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Athens is
a shopper's delight.
Athens is the most oriental of all European cities and offers a great
variety of products that could interest the visitor.
The Greek specialties include leather and fur, silver and gold jewels,
pottery and ceramic, hand painted icons, embroideries, flokati rugs
and carpets, antiques
The Greek are also well known for their many natural products like
the honey, olives, coffee, and many others...
Because Athens is a crossroad between Europe and the Middle East,
you will find an interesting mixture of merchandise and shops. The
large department stores sell ready-made clothing and brand names known
in Europe or worldwide. Almost everything you want to buy is available
in the center of the city so you don't have to travel far to go shopping!
A wide variety of items, from throughout Greece, can be purchased
in the center of Athens to take back home as souvenir. Specialties
include handicrafts, gold and silver jewelry, flokati rugs of fluffy
sheep wool, pottery, onyx, marble, alabaster, leather goods, furs,
art items, and local culinary delights.
These items are available in the main shopping area downtown around
Syntagma, Plaka and Monastiraki, the flea market.
Your best bet to find souvenirs and jewelry is at Pandrossou pedestrian
walkway. A myriad of small stalls carry everything from first-class
junk to quality cooper, brass, antique jewelry, icons, paintings,
rare books, coins and leather-goods.
Other interesting gift idea is museum copies of ancient Greek art,
sold in many shops and at the National Archeological Museum.
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 Jewelry
always seems to be a hot item for tourists visiting Greece. The country
may not be known for its gold producing, but it has a history of at
least 3.000 years of manufacturing unique and skillful hand-crafted
gold jewelry. Eighty percent of the jewelry sold in the 4.000 jewelry
shops throughout Greece is handicraft and every piece of jewelry passes
through four to five
technicians. Greek jewelry offers a lot of creativity in design,low
labor costs and very good technicians. It all adds up to a smart investment
and a very nice gift to take back home.
Most of these shops in Athens are located on Voukourestiou and Mitropoleos
streets and Syntagma square in the center of the city and in the Plaka
area as well. Especially on Valaoritou St., you will find representatives
of the most well-known watch makers such as Piaget and Rolex. In nearby
Voukourestiou St., you will find the renowned Chopard collections.
Besides jewelry shops, the pedestrian walkway offers men's and women's
top fashion clothes stores as well as cafes and restaurants.
One of the main thoroughfares of Syntagma Sq., the Ermou walkway,
is the most popular shopping area for both visitors and residents.
The stores line on both sides of the walkway, reaching from Syntagma
Sq. to Monastiraki, specializing in women's wear particularly as well
as hosting a number of fashionable shoe shops. Nearby Mitropoleos
Street specializes in fur shops, top quality jewelry shops and dozens
of souvenir shops.
There are a handful of large and well-known department stores offering
reasonably priced items ranging from house-hold goods and appliances
to clothing, shoes, home decor art objects and more individualized
commodities. Some even have Greek souvenirs for sale. Greek food specialties
found at mini markets near Syntagma square.
Shopping hours are normally 09.00-15.00 Monday, Wednesday,
Saturday and 09.00-13.30, 17.30-20.30 Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
Sundays most shops are closed except those in tourist areas.
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Main Shopping
Areas |
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PLAKA
It is the most famous and calm area of the city. It is one of the
most touristic shopping areas and there are many souvenir, gold and
silver jewelers shops located in the central streets.
ERMOU
It is a pedestrian street which leads from the Syntagma Square to
Monastiraki. The street concentrates a great number of fashion labeled
clothes stores (Mark and Spencer, Zara) and attracts thousands of
people every day going for shopping.
MONASTIRAKI
& PANDROSOU STREET
Pandrossou is a pedestrian street that leads from the Metropoleos
square to Monastiraki flea market and concentrates a large number
of souvenir shops with ancient statue's imitation, landscapes paintings
and many other touristic items. There are also many jewelers, fur
and carpets shops.
Monastiraki flea market is the largest open air market in Athens.
It is one of the most interesting areas in Athens and offers all kind
of shopping opportunities: antiques, furniture, leathers and military
clothes, books, traditional instruments, music shops... In recent
years, the market also attracted many quality shoes shops. The Market
is opened all the week but the busiest day is Sunday.
