Shopping in Athens

For serious retail therapy, most natives head to the shopping streets that branch off central Syntagma and Kolonaki squares. Syntagma is the starting point for popular Ermou, a pedestrian zone where large, international brands like Espirit and Marks & Spencer's have edged out small, independent retailers. You'll find local shops on streets parallel and perpendicular to Ermou: Mitropoleos, Voulis, Nikis, Perikleous, and Praxitelous among them. Poke around here for real bargains, like strings of freshwater pearls, loose semiprecious stones, or made-to-fit hats.

Much ritzier is the Kolonaki quarter, with boutiques and designer shops on fashionable streets like Anagnostopoulou, Tsakalof, Skoufa, Solonos, and Kanari. Voukourestiou, the link between Kolonaki and Syntagma, is where you'll find Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren, and similar brands. In Monastiraki, coppersmiths have their shops on Ifestou. You can pick up copper wine jugs, candlesticks, cookware, and more for next to nothing. The flea market centered on Pandrossou and Ifestou operates on Sunday mornings and has practically everything, from secondhand guitars to Russian vodka. No matter how low the price, always bargain.

Two 2005 changes are transforming the city's retail scene: a law setting uniform shop hours (9 AM to 9 PM on weekdays and 9 AM to 6 PM on Saturday) and the arrival of shopping malls. Citylink, near Syntagma, is home to upscale boutiques like Ferragamo and Bally and the sprawling Attica department store. Three suburban megamalls are set to open in Maroussi, Piraeus, and Spata (near the airport) by the end of 2006.

Regardless, the souvenir shops in Plaka are usually open from early morning until the last tourist leaves. Originally set up by the government to provide employment for veterans, the sidewalk kiosks called periptera are the Greek version of a convenience store. Many of them have public phones, some metered for long-distance calls. Those in central squares are often open until very late and occasionally are open around the clock.

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