There is such an expression: "in Greece there is everything." And the tourists who visited Athens on shopping will confirm this. Of course, it’s not worthwhile to compare the capital of Greece with cities such as Milan or Paris. But things like fur coats, shoes, clothes and precious metal products can be purchased in Athens. Shopping in this city is as diverse as Athens itself. The gentle sea, healing air and shops for every taste.
Helpful information
The capital of Greece is the large and beautiful city of Athens, located partly on the hills. The districts of the city are remote from each other, therefore, planning to carry out shopping, you should decide in which area of Athens to shop. In the city center are the shopping areas of Plaka, Kolonaki, Psiri, as well as Ermu Street. They can devote one day. Another day can be allocated for visiting Glyfada and coastal areas. It is also worth highlighting a day in Kifissia.
To get around the city it is best to use the subway. The cost of one trip costs 80 cents. Unlike other European capitals, Athens often use taxi services in the form of daily transport. The trip costs from 5 to 8 euros.
It is worth noting that according to the general schedule of work of large stores in Athens, the first, third and sixth days of the week are considered to be short days. Shops are open from 10:00 to 14:30. During discount periods, the working day is extended to 18:00. The second, fourth and fifth days of the week are considered long days. Shops are open from 10:00 to 20:00. During the discount period, the end of work will be at 21:00.
Small shops and boutiques operate according to their own schedules, which may differ from the usual. Sunday is a day of rest. Only grocery stores, tobacco and newsagents operate.
Shopping area of Plaka
The oldest shopping areas in Athens are Plaka. There are many souvenir shops, restaurants and taverns, and on the tangled streets there are boutiques of famous world brands. Plaka is a fairly lively shopping area in Athens. Tourists can spend hours walking around the flea market in the area, examining local antiques as well as good handicrafts. The main thing is to be able to control yourself so as not to make unnecessary purchases, and then regret it.
If someone is interested in such antiques as paintings, or their original copies, antiques or icons, all this can be purchased at the Coral store. There are several such antique shops in Plaka.
In one of the picturesque places of Plaki is the classic tavern of Psarra. It serves Greek cuisine. Tourists tired of summer heat and shopping can come here for lunch or dinner.
Bidding on Ermou Street
Shopping in Athens includes trips to multi-brand giants supermarkets and small shops where you can meet some rarities. Shopping for goods usually begins with the main pedestrian shopping street, which bears the name of the Greek god of commerce Hermes. By the way, every Greek city that respects itself has Ermou Street, a commercial street.
This main artery of Athens is always full of shoppers. Here already in the XIX century shops with fashionable clothing brands appeared. In them, tourists and local residents are shopping now.
There are boutiques on the street where you can buy high-quality leather shoes from world-famous brands Benneton and Zara. In addition to boutiques and fashionable shops, there are taverns and restaurants on the street where you can distract from shopping and sit at a cozy table in a coffee shop with a glass of cold coffee drink - frappe.
Kolonaki Shopping District
One of the largest fashionable areas in Athens, where shopping is possible in shops with the best brands from Greek designers, is located at the foot of Lycabettus Hill. Some local products can only be bought in Greece. True connoisseurs of good things are sure to find something for themselves.
In the shopping area there are also brand-name shops with fairly well-known collections of English and American designers. Kolonaki also has antique and jewelry stores. And you can rest on a hot day in small taverns.
Shopping centers in Athens
Where is the best place to shop in Athens in the summer? This question arises for tourists who come shopping. The summer months are very hot in Greece, and therefore it is tiresome to walk through the streets from store to store during the day. Therefore, it’s a pleasure to visit the large shopping centers in which air conditioners are located. These huge supermarkets occupy very large areas where goods of various categories are placed. It sells clothes and shoes of popular Greek and foreign designers. More often such centers are located on the outskirts of Athens.
The best shopping centers in Athens are:
- The Golden Hall is a large shopping center located on the central square of the capital - Syntagma. This three-story building has an area of 41 thousand square meters, on which goods of more than 130 world brands are located, including clothing, shoes and accessories.
- Attica is a huge department store. It is close to The Golden Hall Shopping Center, so you can visit both at a time. It covers an area of 25 thousand square meters. The department store includes more than 360 boutiques. In this store you can not only skimp, but also relax with your family in the entertainment center.
- The Mall Athens is a shopping center in Athens. As part of it are more than 200 stores. Its area is often used for exhibitions and cultural events. You can come to the shopping center by metro on the green line to the Neratziotissa station.
