for shoppers

If you’re a borderline shopaholic, a trip to Athens may just push you over the edge. Crammed stores and vendor stalls along the narrow streets of Monastiráki’s Flea Market overflow with the perfect Greek souvenirs, from pricey wood-backed icons to tacky mini-Parthenon trinkets and figurines of Greek gods and philosophers. Rummage through displays of hair-adorning jewelry curved as olive branches, or baskets of sandals with straps reminiscent of ancient styles. Bronze Spartan helmets sit on display in store windows alongside bouzoukis, Greece’s popular double-stringed lute instrument plucked to create the country’s unmistakable music signature.

Meanwhile, tales from Greek mythology, such as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, emblazon hand-painted vases as family-owned shops create almost exact replicas of the well-preserved artifacts found in museums. For a reasonable price, you can walk away with a quality reminder of Greek history and culture so similar to those that once decorated Athens’ homes more than 2,000 years ago.