopkeepers hand out samples without pressure. Saturday is the fullest and most crowded day.

What you actually see

• The fishmongers - the day's catch on ice at the centre.
• The pickle shops - jars of turşu and juice by the glass.
• The cheese counters - the range laid out for tasting.
• The roasters and spice shops - coffee and dry goods around.

When to go

Year-round. Mornings for the fish; Saturday is fullest but most crowded. Many shops close on Sundays.

Honest expectations

It is a real market - busy, wet underfoot near the fish, and not arranged for visitors. Cash is easier than card in the smaller shops. The bar streets alongside get loud in the evening.

Nearby

Moda's promenade is a short walk south; the ferries run back to the European side from the pier.