Greece can be a great place to go shopping. There are many different products to choose from, including some excellent quality, locally made items, and if you're willing to shop around and perhaps even barter a little, you can get them for great prices. Options of where to shop range from little street vendors to large malls and shopping centres.
This Greece shopping guide gives a short introduction to what you may like to shop for on your visit. No doubt all this shopping will make you hungry, so we'd recommend you have a look at our Greece restaurants guide as well. For details on specific shops, or to learn more about shopping within a specific city, click on the city below you would like to know more about:
- Athens
- Corfu
- Crete
- Kefalonia
- Lesvos
- Rhodes
- Santorini
- Thessaloniki
Greece Shopping Guide
Jewellery
Jewellery is a very popular purchase. Greeks have been making jewellery since ancient times, using all kinds of materials, from gold and silver to precious and semi-precious stones. Athens, specifically Adrianou street in Plaka, is probably the best place to look for variety and quality, however throughout Greece you will be able to find little jewellery stores with unique pieces. Some stores are even owned by the craftsmen themselves. Matia are also quite common and popular. These are little blue eyes that used to ward off the evil-eye and protect the wearer from bad luck. Look for hand-painted ones.
Antiques
Due to its long and storied history, many people come to Greece expecting to be able to buy antiques. For authentic Greek antiques, your best bet is to head to the large auction houses in London or New York and expect to pay millions. What you can buy in Greece are excellently made copies. Sculptors, using teracotta and plaster of Paris, copy many of the ancient statues, and these imitation antiques can be throughout Greece. Make sure to look for a government seal of approval on them, though, as otherwise they may be confiscated as you leave the country.
Leathergoods
Leathergoods are also plentiful throughout Greece. The main items that you will come across are leather sandals, bags and jackets. The quality and price will vary greatly, so make sure you shop around and try to get some good local advice on recommended stores. The best ways to check for quality are to look at the stitching (normally the weakest part of an item, and hence the first to come apart), and also how large the thread used is - bigger is better.
