Travel Tips

What to Bring from Turkey: Top Gift and Souvenir Ideas

Turkey is a country with a rich culture and traditions, a part of which can be taken away by every traveler who has visited this warm corner of the planet. Today, the country occupies a leading position in the world tourism market and is ready to offer its guests a holiday at the highest level. Such a vacation will always remain in your heart, and souvenir shops will contribute to this, offering a lot of original souvenirs to choose from. So that you don’t have to worry about what to bring from Turkey, we have prepared a special selection of the most popular products, many of which will definitely appeal not only to you, but also to your loved ones.

Hookahs and tobacco products

If you do not know what you can bring from Turkey, then we advise you to consider such an option as hookah and tobacco. Souvenir shops offer hookahs for every taste and color, from miniature gift models to large-sized versions with 2-3 pipes. Small hookahs are often bought as a gift as an interior accessory, although they are quite suitable for their direct purpose. But in such models, tobacco burns quickly, so the smoking process does not promise to be long.

Turkish hookahs

When buying a hookah, be sure to pay attention to the type of product, of which there are only two — composite and threaded. Threaded models are more high-quality and durable, so they are more expensive, and hookahs on silicone can differ in rapid wear.

  • Small decorative hookahs cost between $12-15,
  • medium-sized items – $30-50,
  • the price of high – end models of good quality starts from $100 and above.

Important! Some airlines prohibit the transportation of hookahs and tobacco in the cabin of the liner, so before purchasing such a gift, please check the carrier’s rules in advance.

Tanya Hookah Tobacco

Of course, a good hookah requires high-quality tobacco.

There are several manufacturers of hookah tobacco in Turkey (Tanya, Adalya, etc.). Tobacco is sold in packages of different weights and is offered in more than 30 different flavors.

Its price in different shops ranges from $2-4.

The Turks

Copper turk

If you are in doubt about what to bring from Turkey as a gift, then the turka (or “cezve” in Turkish) can be a great souvenir. Brewed coffee in this country is loved and revered, so the choice of dishes for its preparation is huge here. The main difference between the Turks from each other is in their size and material of manufacture. Most often in Turkey there are two types of products — aluminum and copper. The price of aluminum turrets varies between $5-15 depending on the size. But copper jezve are much more expensive-from $15 to $30.

Important! Unscrupulous merchants in the bazaars may try to sell you an aluminum turk, passing it off as a copper one. Visually distinguish these metals is not so easy: aluminum products here are painted in copper color. However, copper has a specific metallic smell, which is not inherent in aluminum. Therefore, before laying out a round sum for a turk, make sure that you are really buying a copper product.

Turkish sweets

If you are puzzling over what souvenirs to bring from Turkey, then by choosing Turkish sweets, you will definitely not lose. Perhaps this is the most popular edible souvenir, which is annually exported by tons outside the country.Turkish delight

Turkish delight treat

A special love was won by the famous Turkish delight-a delicacy made on the basis of sugar syrup and supplemented with various nuts, milk or fruit fillers. You can buy it as a gift either in a box or by weight. The price of the sweet will depend on the quality of the product and its weight: here you can find small packages worth $2-3 and kilogram options from $10 and above.

Halva

Turkish halva

Turkish halva, made on the basis of tahini paste, which in turn is made from sesame seeds, is also very popular. This dessert can be found both in its pure form, and with the addition of vanilla, chocolate and pistachios. The price of such a gift ranges from $2-5 for a package of 250 g.

Baklava and kadaif

Turkish sweet-kadaif
Kadaif

Another equally delicious souvenir that you can bring to your loved ones is baklava, as well as kadaif – sweets made from dough, soaked in honey syrup and flavored with a sprinkling of almonds, pistachios or walnuts. The price of such treats will depend on the weight of the product: for example, a box of 500 g will cost an average of $7-10.

Important! When buying sweets in Turkey as a gift, be sure to pay attention to their expiration date. In addition, such products should not be exposed to direct sunlight: this can lead to their rapid deterioration.

Spices

Red Pepper Flakes

Turkey’s hot climate allows it to grow numerous types of spices on its plantations. Therefore, if you are puzzled by the question of what you can bring from Turkey as a gift, then seasonings can be an excellent souvenir. A special love in the country has acquired red pepper flakes, which are added literally to every dish. Turkish souvenir shops also offer numerous other spices: saffron, turmeric, black pepper, curry, thyme, nutmeg, sumac, etc.

