So you’d like to do some shopping in Athens? Well, there are some important areas in the city where you can do just that. Here we go.

The biggest shopping street in Athens is Ermou street. On Ermou street one can find both shops of local brands as well as shops of international brands. There are also a couple of quality souvenir shops in there as well. Ermou used to be a trafficked street in the past but it was closed and it is now pedestrian-only. It runs off Syntagma square so if you’d like to get to it it’s best to take the metro to Syntagma.

If you’d like to buy some souvenirs from Athens the best way to do that would be to take the metro to Monastiraki and then roam the adjacent area. Actually, both the Plaka district and the Monastiraki district are full of souvenir shops. Don’t be afraid to negotiate on price with the salesmen.

Kolonaki, a district of central Athens, in another area of note when it comes to shopping in Athens. This wealthy area is close to Syntagma square and houses some of the most important high-end stores in Athens. One street in particular, Voukourestiou Street, is well known for its jewelry while Tsakalof Street is the district’s most famous and one of the most expensive streets in the world. Not exactly what you were interesting to hear on a Cheap Athens Travel site but it’s good to know nonetheless. You can reach Kolonaki by metro, stopping at either the Evangelismos or the Megaro Mousikis station.

What else? Well, the best periods to find stuff on sale in Athens are at the end of summer and beginning of autumn and at the start of the year. That’s when you can get some new clothes on the cheap or whatever else you’d like.

Other shopping areas of note where one can find bargains are Eolou and Agiou Marou streets. If you’re up north, the main shopping street is Kifissia and if you’re on the coast in Glyfada district the main shopping street is Glyfada.

Another good tip would be not to bring travelers checks because Greek banks will charge you a hefty fee for accepting them. Also, be wary that although exchange rates at banks are better than rates at exchange offices, they do charge a fee on top of the rate. Always double check and ask around to find a decent exchange rate. Other than that, it’s useful to know that you can get a refund on VAT (18% at the time of writing) on sales over 120 EUR if you’re from outside the European Union. If this applies to you, do enquire about this at the shop you’re buying from. You can find more on this on GlobalRefund.com.

As for credit and debit cards, Visa and Mastercard are by far the most popular, followed by American Express at a large distance. Diners is close to nonexistent. However, you may want to back up on cash from home because in Greece, compared to other developed countries, cash is used in a larger percentage of transactions compared to cards and not all merchants accept cards. The card is good though for withdrawing from an ATM and as backup.

This concludes our articles on shopping in Athens. If there’s anything else you’d like to add to our effort don’t hesitate to do that below in the comments.

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