Must-see shopping in Athens

  • Athens, Greece - 3 March 2023 - People buying fish at the local Varvakios Central Municipal Market in Athens
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    Varvakios Agora

    Athens

    A wonderful sight in its own right, this huge old wrought-iron market hall is dedicated to fish and meat, especially row upon row of lamb carcasses,…

  • Free Thinking Zone

    Athens

    Billing itself as Greece's first activist bookshop, the Free Thinking Zone specialises in books on LGBT issues, refugees, violence in society and so on…

  • Shedia

    Athens

    Meaning 'raft', Shedia is Greece's version of street-vendor magazines such as the Big Issue. Unsold copies are now being upcycled into an appealing range…

  • Zacharias

    Athens

    A Greek-Spanish duo specialising in silkscreen designs inspired by classical motifs. Especially nice are their leather notebooks, wallets and more, where…

  • Forget Me Not

    Syntagma & Plaka

    This impeccable small store (two shops, one upstairs and one down around the corner) stocks super-cool gear, from fashion to housewares and gifts, all by…

  • Hallelujah

    Athens

    Eleftheria Domenikou is the young designer whose minimalistic, elegant yet comfortable clothes and accessories are stocked here. She cooperates with…

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    Fotsi

    Athens

    Evripidou is Athens' traditional street for spices, a couple of highly aromatic blocks of Mediterranean herbs and imported seeds, barks and other wonders…

  • Mastiha Shop

    Athens

    Mastic (mastiha in Greek), the medicinal resin from rare trees only found on the island of Chios, is the key ingredient in everything in this store, from…

  • Martinos antiques shop in Athens.

    Martinos

    Athens

    This Monastiraki landmark opened in 1890 and has an excellent, sometimes museum-quality selection of Greek and European antiques and collectables,…

  • Interior of Yannis Samouelin bouzouki store in Athens.

    Yiannis Samouelian

    Athens

    Wedged between more-modern, generic shops on Ifestou, this shop is the place to buy the bouzouki of your dreams; handmade ones cost around €180. It has…

  • Amorgos

    Syntagma & Plaka

    Charming store crammed with wooden toys, karagiozi (shadow puppets), ceramics, embroidery and other Greek folk art, as well as carved wooden furniture…

  • Anavasi

    Syntagma & Plaka

    Great travel bookshop with an extensive range of Greece maps and walking and activity guides.

  • Allouche Benias Gallery

    Athens

    Occupying the beautifully restored 1882 Deligeorgis Mansion, designed by Ernst Ziller, this gallery made a splash on the local art scene when it opened in…

  • Pan-Pol

    Athens

    Whether you want a moss-green fedora or a nontouristy Greek fisherman's cap, this shoebox of a shop will have it, along with many other felt hats in…

  • Korres

    Syntagma & Plaka

    Many pharmacies stock some of this popular line of natural beauty products, but you can get the full range at the company's original location, where it…

  • Center of Hellenic Tradition

    Athens

    This organisation collects excellent traditional craftwork and stocks its shop with ceramics, sculpture and handicrafts from around the country.

  • Koukoutsi

    Athens

    Niko and Taso design the simple, elegant Athens- and Greece-inspired graphics that adorn the T-shirts, accessories and art prints sold in this tiny shop…

  • Lemisios

    Athens

    An Athens classic, open since 1912, with classic designs – T-straps, ballet flats, elegant Oxfords (their only style for men) – all custom-fit just for…

  • Alexis Papachatzis

    Syntagma & Plaka

    This charming jewellery store is a delight before you even enter: turn the handle on the window display and watch as gears and pulleys animate the scene…

  • Katerina Ioannidis

    Athens

    From a family of goldsmiths, Ioannidis merges Greek and other global folkloric elements into jewellery that is light, bohemian and sometimes even a little…

  • To Rodakio & Fotagogos

    Athens

    This charming bookshop and gallery, run by Julia Tsiakiris and hidden at the back of cafe-bar Noel, is a wonderful find. Browse locally published books…

  • Flâneur

    Syntagma & Plaka

    This cute shop has a tightly curated collection of souvenirs and travel gear. Get your hand-stamped 'φλανέρ' (that’s 'flâneur' spelled in Greek) notebooks…

  • Melissinos Art

    Athens

    Pantelis Melissinos continues the sandalmaking tradition started by his grandfather in 1920 and made famous by his poet/cobbler father Stavros, who built…

  • Miran

    Athens

    The sausages hanging from the ceiling may be plastic (thanks, health codes), but this deli near the central market is the real deal. It makes its own…

  • Bernier/Eliades

    Athens

    This gallery, established in 1977 and occupying this grand old home since 1999, showcases prominent Greek artists and an impressive list of international…

  • Xylouris

    Syntagma & Plaka

    Set in an arcade with several other music shops, this treasure trove is run by the family of legendary Cretan composer Nikos Xylouris. They can guide you…

  • Kolonaki Weekly Market

    Athens

    Most Athens neighbourhoods have a weekly laïki agora, a street market for fruit, veg and household miscellany, and Kolonaki's is a good one. Leafy…

  • pgi Pagani

    Athens

    The Pagani family selects all the unique decorative items, handmade jewellery, ceramics and art featured in their shop in Monastiraki’s buzzing shopping…

  • Fine Wine

    Syntagma & Plaka

    In the winding streets of Plaka, the finest wines can be found in this small terracotta-hued building that’s a bit worn around the edges. It's a welcoming…

  • Zoumboulakis Gallery

    Athens

    An excellent selection of limited-edition prints and posters by leading Greek artists, including Yannis Tsarouchis, Dimitris Mytaras and Alekos Fassianos,…

  • Olgianna Melissinos shoe store in Athens.

    Olgianna Melissinos

    Athens

    A scion of the legendary poet/sandalmaker Stavros Melissinos (along with brother Pantelis, who has a separate shop), Olgianna has a line of custom-fitted…

  • Fanourakis jewellery shop piece in Kolonaki.

    Fanourakis

    Athens

    One of the most creative and exciting Greek jewellers, Fanourakis designs delicate, quirky pieces: gold folded like pencil shavings, unicycle charms, pavé…

  • Aidinis Errikos

    Syntagma & Plaka

    Artisan Errikos Aidinis' unique metal creations are made in his workshop at the back of this charming store, including small mirrors, candlesticks, lamps,…

  • Graffito

    Athens

    Stylish Graffito combines a few Greek homewares, fashion and other high-design items with mainly imported items – it all looks very chic and totally…

  • Comicon Shop

    Athens

    Browse a full range of Greek indie comics, graphic novels and zines. Conveniently, there's another comics shop across the street too.

  • Eleonas Flea Market

    Athens

    The so-called 'Gypsy market' is not for everyone. The city's trash-pickers and junk dealers, plus sellers of vegetables, new clothes and bulk items, lay…

  • CAN

    Athens

    This fresh entry on the Kolonaki gallery scene, founded by art specialist Christina Androulidaki, has a stable of emerging and midcareer contemporary…

  • Matalou at Home/Blanc

    Syntagma & Plaka

    Two designers share the space here. Matalou at Home creates an appealing range of affordable bags and accessories from leather, cotton and natural fibres,…

  • Monastiraki Flea Market

    Athens

    Ifestou is signed as the 'Athens flea market', but the street mostly has souvenir shops. The true flea feel is on Plateia Avyssinias and in nearby small…

  • Kombologadiko

    Athens

    If you're in the market for a very special set of that old-school Greek accessory, komboloï (worry beads), check this oh-so-elegant showroom. It stocks…

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