What to Buy in Greece: 10 Best Souvenirs & What I Skipped
One skill I’ve honed the most as a frequent traveler is finding the perfect souvenirs. Gone are the days where all I’d have to show for my adventures were keychains, magnets and mugs. If you’re looking for inspiration for what to buy in Greece, I have you covered in this post.
During my near-month in Greece last October I carefully amassed a practical, authentic and memorable collection of Greece souvenirs. I’m sharing that list with you now.
What to Buy in Greece: My top 10 Greece Souvenirs
Don’t fall into the trinket trap when you do your Greece souvenir shopping! Here’s everything I brought back home from my own trip and my honest thoughts:
1. Chocolate
You’ll notice quite a few food items on this list. I learned from my mom that often, the best gifts are practical ones you’ll actually use…or in this case, consume. After some research, I knew to seek out ION chocolate.
Now, during my travels these quickly became part of my dessert ritual. The chocolate is smooth, creamy and rich. You can get milk chocolate only (my sister’s preference), one with almonds (my favorite) and one with hazelnuts.
Before flying home I bought several bars of ION chocolate both for myself and some to hand out as gifts. You can find them at nearly every supermarket. Of course, I regret not buying way more than I did so I recommend stocking up if you’ve got any chocolate lovers in your life – this stuff is good.
2. Skincare and perfume
A few years into my 30s, I got really into skincare. My interest in trying out skincare products around the world really began with my first trip to Citypharma Paris.
So, before going to Greece I did some research on whether there’d be any skincare worth buying there. I came across several brands but at the top of the list were Korres and Apivita.
The pharmacies here carry a lot of skincare and the pharmacists are well-versed and available to help you choose the right products for your skin type.
I ended up buying a couple of face washes for myself – one with donkey milk and one with Greek yogurt!
I also bought myself an Apivita facial oil. For one of my younger cousins, I brought home some Apivita face masks. I gifted my sister a couple facial oils and the same Greek yogurt face wash I’d bought myself.
Although I’m not much of a perfume-user these days, I fell in love with a particular Korres scent and bought myself a roller ball version. Scents carry memories, so it’s nice to revisit my Greece memories everytime I use it.
3. Book by greek author / greek themes
Ever since just before my niece was born, I’ve been buying her a book from every country I visit. I always seek out books by native authors, in English (when possible).
So far, her growing global library includes books from: Scotland, France, Portugal, Italy, Guatemala, Japan and Greece.
When I can’t find a children’s book by a native author in English, I try to at least find one with culturally relevant stories or themes.
In Athens, I picked up a picture-book that tells the story of how olive trees came to be so revered in Greek culture.
Often, the books I get my niece are ones that she’ll grow into eventually (she’s a toddler at the moment) but I love that she’ll have these as her tickets to the world right on her bookshelf.
4. Spices and olives
Another great souvenir to bring home are spices and olives. You’ll find many shrink-wrapped packets of olives ready to pack up into your suitcase. I actually regret not buying any.
I did buy some spices, and although I stand by this being a good souvenir to bring home it turns out it may not have been quite right for me.
I’ve only used my chicken seasoning once, my Greek salad seasoning not at all (although maybe I will this summer…) and this vanilla extract powder I got hasn’t gotten any use yet either.
The good news is that spices remain viable for a good amount of time, right? So, I’ll aim to use them up eventually!
If nothing else, they were very affordable and it was fun to shop for them along Evripidou Street in Athens.
5. Olive oil
This was hands down one of my favorite buys. I took an Olive Oil and Wine Tour in Crete and was able to buy Anoskeli Olive Oil directly from the producers after tasting it.
This was extra special because they told us they’d recently stopped distributing their olive oil to supermarkets.
I brought home three smallish bottles – one for myself, one for my sister and one for a good friend of mine.
This is another item I highly regret not bringing home more of. Especially after learning about how important it is, if you care about nutrients from the oil, to consume it within a year of production!
After a year, it’s unlikely the taste or quality will be ill-affected but the nutritional value is defunct.
I strongly recommend taking an olive oil tour if you can find one in your area and then buying directly from the source, if you like it.
6. Honey
Another great Greece souvenir to bring home is yet another food product – honey. This can be a bit overwhelming to shop for because there are so many different varieties and flavors available from all over Greece!
Some places will allow you to do a honey tasting, but these tend to be the specialty gift stores and you should be aware that prices are higher here.
Alternatively, you can choose whatever sounds best to you from any supermarket. This is what I did. I brought home two jars of honey. One was an interesting-sounding one at the grocery store.
The other was a container of the first honey I tried in Greece and loved – Attiki. This is a very popular, maybe even ubiquitous, brand so you’ll find it everywhere.
7. Dress or blouse
There are plenty of beautiful dresses to be had in Greece, and while I didn’t get any for myself I did grab one for my niece.
It’s a classic white and blue, 100% cotton dress I picked up in Crete. Since we live in Chicago and it’s been winter she hasn’t had a chance to wear it quite yet, but I”m sure it’ll be a staple in her summer wardrobe.
8. Handmade cement coasters
Also in Crete, I popped into a small, artisan shop with lots of handmade housewares. Here, I bought a couple of beautifully cut, cement coasters for my friend to use in her new home office.
When you’re wondering what to buy in Greece, or anywhere really, you can’t go wrong with something that is locally handmade.
9. Cooking class smarts
Taking a cooking class abroad is one of my favorite ways to learn more about another culture.
This cooking class in Athens not only introduced me to some new friends, but also sent me off with several recipes that I can now recreate at home to share with friends and family.
10. Results of beauty treatment – 2.5 hr facial, haircut etc.
Another great, experience-based souvenir is to get a beauty treatment done. In Mexico, Costa Rica and Japan and Italy I’ve gotten manicures and haircuts.
In Greece, I treated myself to a 2.5-hour long facial on my birthday, which I celebrated in Syros. Experiences like this can be both educational and insightful, as well as simply relaxing and fun.
What I didn’t buy in Greece, but you could…
There are even more options for what to buy in Greece beyond my list above. This is the list of items that didn’t fit my personal wants or needs but would still be great souvenirs to bring home from Greece:
- Ceramics, stoneware or pottery items especially from Sifnos
- Olive wood items
- Jewelry – I simply didn’t feel equipped with the discernment to recognize what was real quality or not
- Wine or ouzo
- Real, natural sponges
- Handmade sandals
- Halva
On the flip side, here’s what I didn’t get that I don’t regret: trinkets.
While I wouldn’t have minded a magnet, had I found a great one to add to my collection, I’m glad to not have walked away with any keychains or other knick knacks that would just ultimately collect dust.
One thing you may see a lot of, if it’s still popular when you visit, is the phallic keychain.