In shopping centers in Athens, according to reviews, tourists are always happy with shopping. Firstly, a large assortment of goods, and secondly, there are no fakes, as it is found in shopping centers in eastern countries, and, finally, prices are not scary.
Streets of Monastiraki
Wandering through the narrow and small streets, you can get to the Monastiraki area, where there are many cheap shops and a year-round flea market. How rich are these stores? They have everything, that's what shopping in Athens is good for! You can buy handmade shoes, clothes in national colors, jewelry, traditional musical instruments. And on the flea market, you can offer a lot of goods to choose from, including ceramics, wicker rugs, copies of artifacts from Athenian museums and other trifles, among which you may find something as a souvenir from Greece.
Galleries, shops, boutiques ...
The city has many shopping galleries of all kinds, shops and boutiques with various designer goods, which are located in the center in Athens. Shopping at Attica and Notos Gallery will be successful in such categories of products as cosmetics, household items, clothes, shoes, all kinds of leather products: bags, wallets, purses, suitcases.
The Greek company Haris Cotton creates clothes for all women and men, regardless of the type of their figure. These are convenient and fashionable models that are simple and comfortable to wear. Haris Cotton has its own stores in Athens.
Walking through the boutiques located in the central part of the city, you can buy inexpensive clothes and accessories from fashion designers from Athens. It will be unusual and not “jaded” clothes, which can be boasted upon returning from the tour. The Psiri district will seem to you a retro oasis of a large number of leather bags and shoes, here you will also find successful acquisitions in the Lak youth clothing store in Glyfada.
Shopping for baby products
While in Athens, do not miss the opportunity to shop for goods with children, especially if you have children or grandchildren. Children's clothes, shoes and seasonal goods for babies, as well as a large selection of toys are presented in stores located on Titanov Street in the Argyroupoli region. Running and high-quality children's things of brands Orchestra, Aluet, Gant, Crocodilino can be purchased at these points of sale.
Shops for lovers of discounts
For lovers of discounts in Athens, there are a number of stock stores. In the very center of the capital there is a large Athen Designer Outlet. The other two are in the suburbs: in the airport area and in Piraeus. What are the benefits of shopping at outlets in Athens? These are year-round sales of stale and non-seasonal goods, and last year's collections. Outlets offer branded goods as well as local Greek fashion designers. Having been shopping at these outlets, you won’t leave without fashionable clothes from Versace, Lacoste, Nike, Columbia and other world famous brands of clothing, footwear, sportswear and accessories.
Outlet McArthurGlen
Just 30 km from the capital is one of the McArthurGlen suburban outlets, which has become one of the most popular for shopping lovers in Greece. This is a whole city with picturesque streets, fountains, cafes, restaurants and, of course, shops that offer collections of clothes and shoes of famous brands with discounts of up to 70 percent. But these are not all the discounts you can get at outlets. Arriving at Athens in January for shopping , during the season of even greater discounts at already reduced prices, you can upgrade your wardrobe well with your favorite designer brands.
In the morning, the outlet is not crowded. This shopping center opens at 10:00 and is open until 20:00. Here, service for customers is very well organized: there is a shopping consultant, a playground and a beauty salon, restaurants and coffee houses. At McArthurGlen Discount Village, you can combine your shopping with relaxing moments in restaurants and cafes. Near the outlet is the Attic Zoo, where you can go with the children. It is interesting for any age, especially a water show with dolphins.
You can get to the outlet from the center of Athens by a special shuttle in half an hour, and if the trip is from the airport, the journey will take 15 minutes.
Reviews of tourists about shopping
Those tourists who have visited Athens on a shopping tour say that you will not leave Greece empty-handed. It is unlikely that one can resist in order not to buy something unusual, some kind of Greek rarity purchased at a flea market. Enjoyment of shopping is almost the same as from a well-conducted tour of the sights of Athens. Clay plates, amphora, key rings, badges are brought from Greece as souvenirs.
A lot of reviews have been written about shopping in Athens, and they are mostly positive. This inspires other tourists to experience all the charm of the famous expression about Greece. From the country, as a result of shopping, one can bring furs, good quality shoes and clothes of Greek fashion designer brands at an affordable price for tourists. Athenian outlets like their fullness and discounts. Shopaholics are also satisfied with shopping centers, where you can purchase the necessary goods with the least waste of time. All the reviews of tourists are a good help for those who are planning on shopping in Athens.