Athens may not be a top shopping destination, but it offers plenty of opportunities for visitors who want to pick up some good Greek souvenirs.
Most shops catering to tourists are open long hours daily. Those serving locals generally open Monday through Saturday at 8:30 or 9:00 (closed on Sunday); they close in the early afternoon on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday (between 14:30 and 16:00), but tend to stay open late on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday (until 20:00 or 21:00), often with an afternoon break (around 14:00-17:30).
To find out how to get a VAT (Value-Added Tax) refund on your purchases, see here.
The main streets of the Plaka—especially Adrianou and Pandrossou—are crammed with crass tourist-trap shops, selling cheap plaster replicas of ancient artifacts, along with calendars, playing cards, postcards, and shockingly profane T-shirts. Competition is fierce between shops, so there’s room to bargain, especially if you’re buying several items.
For upscale shopping at mostly international chain stores, stroll the pedestrianized Ermou street between Syntagma Square and Monastiraki (described in more detail on here). While tourists and big-money Athenians strut their stuff on Ermou, many locals prefer the more authentic shops on the streets just to the north, such as Perikleous, Lekka, and Kolokotroni. You can also find upscale, fancy boutiques in the swanky Kolonaki area.
The famous Monastiraki flea market stretches west of Monastiraki Square, along Ifestou street and its side streets. It’s a fun place for tourists and pickpockets to browse, but it’s not ideal for buying gifts for friends back home—unless they like junk. You’ll see fake designer clothes, antiques, dusty books, and lots of stuff that might raise eyebrows at the airport (something going on every day, but best Sun 8:00-15:00, Metro line 1/green and line 3/blue: Monastiraki or line 1/green: Thissio).
Serious buyers tell me that Athens is the best place in Greece to purchase jewelry, particularly at the shops along Adrianou. The choices are much better than you’ll find elsewhere, and—if you know how to haggle—so are the prices. The best advice is to take your time, and don’t be afraid to walk away. The sales staff gets paid on commission, and they hate to lose a potential customer. Most stores have similar selections, which they buy from factory wholesalers.
For something a bit more specialized (with very high prices), visit the sister shops of Byzantino and Olympico (both open daily 10:00-21:00, sometimes later in summer, tel. 210-324-6605, www.byzantino.com, run by Kosta). Byzantino, which made the jewelry worn by Greek dancers in the closing ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, creates pricey handmade replicas of museum pieces (most cost hundreds of euros; Adrianou 120, plus another location nearby at the corner of Pandrossou and Eolou). Olympico, nearly next door, creates modern pieces in the Greek style, including some more affordable options (Adrianou 122).
The gift shop at the Benaki Museum of Greek History and Culture (described on here) is also popular for its jewelry.
The place to buy real leather sandals is Melissinos Art, the famous “poet sandal-maker” of Athens. You’ll find an assortment of styles for about €30 per pair. Prices depend on size and style: The more leather they use, the more you pay (daily 10:00-20:00, just off Monastiraki Square at the edge of Psyrri, Ag. Theklas 2, for location, see map on here, tel. 210-321-9247, www.melissinos-art.com). Stavros Melissinos—who’s also a poet—ran this shop for decades. Now that he’s retired, his son Pantelis (also a painter and playwright) has taken over the family business. When the Beatles came to his shop in 1968, Stavros was asked why he didn’t ask for their autographs. He replied, “Why did they not ask for mine? I will be around long after the Beatles.” He was right.
For Greek Orthodox items, visit the shops near the cathedral, along Agia Filotheis street (described on here).
You may have noticed Greeks (mostly men) constantly fidgeting with these strings of beads—flipping, spinning, and counting them. Loosely based on prayer beads, but today a secular hobby, worry beads make for a fun Greek souvenir. You’ll see them sold all over central Athens.
The longer you’re in Greece, the more you’ll notice it: Greek men spinning, stroking, and generally fidgeting with their worry beads. Greeks use these beaded strings to soothe themselves and get focused—especially during hard times.
Many major faiths employ some version of stringed beads as a worship aid, typically to help keep track of prayers while calming and focusing the mind. Think of the Catholic rosary, Muslim prayer beads, and the long, knotted rope belts worn by medieval monks. Hindus and Buddhists also make use of beads. Greeks—likely inspired by Muslims during the nearly 400 years of Ottoman rule—adopted the habit, but it no longer carries any religious overtones.
Technically, there are two different types of worry beads: Most typical is the komboloï, a loop with an odd number of beads (it can be any number, so long as it’s odd). The top of the loop may have a fixed “main bead” (or two), also called the “priest.” The relatively new begleri—popular only since the 1950s—is a single string with an even number of beads (so it can be comfortably balanced in the hand).
The beads are made from a wide variety of materials. The basic tourist version is a cheap “starter set” made from synthetic materials, similar to marbles. You’ll pay more for organic materials, which are considered more pleasant to touch: precious stones, bones, horn, wood, coral, mother-of-pearl, seeds, and more. The most prized worry beads are made of amber. Most valuable are the hand-cut amber beads, which are very soft and fragile; machine-cut amber is processed to be stronger.
If buying a set of worry beads, test-drive several different strings to find one that fits well in your hand. Connoisseurs tune in to the feel of the smooth beads and the sound they make when clacking together.
There is no “right” or “wrong” way to use your worry beads—everyone finds a routine that works for them. Some flip or spin the beads in their hands, while others sit quietly and count the beads over and over. There are as many ways to use worry beads as there are Greeks. Their seemingly nervous habit appears to have the opposite effect—defusing stress and calming the nerves.
Genteel Le Chocolat sells the good stuff for €29-49/kilo—but it’ll only cost you some change to sample a handful of what looks good. At the very least, step inside just to take a deep whiff. Notice the case of fancy desserts. Greeks bring these to a home when they’re invited for a visit instead of, say, a bottle of wine (daily 8:00-22:00, around the corner from Syntagma Square at 3 Karageorgi Servias; another location a few blocks away at 14 Voulis, on the corner of Karageorgi Servias, www.chocolat.com.gr).