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Blue Mosque vs Grand Bazaar

Both Blue Mosque and Grand Bazaar are rated highly by professional reviewers writing for major publications. Overall, Blue Mosque is the choice of most professionals compared to Grand Bazaar. Blue Mosque scores 94 with accolades from 7 sources like Let's Go, Michelin Guide and Frommer's.

Blue Mosque
Blue Mosque
9 / 10
Sultanahmet, Istanbul 222, Turkey
From $0 /night
Frommer's Frommer's
"This grand bubble of masonry, one of the great and defining features of Istanbul's skyline, was constructed between 1609 and 1617 by Sultan Ahmet I." Full review
Lonely Planet Lonely Planet
Top Choice
"With his eponymously named mosque, Sultan Ahmet I (r1603–17) set out to build a monument that would rival and even surpass the nearby Aya Sofya in grandeur and beauty." Full review
Fodor's Fodor's
"Only after you enter the Blue Mosque do you understand the name... this mosque feels gloriously airy and full of light." Full review
Let's Go Let's Go
"Intricately decorated with the blue Iznik porcelain tiles responsible for the mosque’s name, this mosque feels a bit like being inside a colossal blue china teapot." Full review
Michelin Guide Michelin Guide
3 Stars
"This jewel of the 17C has retained its vocation as a place of worship... the over-riding effect here is one of grace and solemnity." Full review
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Grand Bazaar
Grand Bazaar
9 / 10
Grand Bazaar Istanbul Turkey
From $0 /night
Fodor's Fodor's
"Take a deep breath and plunge into this maze of 65 winding, covered streets crammed with 4,000 tiny shops, cafés, restaurants, mosques, and courtyards." Full review
Frommer's Frommer's
"The mother of all tourist traps, the Grand or Covered Bazaar is a vivid illustration of all that's gone wrong with the free market." Full review
Lonely Planet Lonely Planet
Top Choice
"This labyrinthine and chaotic bazaar is the heart of the Old City and has been so for centuries. No visit to İstanbul would be complete without a stop here." Full review
Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
"This massive, dazzling, and cacophonous covered market is the ur-bazaar of the Orient; if you’ve envisioned what it will be like, prepare to have your expectations exceeded." Full review
Michelin Guide Michelin Guide
2 Stars
"The Grand Bazaar is a joyful, feverish universe that can overwhelm and unsettle with its thousands of shops and workshops, caravanserais, warehouses, restaurants, fountains, banks and mosque." Full review
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