Spice Sets

Condiments can be brought home in separate packages, but as a souvenir it is better to buy gift sets that include the most popular spices. Often, such packages are supplemented with a bonus souvenir in the form of a magnet, bracelet or pepper mill. The price of gift sets varies from $5-15 depending on the composition.

Honey

Turkish honey

Turkey is one of the largest honey producers in the world. In the shops you can find floral, cotton, citrus honey, but pine honey is especially appreciated here, 92% of which is made in the Aegean Sea area. Such a product can become a worthy souvenir from Turkey, so don’t forget to bring it to your friends. The price for a jar of high-quality honey starts from $10.

Often in stores you can find honey with the addition of various nuts. This is not exactly the same Turkish honey, but it is quite a delicious sweet that is extremely popular with tourists. Its price is $4-5 for a can of 200 g.

On a note! Find out what dishes of Turkish national cuisine are worth trying here.

Products

Olives

Canned green olives with a stone

In the photo of souvenirs from Turkey, you can often see olives, which may seem strange to some, but it is quite understandable. In the country, hundreds of thousands of hectares are allocated for olive plantations, and every year local factories collect more than 2 million tons of olives.

A can of 400 g olives can be purchased for $3-4. Of course, olive oil is also popular in Turkey: dozens of different manufacturers offer their products at different prices. One of the highest quality brands is considered “Kristal”, and a liter of olive oil from this brand will cost $6-8. But there is also oil for $4 per liter.Rose

Petal jam

Rose Petal jam

Another original gift from Turkey can be jam made from rose petals. Here, this flower has long been used to make various sweets, including jam, which has not only a unique taste, but also a lot of useful properties. The price for a jar of this product is $3-4.

Cheeses

Variety of Turkish cheeses

Few people realize that Turkey is a real cheese paradise, where a variety of cheeses for every taste is presented. White, rustic, hard, with mold, in the form of a cube, pigtail and rope – such an abundance will not leave indifferent even the most sophisticated gourmet.

Each type of cheese has its own price. For example, a package of inexpensive hard cheese weighing 500 g will cost $5, and white (similar to cheese) – from $3-4.

Important! Buy cheese only in large supermarkets, where the freshness of the product is guaranteed.

Coffee and tea

Кофе Mehmet Efendi
Mehmet Efendi

What can I bring home from Turkey? Of course, tea and coffee are the most popular drinks in the country, presented in a huge assortment. If you are a fan of boiled coffee, then pay attention to the Mehmet Efendi brand: after all, it is the brand that the Turks revere most of all. Mehmet Efendi coffee can be found in small packages of 100 g at a price of $1.5-2, and in large cans of 500 g at a cost of $7-8.

Black tea Turkish Çaykur
Çaykur

Black tea is a national drink that Turks drink all day long from small tulip glasses. Its leaves are collected from tea trees growing on the Black Sea coast and, as a rule, ground, so do not try to find large-leaved Turkish tea, it simply does not exist. The most famous Turkish brand of tea – “Çaykur” offers the product in packages of different weights. The average price for 1 kg of tea is $4-8.

Important! The Turks themselves do not really like to drink green and fruit teas, but for tourists and lovers of such drinks, they produce a variety of mixtures. Don’t confuse natural fruit teas with the chemical-infused powdered drinks that are common here.

Turkish home textiles

Turkish home textiles

Among our tips for tourists on what to bring from Turkey, there is one very reliable recommendation-buy Turkish textiles! The country is one of the largest cotton producers in the region, so you can buy high-quality home textiles here at very favorable prices. Bed linen, bath towels, blankets, bathrobes, bedspreads, tablecloths – the list can be endless.

TAC brand bed linen
TAC Bed linen

The best brands in the textile segment are Taç, Özdilek and Altınbaşak, but even less famous manufacturers are ready to offer you high-quality goods. In addition to cotton products, you can also bring decent bamboo textiles from here. Below we present approximate prices for the most popular textile products:

  • Bed linen – from $30 to $100
  • Bath towel 70 x 140 cm-from $10 to $20
  • Plaid – $20 – $30
  • Bathrobe – from $30 to $70
  • Kitchen Towel Set – $5 – $15

Leather goods and clothing

Turkish Leather jackets

In Turkey, the manufacture of leather goods is highly developed, among which you can find jackets, raincoats, bags and belts. Usually, leather stores also offer fur products: sable, rabbit, fox and chinchilla fur coats. It is noteworthy that in the country you can buy leather bags – exact copies of famous brands are 3-5 times cheaper than the original (from $50). The price of a leather jacket starts at $200 and can run into thousands of dollars.

