Athens provides a huge range of shopping options for those interested in a little bit of retail therapy. The problem with shopping is that there aren't necessarily big shopping districts which offer everything - rather, it's a case of heading to certain areas if you are searching for specific items.
This Athens shopping guide gives some detail on what areas to head to, depending on what you are shopping for. As well, further down the page you will find contact and address details of various shops that you may wish to visit. General information about souvenirs or goods that you may wish to pick up whilst shopping in Greece can be found by visiting our Greece shopping guide. And, if all this shopping is making you hungry, why not stop in one of the many great Athens restaurants?
Athens Shopping Guide
Some of the more popular things to shop for in Athens include clothes, jewellery, art, copies of antiques, wine and general souvenirs. Knowing where to go to look for specific items will significantly enhance your shopping experience.
Kolonaki is an area to look in if you're looking for designer clothing labels and exclusive boutique stores. Other places to try include Ermou Street, which features clothes, shoes and accessories, Patission Street and Metaxa Street in Glyfada. Although there is quite a wide range of designer clothing available in Athens, you will find prices to be comparable to most major Western European cities.
Exquisite jewellery has been crafted in Greece for thousands of years, and as such it is a popular purchase for visitors. Voukourestiou Street offers the most exclusive jewellery shops, with eye-popping prices. Other areas to browse in for jewellery include the streets around Syntagma and Omonia Squares.
There a numerous art galleries in Athens featuring many original works of art. Plaka and Kolonaki have a reasonably large concentration of art galleries, and as such, are the best place to start looking for an original Athenian piece of art.
If it's copies of antique masterpieces you're after, look no further than the museum shops. Offering copies of antique sculptures and pottery, they also feature handicrafts, jewellery and traditional costumes. Most of the museum shops will also offer various Athens souvenirs. Some of the larger and better stocked ones include those at the Acropolis, the National Archeological Museum, the Benaki Museum and the Museum of Cycladic Art.
Below we've listed details of some recommended Athens shops that you may wish to check out during your visit to Athens.
One of the great joys of any trip to Athens, and indeed all of Greece, is the fantastic food. Athens restaurants range from traditional tavernas to high-end fusion restaurants, but all have one thing in common. All of them utilise the basics of Greek cooking, from the fresh, sun-ripened produce and spit-roasted lamb to the flavourful cheeses and lashings of hearty extra virgin olive oil.
Greek food is a delight, and there is no better place to experience the range of flavours and restaurants than Athens!
This Athens restaurant guide gives a background on eating out in Athens, as well as listing some of the better restaurants that you may wish to visit. For further information about Greek food and cuisine, check out our Greece restaurants guide. And while you're wandering through the main pedestrian zones searching for a restaurant, why not take a look at some of the interesting shops mentioned in our Athens shopping guide?
Food & Cuisine in Athens
Eating out will definitely be one of the highlights of your visit to Athens, and for very good reason - the food, wine and atmosphere of the dining scene in Athens is fantastic. Plaka is an area most tourists will base themselves, as most of the major sights are situated close by. As such, there are a huge amount of restaurants in this district and its surrounds which are ideal for sampling Athens food and cuisine. These cover all types, from casual tavernas up to chic, high-end restaurants, and will enable you to sample an excellent cross-section of both Greek restaurants and traditional and modern Greek dishes.
Traditional tavernas are always a lot of fun, and are normally bustling little family-run places, making meals in the same style of that going back hundreds, if not thousands of years. Cosy inside, and often featuring open-air courtyards, they are laid-back, good value, and offer great food and wine. Sitting outdoors on a balmy summer night, tavernas can be quite magical, and are an authentic slice of Greek life. Ouzeries, or mezes, are a great way to sample a number of small dishes, rather than choosing one main course.
Becoming increasingly popular in the restaurant scene in Athens are the trendy, upmarket fusion restaurants, that experiment with traditional ingredients to create inventive and unusual dishes. Normally located near late-night bars, and often with DJs themselves, these ultra-chic places offer great food in a funky environment, and are the places to see and be seen in Athens. However, food is the focus, and a trio of restaurants in this mould have been awarded Michelin stars for their consistent excellence.
New restaurants are opening all the time, ensuring that you will be spoiled for choice in your dining options. Listed below are some personal favourites that you may wish to try.
