Best Shopping Centers in Istanbul! Full List
Are you a foreigner in Istanbul and want to buy some cool things before leaving this metropolitan city? Don’t worry because we have all the lists of the best shopping malls in which you can find many international and local brands.
In this list, we have all the best shopping malls, their addresses and how to get to there. Istanbul is the city with most shopping malls in the whole Europe and day by day a new shopping center building process starts too. Thanks to the shopping malls with rapid development speed, Istanbulites have lots of options. People prefer mostly the ones that are closest to their home or the ones that they can reach by public transportation. But of all the shopping malls in Istanbul, which of these are the best shopping malls? Let’s have a look at these and add some public transportation alternatives under.
Isfanbul (old name: Vialand)
Vialand which has become the best attraction center since the day it has opened with its acreage and open-air shopping advantage is actually not just a shopping center. It is welcoming millions of visitors since the day it opened and kind of a thematic park too. Vialand in Eyüp was built by Via Properties construction firm which is actually the architect behind many modern shopping mall projects in Istanbul. Even though a metro and cable car are planned and on-going process, you can still arrive there with busses and minibusses. Vialand shopping mall project includes the ”Vialand Thematic Park” which is the biggest thematic park in Turkey.
Even though it started with Vialand name, the project got a brand new name in 2018 with a new decision and became the İsfanbul. It is now called as İsfanbul Shopping Center and İsfanbul Thematic Park.
Forum Istanbul
Forum Istanbul is one of the biggest shopping center projects which was built by the Multi Development Turkey Group. One of the most prominent features and ways to attract visitors are their advertisements and events. It became one of the most important shopping centers of Istanbul in a brief time and the transportation plays an important role in that. Best transportation ways to Forum Istanbul are M1A Yenikapı – Airport and M1B Yenikapı – Kirazlı Metro, and then hop off at the Kocatepe station. It is a big complex so it has IKEA and Koçtaş around too. The grand project is situated next to the Grand Istanbul Bus Terminal and located inside the Bayrampaşa county.
Marmara Forum
Marmara Forum is built to the Merter area which is a junction point for Zeytinburnu, Güngören, Bahçelievler, and Bakirköy. As you can understand from the name, it is constructed by the same group who built the Forum Istanbul, Multi Development Turkey. You can reach this gigantic facility by a quick walk after hopping off from Zeytinburnu station. You can get to the Zeytinburnu station by Metrobus line or M1A Atatürk Airport – Yenikapı Metro. Moreover, MR10 Zeytinburnu – Kazlıçeşme bus which gets off from Kazlıçeşme Marmaray station, 93T Harbiye – Taksim – Zeytinburnu bus, 93M Mecidiyeköy – Zeytinburnu bus, 93 Eminönü – Zeytinburnu and 93C Beyazıt – Zeytinburnu busses will lead you to the ”Fildamı Yolu” bus stop and you can reach to forum by that stop too.
Mall of Istanbul
Even though it is far away from central parts of Istanbul, thanks to its size it is competing with other malls in order to be the biggest mall in Istanbul. It is located in the İkitelli area and has hundreds of retail shops. Since it is so big, all these shops won’t be enough for that complex and it also has cultural and artistic events and etc. If we take into consideration that with the Channel Istanbul project most of the population of this metropolitan city will slide to that area of the city, Mall of Istanbul can be the king of new Istanbul. You can reach that project by taking the M3 Kirazlı – Olimpiyat Stadyumu – Başakşehir Metrokent Metro and get off at ”İkitelli Sanayi” station. But you need to a long walk in order to do that.
Emaar Square Mall
Emaar Square Mall is one of the biggest shopping centers of the Anatolian Side and has opened its services in 2017. It is a relatively new project and situated inside the Libadiye area. In this shopping mall which is built on a large scale terrain, we have a quite big aquarium too.
Best public transportation options for this center is from Göztepe bus station which is located at E-5 Highway and the buses are 8E, 9K, 11E, 14B, 14DK, 14ES, 15BK, 15SK, 15YK, 15ÇK, and 129T. You can get off at the ”Mobilyacılar Çarşısı” bus stop and have a short walk.
Venezia Mega Outlet (Old name: Viaport Venezia) 
Venezia Mega Outlet will make you remember the streets, architecture, gondola channels of Venice. When it first comes out, the project was branded as Viaport Venezia but later they named it Venezia Mega Outlet. It is located in the Karadeniz neighbourhood of Gaziosmanpaşa and you can reach that area with T4 Topkapı – Habibler Tramway line if you get off at ”Metris” station. Another public transportation alternative is the Kabataş – Beşiktaş – Mecidiyeköy – Mahmutbey metro line which is still under maintenance and get off at ”Karadeniz Mahallesi” station.
Hilltown
The Anatolian Side of Istanbul has started to get its modern shopping center projects recently. Hilltown project which is built on the Küçükyalı has a beautiful sea view too. It is a half open-air shopping center and the owners of the project are the Rönesans Group which has a lot of experience with shopping center projects. You can reach to this beautiful shopping center via M4 Kadiköy – Tavşantepe metro line’s Küçükyalı station. Moreover, 500T which passes from E-5 Highway can reach there.
Akasya Acıbadem
Akasya Shopping Center which is built on one of the most precious landmarks of the Anatolian Side became one of the most luxurious life centers that appeal to the high-net-worth individuals. Transportation to this attraction center which mas Residence projects too, can be made via M4 Kadiköy – Tavşantepe Metro lines ”Ünalan” station and ”Uzunçayır” station of Metrobus.
Viaport Asia
As you can understand from the name, it is one of the projects made by Via Group but this one has a different location. Even though the first two projects were built on the European Side, Viaport Asia is built on the Anatolian Side. This shopping mall had lots of visitors during the past years and it is continuing to do so. It has a gigantic amusement park in its open-air area and located inside Kurtköy. One of the prominent reasons behind its popularity is its closeness to the Sabiha Gökçen Airport.
Best transportation options to Viaport are 130H, 132K, 133Ü, 134 and KM25 busses in order to get off at Dedepaşa Bulvarı station.
Viaport Marina
Marina which is situated at the outer side of Anatolian Side, Tuzla county has been restored and renewed. The new form of marina includes one of the best shopping malls in the Istanbul, Viaport Marina. The area is now both marina and an open-air shopping center and a thematic park. In order to reach the Viaport Marina which has ViaSea, the second biggest thematic park in Turkey, you need a special car. Because the only public transportation way to this center is 130 Kadiköy – Tuzla bus and getting off at the ”Marmados Sitesi” station.