Colins clothing company

Among the most famous companies in Turkey are Mavi, Koton, Collins, Waikiki, De Facto. Prices for clothing in the country jump depending on the brand: for example, here it is quite possible to buy a T-shirt for $3-5 or good jeans for $15-20. To get a rough idea of what kind of clothes we are talking about, you can find photos and prices of branded products on the Internet that can serve as an excellent souvenir from Turkey.

Important! Some leather shops (especially bazaars) sell Chinese consumer goods under the guise of high-quality Turkish products. Therefore, be careful and carefully check the purchased product.

Bath and hamam sets

Gift Hamam set

Hamam – the famous Turkish bath, where treatments are carried out aimed at improving the body and cleansing the skin. In their work, the masters of the hamam use a certain set of items, which can also be brought to loved ones as a souvenir. As a rule, the bath kit includes a peeling glove, a bath towel, olive or argan soap, moisturizer and pumice stone.

Depending on the composition of the set, the price of such a gift can range from $3-5.

Carpets
Turkish carpets

Turkey is one of the few countries where you can still buy luxury handmade carpets. A carpet with oriental motifs can be an original and at the same time very valuable gift. Both woolen products and silk models are offered here. The cost of such a souvenir will vary depending on the number of knots per 1 square meter. meter: the more such knots, the higher the price of the carpet. For example, a product of 2×3 meters can cost $90-100, but the price for large models reaches $1000 or more.

Important! If you want to buy a large oriental carpet as a gift, but you are puzzled by the question of transportation of such a large souvenir, then we hasten to inform you that most stores in Turkey provide services for the delivery of their products anywhere in the world.

Tableware
Turkish Teapot

As a souvenir from Turkey, you can bring coffee and tea sets, as well as a kettle. For brewing black tea in the country, a special two-tiered teapot is used: several spoons of tea are poured into the upper vessel and poured with boiling water, and the lower vessel is placed under hot water. Next, the kettle is put on a small fire, and the drink is brewed for 20-25 minutes.

Tea is served in miniature tulip glasses on a saucer: a Turk drinks 5-6 servings of tea at one sitting. A set of six glasses with spoons and saucers costs $12-20. The price of a teapot will depend on its size and manufacturer: miniature models cost $15-25, while larger teapots cost $40-50.

Gift Coffee Set

In Turkey, you can also buy unusual painted coffee sets made of porcelain and copper-plated iron. As a rule, these sets include 2 cups on a saucer, 2 spoons, a small sugar bowl and a tray. The price of a porcelain set starts from $10, copper-plated sets cost between $20-25.

Natural cosmetics

If you have not yet found out what to bring from Turkey as a gift at favorable prices, then we advise you to consider cosmetics as an option. The country has a well-developed cosmetics industry, which makes products on a natural basis. Among the most popular brands, it is worth highlighting:Dalan d’Olive

This is one of the most famous cosmetic brands that make their products based on olive oil. His series includes face and body moisturizers, shower gels, shampoos, hair conditioners, liquid and solid soaps. The products are of high quality and give an excellent moisturizing effect. At the same time, Dalan d’Olive cosmetics can not be called too expensive:

Dalan d'Olive cosmetics
  • Shampoo – $6
  • Hair Conditioner – $6
  • Cream 250 g – $6
  • Solid Soap – $2
  • Gift set of cosmetics – $12-17

Rosense

Rosense Cosmetics

The brand presents a series of natural cosmetics, the main component of which is rose oil. Rosense products are designed for face and body care, and the brand also has a separate line for hair care. Especially appreciated here is rose water, which can slow down the aging process and increase the tone of fading skin. And the prices for products of this brand will only please:

  • Body Cream – $4
  • Face Wash Gel – $3
  • Shampoo – $4
  • Tonic – $5
  • Rose Water – $5

Fonex

Fonex Cosmetics

The Fonex brand primarily specializes in the production of oils and creams based on them. Her products include body oils ($6-7), serums and moisturizing hair sprays ($10-14), and 100% olive and argan oil ($20). Also in the line you can find face and body creams, hair gels, shampoos, deodorants, etc. Such cosmetics can be a very useful gift from Turkey.

Important! We advise you to buy cosmetic products not in bazaars, but in pharmacies or specialty stores.

Soap
Turkish soap

Another popular product that tourists often buy as a gift is natural soap. In Turkey, there is a huge selection of soaps of various colors and smells, factory and handmade, for hands, face and hair. The greatest demand is for:

  • olive soap with an excellent moisturizing effect
  • rose and pomegranate soap used for cleansing and rejuvenating the skin
  • snail soap for problem and oily skin
  • pistachio soap for hair and body, which helps to eliminate dandruff and clear the pores of dirt

The price of soap, depending on the brand and weight, can vary in the range of $1-4.

