Shopping in Greece
 

We'll be going to Greece this fall and wish to know what to look for in the way of shopping. We'll be spending two days in Athens and the rest in the islands. <BR> <BR>Thanks so much for any suggestions. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Athens has some department stores and small boutiques, as well as the Monastiraki market. If you are after traditional items there are loads of souvenir shops all over. I bought lots of copies of ancient Greek pottery. There is also lots of silver jewellery available in traditional designs (meander/Greek key pattern). Copies of sculpture and jewellery (some reproductions in gold) can be purchased from the major museums. <BR> <BR>The islands have the souvenir shops as well, small boutiques and stalls selling T-shirts and those 1970s-looking white peasant dresses. You will also find old ladies selling jumpers and tablecloths in the streets; we found a very persistent one while trying to eat a meal at a sidewalk cafe on Crete (Heraklion).

Also do a search here on a posting called "What to bring back from Greece?" from last year. Although I think the question may have been mainly about handicrafts, there were lots of suggestions. <BR>

April, Thanks for your suggestion of looking up "What to bring back from Greece". There were lots of ideas. Does anyone know about leather goods in Greece? <BR> <BR>Many thanks!

I remember seeing a lot of leather goods for sale in Rhodes. If your island visits take you there, they seemed to have good prices on jackets, belts and the like.

Though you may find just about everything manufactured in Greece in Athens, specific items may be much cheaper at their origin. Our shop strolling experience was limited to Athens, Delphi, Arakhova and Osios Loukas, the Peloponnese, Santorini and Rhodes. Much has been said in the thread referred to by April, so I'll try to be complementary. <BR> <BR>We (two couples) spent a little more than 3 full days in Athens. Once our sightseeing was practically limited to the Acropolis, Archaeological Museum, Mitropolis and the Ancient Agora, we had lots of time to explore shops and stores. Besides the touristy Monastiriki-Plaka axis, we explored Kolonaki (we were told it to be the "best" non touristy shopping district), and the area between Syntagua, Omonia and Monastiriki. We planned to pack very lightly for our month long trip to Greece and Turkey, and shop for clothing along our route. <BR>The first thing we bought in Kolonaki was a hat for each (much needed in the heat of July :-). The ladies had fun shopping for some clothing and liked shoes and leather ware (particularly handbags) which were good and relatively cheap. <BR>In our opinion, though, the best in Greece are the handicrafts, partcularly pottery/ceramics and embroidery. On a lower level, but still interesting and relatively cheap, there's jewelry (gold and silver) and articles of marble, onyx and alabaster, copperware, pewter and olive-wood carvings. Our ladies spent most of their time in a decoration store in Plaka, bargaining (you have to!) for embroided table cloths and woven/embroided rugs and sofa pillow? covers. <BR>In Rhodes, there are interesting woven fabrics, jewelry and leather goods, and the fine pottery of Lindos with its green and red floral motifs are inviting. Because of tax privileges, these items are cheaper in Rhodes than in Athens. Also, a visitor that likes shopping as much as sighseeing has a hard time resisting to cross over to Marmaris on a day trip to experience the hard bargaining in a Turkish bazar :-) <BR> <BR>In Santorini we met an American that was bargaining for a 80-year old oriental rug in Oia. Afterwards we had a drink together and he (supposedly an expert in the subject) told us that prices were a bargain compared to the US (but he sure had his pockets full ... completely out of our league :-). Also in Oia, our friends bought a replica of an Akrotiri mosaic (all of which ar exposed in the Archaeological museum in Athens). The interesting fact about this piece is that it was manufactured using the same technique (method and materials) used some 2000 years BC (this is produced by a university schollar that concentrates his research on these mosaics). The piece was delivered in Athens. It was packed to hang with coats and jackets in the airplane. <BR>Paulo <BR> <BR>

While traveling Greek Islands & Athens, in September 99", I found that the islands seemed to have cheaper prices & more willing to bargain, than the shops in Athens... Maybe it was just the end of season time, but I wish I would have bought more out on the islands.