Shopping in Thessaloniki offers a myriad of experiences - from the old and traditional to the latest and newest, you can find them all here. No holiday is ever complete without the mandatory trip to the shopping areas.

'Contrasting one another the old and new exist harmoniously, sustaining and enriching each other!'

Aristotelous, Karoulou Diehl Koromila, Mitropoleos, Aghias Sohpias, Venizelou, Ermou, Egnatia, M. Iossif Street and Tsimiski are some of the main shopping streets of Thessaloniki. Here you will find famous jewellery shops, gift shops, craft studios, art galleries, designer shops and boutiques selling haute couture along with a variety of Thessaloniki restaurants to enjoy. The ideal way to start your Greek shopping experience is to first stroll through the streets in the centre of the city, window shop and then zero in!

Thessaloniki Shopping Guide

In the more upmarket areas along the sea front, Thessaloniki almost resembles Trieste or Marseilles. Alongside the luxurious premium apartments are designer boutiques displaying the latest show stoppers from Milan and Paris. While Tsimiski Street at the centre of the city is where you find the international labels in haute couture, the areas of Kalamaria and Mitropoleos Street are good areas to browse for clothes and apparel.

Thessaloniki shopping by itself has a lot to offer in terms of local handicrafts, bronze work, copper, leather and aesthetic jewellery. Greece has a long-standing reputation of almost 5000 years in the field of jewellery crafting. Greek artisans are known to possess a very high degree of skill and a fine sense of aesthetics. This, along with an inexhaustible fountain of inspiration from Greece's rich history and civilisation, has enabled these craftsmen to transform mere pieces of metal into masterpieces. Along with gold and silverware for the church, the craftsmen also produced other articles of unparallelled beauty in both precious and semi precious metals, from silver for household use to accessories used by men and contemporary jewellery for women. The jewellery is often embellished with additional techniques like engraving, filling with enamel and niello, crafting the design from the reverse side (repousse) and filigree carving. Shopping for jewellery in Thessaloniki is indeed an experience!

Having visited the sophisticated up market shops in Thessaloniki, make your way to the Modiano Old Market to get a feel of the local flavour.

The food markets in Thessaloniki are in general quite famous all over Europe and Modiano is its largest market. Located between Ionos Dragoumi and Aristotelous, this is a traditional bustling vegetable, fruit, meat and seafood market where you can find the locals passing their time with the vendors in the laid back ambiance that is so typically Greek. It is also a revelation to see rows and rows of colourful olives and learn that olives are not only green or black! There are the spices, herbs, wines, cheeses, nuts, and honey so integral to Greek cuisine. Fish, poultry and meat are prepared right then and there. There is also a row of flower shops which add their bit to the sights and smells of the market, and thankfully so! The market is a must see, even if you do not purchase anything.

Close to the market is the old Turkish Bath, Giahoudi Hamam, which makes an interesting stopover.

The City Centre has many Thessaloniki shops and markets that are worth exploring. But more exciting are the many streets branching off from the City Centre. Laid out like the Bar Streets of the Greek Islands, these streets are lined with shops with the latest in Italian shoes, bakeries selling traditional pastries, small boutiques selling artwork and many other knick knacks. You can lose yourself in a street full of crocheted and hand embroidered furnishings, cowbells, rugs, ceramic crockery, religious figurines and pictures, among other things. Or step into the next street and accessorise yourself with a new hand bag or a jaunty trinket!

Some other traditional shopping areas in Thessaloniki are the markets at Kapani, Vlali and Agora Solomu. Bezesteni and Karasso Arcade (Stoa Karazzo) are ideal places to shop for both imitation as well as real jewellery, small trinkets and other fashion accessories. The market at Vardaris is also interesting, though this is a slightly shady area of Thessaloniki with many bars!

There are some interesting shopping malls in Pylaia, just outside the city, that are frequented by people who like to avoid the stress of driving and parking within the city. Mediterranean Cosmos is the largest of these and has a wide array of shops. The shops in Thessaloniki and outside the city are convenient, but essentially functional. If you are a serious shopper, then do shop within the city limits!

Shopping hours in Thessaloniki

Monday - Saturday: 9.00 am to 2.00 pm; 5.00 pm to 9.00 pm.