ATHINAS STREET
It leads from Omonia Square to Monastiraki. Many kinds of shops are
represented in this street. Near Omonia square, there are many interesting
little shops selling natural products like coffee, dry fruits and
nuts.
The Athens meat market and the fresh fruit and vegetables market are
also situated in Athinas Street and they are really interesting places.
KOLONAKI
Kolonaki is the first word that a good shopper should know. It is
the old chic neighborhood of Athens and also the trendiest and most
stylish shopping area of the city. Just a stone's throw from Syntagma
Square, Kolonaki has always been the most fashionable and chic area
of Athens, teeming with boutiques -Gucci, Lanvin, Bulgari, Lancel,
Vuitton- trendy coffee shops and hip restaurants.
All the activities are located around the Kolonaki Square. The visitor
will find shopping opportunities, for clothes and shoes, of top designers,
art galleries and more...
Tsakalof Street is one of the six most expensive streets in the world.
KIFISSIA
It is the chic part of Athens but it is situated far away from the
center in the northern suburbs. Many luxury label shops are represented
there.
GLYFADA
It is a seaside neighborhood located in the south part of Athens and
proposes many kinds of shopping opportunities.
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Markets
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Monastiraki Flea Market, is the largest open air market in the city
of Athens. The market is open daily and Sunday is the busiest day.
Here you will find antiques, ancient coins, books and glassware. It
is located at the edge of the Plaka.
Kentriki Agora, has shops specializing in produce, meat and fish.
It is located near Omonia Square.
A Laiki market (peoples or farmers market) is held at least once a
week in each district of Athens. Markets offer a wide variety of fresh
fruits and vegetables as well as household goods.
In Athens, also, there is a big market in reproductions of museum
pieces and religious icons. The best places to buy them are at the
shops in the museums themselves.
The shops are generally open:
- Monday ,Wednesday 9:00am-12: 30pm;
- Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9:00am-1: 30pm and reopen 5:30-8:30pm
and Saturday 9:00am-3: 00pm.
Sidewalk kiosks, called periptera, are the Greek version of a convenience
store. Those in central squares are often open until very late, and
sometimes open 24 hours.
The stores usually have sales in August and February. Haggling is
standard practice in the tourist areas of Athens because many vendors
set the prices a little on the high side.
Visitors from outside the European Union who have been in Greece for
less than three months can claim back VAT of up to 18% on purchases
over euro 150,00. A 'tax-free check' will be issued in the shop to
be presented along with the receipt to customs when leaving the county.
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Book Stores
& Music Shops |
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The center of Athens is full of shops for music lovers and English-language
readers. Before going to the music shops and bookstores, you can find
English-language magazines and newspapers at the centers kiosk, such
as the Financial Times, The European, USA Today, The International
Herald Tribune and the Economist among other publications.
And for those interested in local news you may find the daily Athens
News or the weekly Greek News.
At the bookstores you may find anything your heart desires, starting
from international books, which you can find anywhere in the world,
all the way to translations of modern Greek authors not easily found
outside of Greece.
Athens is a collector's haven for music, since there are many music
shops where you can find records no longes on the shelves.
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Jewelries
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Greece has over 3,000 years of history in designing and hand crafting
fine jewelry to perfection. A visit to any archaeological museum in
the country will testify this fact.
These unique handcrafted masterpieces are not a thing of the past
only. Today you can find many pieces of fine jewelry in both gold
and silver, either inspired from styles of the past or made to suit
modern day desires and fashion.
Greece is one of the few countries in the world where jewelry is still
made by hand. About seventy per cent of it is exported, and about
eighty percent that is sold in the 4.000 jewelry shops throughout
Greece is handicraft which passes through four to five technicians.
 Shopping
hours are normally 09.00-15.00 Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and 09.00-13.30,
17.30-20.30 Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Sundays most shops are closed
. Of course most of the jewelers would be glad to arrange for an appointment
if the above hours are not suitable to your traveler's schedule.
Most of the top jewelers are located on Voukourestiou, Mitropoleos,
and Valaoritou streets, around Kolonaki, and around Syntagma square
on Stadiou and Panepistimiou streets in the center of the city. In
the Plaka area, Pandrossou and Adrianou streets are worth a walk.
A visit to all these areas can easily be done on foot.
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