Greece: souvenirs
Greece's souvenirs are ancient materials - olive wood, ceramics, honey and herbs - sold best away from the cruise streets. Here is what travellers bring home from Greece, where the good versions live, and the export questions worth a look - alongside our 482 written places.
The classic buys
Olive oil and olives
Single-estate Koroneiki in tins from the producing regions - Kalamata, Crete, the Mani - or the co-op shops that name the village.
Olive-wood boards and spoons
Carved from pruned wood, each grain unique - buy from workshops rather than identical stacked stock.
Honey, herbs and mastiha
Thyme honey, mountain tea and oregano from producers; mastiha from Chios in crystals, sweets and liqueur - a taste that exists nowhere else.
Ceramics and icons
Hand-thrown pottery in island workshops; for icons, certified copies from monastery shops - genuine old icons cannot leave the country.
Leather sandals
Made-to-your-foot in Athens' old sandal workshops - an hour's wait, decades of wear.
Worry beads and jewellery
Komboloi in amber or coral substitutes, and Greek-key gold from proper jewellers with hallmarks.
Check before you buy
- Antiquities law is among the world's strictest - anything that looks ancient, including 'old' coins and pot shards, must not leave Greece; buy certified museum replicas instead.
- Genuine old icons and religious art need permits that tourists will not get - certified copies are the legal route.
- Natural sponges and some shells face trade restrictions - buy from licensed sellers.
✗ Better left behind
- Beach pebbles and stones from archaeological sites - taking them is an offence, and airports do check.
- 'Ancient' coins from market stalls - either fake or a serious crime; there is no third option.
Markets shift, workshops close and open, and the best souvenir is still the one with a story you were there for. Buy from makers where you can, keep receipts for anything substantial, and when a deal feels too good, it usually is.