Anyone who has visited Greece, a country with a unique culture and very friendly people, wants to take a piece of it home as a gift. To be more precise, almost everything from here wants to be taken away. So, what to bring from Greece, what souvenirs?
Olives
It turns out that olives are harvested at different stages of maturity, and their color depends on this. There are green olives of early and medium maturity, as well as black olives, or rather, brown olives, of late maturity.
The most popular varieties of table olives in Greece are Konservolia (Conservolia), Kalamon( Kalamon), Chalkidiki (Halkidiki).
You can buy olives at any store that sells them in metal cans, plastic containers, and cellophane vacuum packs, as well as at markets where they are sold by weight. The average cost of one kilogram is 5-9€. You can also buy these fruits as a gift at duty-free stores, but the selection is not as extensive, and the prices are higher: you will have to pay at least 2.5€ for a small metal can.
It is important to know that you need to know how to buy olives in Greece! When making a purchase, you should pay attention to the following points:
- When buying olives at the market, try them. The flesh should not be very firm or hard, and there should be more flesh than the pit. The skin of the fruit should be thin and shiny.
- Small olives are lighter in color than large ones. If the olives are very dark, they may have been chemically treated with food coloring.
- Only green fruits have their pits removed, so pitted olives should be light in color.
- Pasteurized products keep better in transparent glass packaging, and you can see the color and size of the olives, which makes the gift more attractive.
Olive oil
What else can you bring back from Greece, both for yourself and as a gift for your friends? Of course, olive oil. It is sold in glass and plastic containers with a capacity of 0.5-1.5 liters, as well as in 3- and 5-liter tin cans. To export a large canister of oil from the country, it must be packed in the main luggage.
There are such varieties of this product:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This is the highest quality oil, obtained through the first cold pressing process. It has a distinct flavor and aroma, and its acidity is no more than 0.8% (the higher the quality, the lower the acidity). It is the most expensive oil, with a price range of 7-11€ per liter.
- Fine Virgin Olive Oil. First-class oil, second cold-pressed. It has a very pleasant smell and taste, acidity in the range of 1-1. 5%. The price starts from 5€ per litre. The oldest and very popular company in Greece, Minerva, offers second-pressed oil in plastic bottles “Horo” and “Clasico”. 1 liter of this oil will cost 5-7€.
- Pour Olive Oil or Refined Olive Oil. A mixture of extra-virgin olive oil and hot-refined olive oil. The taste is mild, and the aroma is barely noticeable. The cost per liter starts at 3€.
- Pomace Olive Oil. Olive oil is made from olive pits and is the cheapest type of olive oil.
Olive oil is available at any grocery store, but it is better to choose large supermarkets located away from tourist streets.
Cheeses
Real feta cheese, made from sheep and goat milk, can only be brought from Greece. It is a dense, crumbly cheese with a pure white color. It has a milky flavor with a slight sourness. It costs around 7€ per kilogram. In supermarkets, it is usually sold in packages of 400-500g for 4-6€.
Graviera is one of the most popular cheeses in Greece, and it’s a great gift to give. It has a firm yet creamy texture with tiny holes, and its flavor is slightly sweet with hints of fruit. A 200-300 g package costs around 3-4 euros.
The traditional hard Greek cheese is Kefalotyri. It has a pleasant taste with a well-defined note of sheep’s milk and a slightly spicy aftertaste. The color can range from white to yellow. The price of a 200-250 g piece of cheese is approximately 2.5-3€, and it is often sold grated.
Honey
In Greece, honey can be bought in city markets and shops, as well as in monasteries and from villagers in villages. Moreover, the higher the monastery or village is located in the mountains, and, accordingly, and apiaries, the more delicious the honey will be. Especially tasty and high-quality is considered to be the product of beekeeping, which is obtained from apiaries in Crete, Rhodes, the island of Thasos.
It is also possible to bring honey from excursions, for example, by purchasing it directly from the producers in the shop next to the Honey Museum, located in the village of Pastida on the island of Rhodes. This is the best gift for people who know a lot about bee products.
A liter of Greek honey costs 7-12€.
Sweets
Baklava is something that can be bought in Greece both for yourself and as a good souvenir from a long trip. This national sweet is nothing more than a honey-soaked puff pastry cake with cinnamon and chopped nuts. This Greek cake has 33 layers of pastry, which is a symbol of the age of Christ. The price of this sweet gift is 10-12€ per kilogram.
Kouzinaki is a treat that contains a lot of vitamins, as it is made from pistachios, peanuts, sesame seeds, almonds, and honey syrup. The Greek version of kouzinaki is very different from the ones we sell here!
As an edible souvenir for chocolate lovers, you can bring local sweets from Greece. A kilogram of chocolate treats costs 8-12€.
Alcoholic beverages
- Rakia – a strong and tart grape vodka, similar to high-quality moonshine-such a gift is not suitable for everyone. The price of a bottle is 15€. You can buy rakomelo-a raki infused with cinnamon, cloves and honey. In summer, rakomelo is drunk as an alcoholic drink, and in winter it is warmed up and taken as a remedy for colds.
- Ouzo is a unique anise-flavored vodka with a somewhat peculiar taste. Ouzo can be purchased in standard bottles or in small bottles depicting Greek deities, making it a double souvenir. The price for a 0.2-liter mini bottle starts at 2.5 euros, while a 0.7-liter bottle costs between 9 and 11 euros. The most popular brands of ouzo in Greece include Samara, Varvayanni, Plomari, Smirni, Yannatsi, and Mini.
- Metaxa is a strong alcoholic beverage made from wine and grape brandy, as well as herbal infusions. Metaxa is available in all grocery stores, and there are different types of Metaxa with varying aging periods and prices. Metaxa can be purchased at the following prices: 7* and 12* Metaxa is available for around 22€ per 0.7 liter, while 5* Metaxa is priced at around 15€ per 0.7 liter. For friends, as souvenirs from Greece, it is best to bring small 200 ml bottles of this alcoholic beverage.
