The flea market of Athens will appeal to travelers who are not averse to delving into a pile of things in order to find a real “treasure” (a rather specific activity will allow you to acquire very interesting gizmos).
Flea market Monastiraki Flea Market
At this flea market, which operates on weekends from 9 am to 7 pm, everyone will have a chance to become the owner of paintings, exquisite dishes and all kinds of utensils decorated with ancient Greek drawings, military uniforms, furniture (mainly dressers, armchairs and chairs) in Greek style, busts of girls from the 30s, old mannequins (in the interior you can use it to store glasses and hats), all kinds of masks, edged weapons, Byzantine icons, used musical instruments, original mirrors, a variety of books, including old books in leather bindings.
Do you want to enjoy the atmosphere of antiquity in silence and relative coolness? Plan a visit to Monastiraki Flea Market before 11:00 (the sun is not hot and most of the visitors will still be sleeping). As for the afternoon, by this time dancers, circus performers, singers flock to the market not only to the delight of tourists, but also to their wallets.
Hungry visitors to the market will be offered to buy street food directly from the carts (here you can have a snack with pita, kebabs, corn, and also drink aromatic tea made from flower petals).
Antique shops
You can try to find a lot of interesting things in Athenian antique stores:
- Sofita Vintage Shop: Here you will be able to purchase furniture and antiques. In addition, the store offers a small collection of handmade blankets.
- Antiqua: Here visitors can buy books and photographs from the 19th century, silver swords, necklaces with precious stones and other jewelry.
Shopping in Athens
Shopaholics should take into account that in winter they can hit sales from January 12 to late February, and in summer from mid-July to late August. “10 days of special offers” will also await them in the first half of November and May.
Those who go shopping cannot do without knowledge concerning the areas of Athens that are good for shopping: in the Plaka area, tourists will find taverns, souvenirs, jewelry and a Coral store (where they sell antiques, such as icons, paintings and wood carvings); on Afinas street - shops selling various utensils, musical instruments, decorative arts; on Ermou Street - shops where guests are offered to acquire valuable items in the form of vases, jewelry, candlesticks and other goods of Greek production and often handmade; in the Kolonaki area - brand shops specializing in the sale of Greek designer items, footwear, antiques and leather goods; on Syntagma Square - silver and gold products with the use of ancient and modern motives in decoration, fur coats that were sewn by the craftsmen of Kastoria, embroidery and much more.
