Shopping in Athens
Join Athenians shopping for Greek honey and olive oils at the chaotic Central Market or bargain for antiques at Monastiraki Flea Market. Handmade leather sandals are for sale at Stavros Melissinos in Psirri, and gold designer necklaces in Kolonaki’s Elena Votsi. Shops generally open Monday, Wednesday and Saturday 9am-2pm, and Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9am-2pm and 5pm-8pm, but hours vary.
Eleftheroudakis
Books galore
Near Syntagma, Eleftheroudakis is an eight-storey bookshop filled with
English-language literature. Up top, the travel section stocks guidebooks to
Athens and Greece plus travel memoirs and journals. There's also a café.
E-mail this item
Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 9am-9pm; Sat 9am-6pm
Address
17, Panepistimiou, Syntagma, Athens, 10654
Telephone
+30 210 325 8440
Centre of Hellenic Tradition
Presents and a panorama
For original souvenirs and gifts, call into the Centre of Hellenic Tradition
in Monastiraki, which stocks authentic Greek folk art. Choose your pottery,
wood carvings, embroideries and prints, then take in Acropolis views while
sipping coffee at the centre's cafe.
E-mail this item
Opening Hours
Daily 9am-6pm
Address
59, Mitropoleos, Plaka, Athens 10555
Telephone
+30 210 321 3023
Transport
Monastiraki metro
Central Market
Athens' larder
The 19th-century iron-and-glass Central Market, near Omonia, has two vast
halls selling meat and seafood, and a colourful fruit and vegetable section.
Lining Athinas, open-fronted stores sell olives, pistachios, dried figs,
apricots, and gift-wrapped honey.
E-mail this item
Opening Hours
Mon-Sat 6am-3pm
Address
Athinas & Evripidou, Omonia, Athens, 10551
Transport
Omonia metro station
Monastiraki Flea Market
Souvenirs and antiques
Like an Eastern bazaar, the open-fronted stores of Monastiraki Market stock
copperware, backgammon sets, army surplus gear, leather goods and cheap
jewellery. On busy Sunday mornings, the market sees the addition of
antiques, bric-a-brac and books.
E-mail this item
Opening Hours
Daily 9.30am-3pm (but varies from store to store)
Address
Ifestou, Monastiraki, Athens, 10555
Transport
Monastiraki metro station
Antiqua
Quality antiques
Antiqua is a treasure trove of art, armour, furniture and religious icons
opposite the Greek parliament building in Athens' Syntagma Square. A far cry
from cluttered antique shops, its wares are carefully laid out like rooms in
a grand house.
E-mail this item
Opening Hours
Mon-Sat 10am-3pm (until 6.30pm Tue, Thu & Fri)
Address
2, Amalias Avenue, Athens, 10557
Telephone
+30 210 3232 220
Elena Votsi
Chunky gold jewellery
Elena Votsi designed the medals for the 2004 Athens Olympics. Best known for
her individually crafted, chunky 18-carat gold necklaces and rings set with
coloured stones, she worked for Gucci before opening her own store in
Kolonaki, Athens.
E-mail this item
Opening Hours
Mon, Wed & Sat 10am-3pm; Tue, Thu & Fri 10am-8.30pm
Address
7, Xanthou, Kolonaki, Athens, 10673
Telephone
+30 210 360 0936
Loumidis
Greek coffee and chocolates
Thick with the aroma of freshly-ground coffee, Loumidis, on a busy corner
close to Omonia Square, sells Greek coffee, brass coffee grinders,
briki (coffee-pots) and filtzania (tiny coffee cups). They
also sell chocolates and Turkish Delight.
E-mail this item
Opening Hours
Mon & Wed 8am-7pm; Wed, Thu-Fri 8am-9pm; Sat 8am-4pm
Address
69, Panepistimiou Aiolou, Omonia, Athens, 10564
Telephone
+30 210 321 6965
Transport
Omonia metro station
Korres
Homeopathic beauty products
Korres creates beautifully-packaged, deliciously-scented homeopathic beauty
products, available in chemists throughout the city. However, for their full
range, visit the Pangrati store, where the company began in 1996. Korres
also has flagship stores in London, New York and Beijing.
E-mail this item
Opening Hours
Mon & Wed 8.30am-2.30pm; Tue, Thu & Fri 8.30am-2pm & 5pm-8pm
Address
8, Erastosthenous & Ivikou, Pangrati, Athens, 11635
Telephone
+30 210 722 2774
Stavros Melissinos
Sandalmaker to the stars
Stavros Melissinos began crafting handmade leather sandals in 1954. When poet
Stavros retired in 2004, the shop moved to Psirri and is now run by his son,
Pantelis. Customers have included Rudolf Nureyev, Margot Fonteyn, Jeremy
Irons and Meryl Streep.
E-mail this item
Opening Hours
Mon-Sat 10am-8pm; Sun 10am-6pm
Address
2, Agias Theklas, Psirri, Athens, 10554
Telephone
+30 210 321 9247