Greek Wines
- An ancient Greek wine that is now produced in almost every region of the country is retsina. This wine has an alcohol content of 11.5% ABV and is characterized by a strong aroma and a bitter, resinous taste, making it an original gift. The most famous producer of retsina in Greece is the Malamatinas family, and their famous “Maltamatina” retsina costs 1.15€ for a 0.5-liter bottle.
- Another Greek producer, the Kourtaki family, produces more than 30,000,000 bottles of wine every year. The most popular wines are Kokkineli Kourtaki, Rezina Kourtaki, and Rezina Attikis, which cost 1.6€.
- The Butari family is known as a producer of Greek wines all over the world. Their range includes more than 40 vintage wines, making it easy to find the perfect gift for a friend or a girlfriend. The prices of their wines range from 6€ to around 55€, and they also offer a gift package of Grand Reserve Naoussa for 200€.
In Greece, you can buy any wine at a supermarket or a Kava store.
Natural fur coats
There are more than 1,000 factories and salons in the city of Kastoria that produce fur products. Every year, the city hosts the “EDIKA” trade exhibition, where shopping pavilions are set up on an area of 5,000 square meters. This is a popular destination for tourists who want to bring home gifts from Greece, such as high-quality and beautiful fur coats.
The well-known Greek travel company Muzenidis Travel organizes special fur tours for a very symbolic fee of 1€, while the flight, accommodation, and even the interesting cultural program are paid for by the Association of Furriers of Kastoria. Under the terms of this tour, the client is required to purchase a fur product worth at least 1200€. If the purchase is not made, the client must reimburse the company for the expenses incurred.
Prices for fur items:
- a fur coat made from whole mink pelts – from 2400€;
- a fur coat made from whole mink pelts – from 2700€;
- a fur coat made from mink pieces – from 1200€;
- a classic mink fur coat model starts at €1,200;
- a half-coat made from whole raccoon/black fox/Canadian fox/karakul/beaver pelts – from 1300€;
- a fur coat made from whole raccoon or silver fox pelts – from 1400€;
- Crystal fox/karakul/beaver/karakulcha fur coat – 1400-1700€.
The selection of men’s fur coats is also quite extensive, so men can also take a fur tour.
Jewelry Products
Greece is known for its gold and silver jewelry, pearl and gemstone accessories.
Gold is only sold here as a product, and there is no point in calculating how many grams of metal it contains. The cost of very simple rings, which can be considered souvenirs, can start from 100€ and go up to 350-500€ and more for handmade jewelry with sapphires and diamonds. The largest selection of jewelry can be found at Ilias Lalaounis and Kessaris, which are located in Athens, Ioannina, Delphi, and on the volcanic island of Santorini. However, the most interesting gifts can be brought from the island of Thassos, where folk artisans make items in the form of flowers or with original local patterns, and from popular advanced Crete – jewelry in the form of bees.
Silver is also offered in a fairly wide range. It is most profitable to bring silver products from Ioannina and Delphi – there, handmade earrings and bracelets can be bought for 20-30 €, which makes them quite affordable souvenirs.
Cosmetics
What else can you bring from Greece as a gift? A worthy souvenir is cosmetics, which are based on natural olive oil and do not contain any artificial ingredients.
The simplest gift is soap with a wide range of natural scents, such as orange, honey, lavender, and jasmine. It is sold in pieces starting at 1.5€ and in sets priced around 10€.
Natural cosmetics can also be more expensive: cream, shampoo, body balm and scrub, shower gel. Famous Greek brands: Venus Secrets, Apivita and Korres, Oliveway, Bioselect. As a souvenir, you can choose products from Bioselect:
- set: gel, balm, shampoo, and sponge – 21€;
- set: toner and makeup remover – 9€;
- Moisturizing cream for combination skin – 17€;
- Night rejuvenating cream – 20€;
- Hand cream – 15€.
High-quality cosmetics in Greece are sold in pharmacies, as well as in perfumery and cosmetics stores. One of the most common chains of such stores in Greece is HONDOS CENTER, which has stores in every major city, with the largest one located in the center of Athens, on Omonia Square. Additionally, there are small shops specializing in natural cosmetics that offer high-quality products at a much lower price. Although the prices are not low, they are much more affordable than in our country.
Souvenir products
When planning what to bring back from Greece as a gift, don’t forget about various souvenirs, such as figurines, fridge magnets, and ceramic items.
Ceramics in Greece are of amazing quality and very beautiful. Original souvenirs with special ornaments can be brought from Crete, a huge selection of ceramics on the Chalkidiki Peninsula, very praised pottery from Santorini. But the largest souvenir markets, where the fullness of the ceramic is presented, are located in Athens: at the foot of the Acropolis in the Plaka area and near the Monastiraki square. In Greece, you can pay from 3€ for a medium-sized painted plate, 2€ for a mug, and 7€ for a vase.
From Greece, you can bring back completely unique souvenirs – amphorae, imitating ancient products and painted in the same style. To take them out of the country, during the purchase in the store, you need to take a certificate to confirm that this is not an artistic value.
People who know how to appreciate paintings can bring back canvases with oil or watercolor paintings of landmarks or just beautiful landscapes. The prices of paintings by local artists are determined by the technique, size, and frame, with a minimum price of 20€.
Icons
Pilgrims and tourists visiting holy sites hardly think about what to bring from Greece – they buy icons both for themselves and as a gift. Icons of the simplest execution can be bought for 6-8€, folding icons in the form of a book for 13-27€, handmade icons or in a silver frame will cost 50-70€ and more.