Medicines
Pharmacy in Turkey

Few people know that in Turkey, medicines are of high quality and at the same time are much cheaper than in European countries. Counterfeiting of medical products is severely punished by law, so pharmacies sell only real medicines. Of course, tablets are unlikely to become an unusual souvenir from the East, but by purchasing them in Turkey, you can save very well. Therefore, if you are puzzled by the question of what to bring from Turkey, then medicines should definitely be included in your shopping list.

Antihistamine drug Xyzal
Ksizal

Many of the drugs known to us here have other names, so you should study the names of Turkish analogues on the Internet in advance. Different medicines have their own prices, and to compare the cost, here are some examples:

  • Antihistamine drug Xyzal — $2
  • Betahistine 100 tablets — $12
  • Daflon 60 tablets — $10
Jewelry and costume jewelry

There are a great many jewelry stores in Turkey, ranging from small shops to huge premium centers. Although Turkish gold with its distinctive yellow hue is not the highest quality in the world, it is readily bought as a souvenir to relatives.

Turkish jewelry

The price per gram of gold in Turkey for August 2021 is $57.7. Specialized jewelry stores offer various items starting from $60 per gram. At the bazaar, you can find a lower price tag, but the quality of jewelry is not guaranteed here.

The most popular jewelry brands in Turkey have a huge range of accessories made of gold and silver, decorated with various stones, including diamonds. Among the well-established brands, it is worth highlighting:

Altinbas Jewelry Store
Altınbaş
  • Altınbaş
  • Assos
  • Atasay
  • Cetaş
  • Ekol
  • Favori

For example, Altınbaş gold earrings can be purchased for $150, a simple ring will cost $60, and a chain will cost $65.

In Turkey, you can also buy interesting and inexpensive costume jewelry in both oriental style and modern design. So, a women’s gold bracelet will cost $6, earrings – $4-10, a chain with a pendant – $6-8.

Important! We advise you to purchase precious jewelry only from trusted sellers. Do not agree to go to a jewelry or gift shop with a guide: in such shops, prices are inflated by 2-3 times, since a percentage is deducted from each sale to your travel agency.

Souvenirs
Nazar bonjuk - talisman against the evil eye
Nazar bonjuk

In Turkey, you can also buy original gifts with a national touch. Such, for example, is Nazar bonjuk-a talisman against the evil eye, which is usually hung at the entrance. Nazar bonjuk is presented in various shapes and sizes: you can choose from miniature pendants for $1-2 and large models decorated with additional accessories for $20-30.

Turkish souvenirs

Another unusual gift can be a lamp made of colored mosaic glass. Such lamps can take the form of a table, ceiling or wall lamp, each of which gives its own unique glow in various shades. This product can cost from $10 to $50 depending on the size.

And, of course, you can always buy standard souvenirs as a gift in the form of magnets ($1), keychains ($1-3), plates with sights ($5-10), cups with the flag of Turkey ($5), etc.

General tips
Souvenir shop in Turkey
  1. When going on vacation, we advise you to ask in advance how much souvenirs cost in Turkey. Before making purchases, go through several stores and compare prices.
  2. We do not recommend going for souvenirs with guides, because with them you will always overpay.
  3. Go to the souvenir shop in the hotel: many tourists have formed the opinion that shops are expensive on the territory of the hotel, but often their prices are not higher than in the bazaar, and the quality of goods is better.
  4. For clothes, you should go to the shopping center, and not to the bazaar. Do not buy goods in stores located near attractions, because there is always an inflated price tag.
What can’t be exported from Turkey

Like other countries, Turkey imposes a number of restrictions on the export of certain items. Among them:

  • Carpets that are more than 100 years old
  • Antiques: This category includes items older than 50 years
  • Vintage coins
  • Medicines containing narcotic substances in their composition
  • Corals and shells without a receipt for their purchase
  • Exotic animals and plants
  • Jewelry with a total value of more than $15,000
  • Alcohol with a volume of more than 5 liters
  • Food products worth over $27 and weighing more than 5 kg in total
  • Souvenirs worth more than $1,000
Conclusion

Today, Turkey offers its guests a lot of original and high-quality souvenirs, most of which are produced on its territory. The range of gifts is so large that many simply get lost in choosing a decent present. We hope that our article will help you decide what to bring from Turkey, and your family and friends will be satisfied.

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