lc123

Hello everyone!
I will be going to Greece (specifically Santorini, Naxos, Mykonos & Athens) and I'm looking to buy some good honey (thyme/wild oak) and good olive oil to bring home.
Does anyone have any suggestions on what brand to buy?

I've also seen Sakellaropoulos olive oil (which has won lots of awards) but I have no idea where to buy it
I'd prefer to buy them all in Athens as it's our last stop and will be leaving from there.

Thanks in advance

balthy

You don't need a specific brand of either olive oil or honey unless you specifically want to. Sometimes you can find honey being sold at the side of the road in stalls by locals or go into local shops and buy something local, ask for recommendations. I have some of this years olive oil, harvested (Nov/Dec 22) in a large plastic container, no label, but I know whose olive grove it came from. You don't want to be sold some old oil when olives have only just been harvested. If not, there will be supermarkets where you can buy both or specialist shops.

You can email Sakellaropoulos and ask where you can buy their olive oil and from which harvest it is.

https://www.bioarmonia.gr/

Heimdall

Waiting until you get back to Athens is a good idea, as the less you have to lug around on the trip the better. You might want to take the Gourmet Food Tour offered by Athens Walks when you get back to Athens. You will “Visit specialty food stores to try local produce wine and organic olive oil.“
https://www.athens-walks.com/tour-it...ens-food-tour/

HappyTrvlr

Be careful where you pack it when returning home. Put it in heckled luggage. I had the Greek honey in my carry on which the US Agriculture screening agent saw and asked to take a closer look. The agent took off the top and stuck his finger in it, then gave it back to me! He said he was looking for a fungus but my honey was OK. No it wasn’t after he stuck his finger in it!

balthy

I’ve had honey confiscated from my hand luggage by security, this was departing from Greece.

sassy27

Yes remember it can’t go in your carryon. Putting it in your checked luggage should be fine if you are taking any. It also would be good to take a few plastic bags and maybe a small amount of bubble wrap and tape. I do this if I am bringing back anything that might break. It doesn’t take up a lot of space and so far so good. The only thing that broke on me from Athens was a a small piece of pottery that was in a friend’s carryon that tipped over. It got smashed even when wrapped in bubble wrap.

Heimdall

There are duty free shops at Athens Airport International Departures after you go through passport control where you can buy Greek products including olive oil and honey, and shops for duty free liquor. The items are put into sealed bags which are allowed through security. I’ve usually bought something to carry in the cabin on flights to London. That works as long as you don’t have a connecting flight before your final destination.

nylilly

Last summer we did this tour which included a very informative stop in a shop that featured olive oils. Since I generally travel with just carry on luggage, I bought olive oil at Duty Free to bring home. The clerk recommended a can, rather than a bottle, for both weight and resistance to breakage.

zebec

Yo OP IC,
I am a honey enthusiast. Two of the Greek isles that come to mind are Ikaria plus Crete. The latter's thyme honey is renown. Although we did not encounter the following issue, locals warned us about unscrupulous producers who might add sugar to their honey.
As HT has suggested above, def pack your purchases in luggage. I too once had some (ridiculously expensive) silver-thistle honey confiscated from my carry-on in SFO.
Good Luck.

I am done. the beez

lavandula

Hi, you don't say where you are from - some countries don't allow you to bring honey into the country for quarantine reasons. Check this out before you travel!

Lavandula