Best Souvenirs from Greece: Best Greek Gifts to Bring Home

Do you bring souvenirs from your trips? If yes, which one are you: buying them calmly through the whole trip or rushing and shopping on the last day? I’m definitely in the second group.

Regardless of which group you belong to, it’s good to know what to buy. What are the best souvenirs from Greece? What are the best Greek gifts to bring home from your holidays?

You will find all the information regarding souvenirs from Greece in this post.

Ah, and even if you don’t like shopping and buying gifts during travel, this article is also for you. Because you can buy Greek gifts just for yourself and bring Greek summer tastes with you to your home.

So let’s start Greek souvenirs shopping!

Best Souvenirs from Greece: Greek Food

One of the most important parts of every Greek holiday is definitely a Greek cuisine. Visits to tavernas and food markets, tastes of Greek wine, and coffee. You are planning to do it during your trip, no?

I personally think food is the best idea for a souvenir from a Greek trip. It’s useful, it’s tasty and it brings summer memories even on the most gloomy November day. What’s more, it’s relatively cheap and easy to take with you in your luggage.

Just check if your country allows you to bring food through the border from Europe (the Schengen Zone), as it can vary.

You can easily find food in travel sizes and packed in a way suitable for a journey. You can buy it in supermarkets, on the food markets, in souvenirs shops, and at airports.

So which food is the best Greek souvenir?

1. Spices

You can find a wide range of spices and Greek herbs, like oregano, thyme, mint, and saffron. I usually mostly look at the mix of spices for Greek salad or Feta cheese. My kitchen and cooking do not exist without them; they are a great addition to literally anything, and I also use them for other than salad dishes. and I will not buy spices with the same taste in Poland or anywhere else.

Spices and herbs are dry and light, so they are suitable for the longest journey. Excellent gifts.

2. Greek Olives

Almost everywhere in souvenir shops, you can find vacuum-packed olives. They have a long expiration date, and it’s usually pretty small packages. Greece is olives and olive oil heaven, so you can buy many different types. Green or black olives, with or without spices. Quite often, you will see the name Kalamata olives. It’s the most popular type of Greek black olives. Thanks to this small souvenir, you will take your home-made Greek salad to another level.

3. Olive oil

We talked about olives, so the next thing has to be olive oil. Olive oil, called ‘liquid gold’, has many health benefits. It’s used widely in the Mediterranean diet and in many recipes in Greek cuisine. Greek olive oil is of exceptional quality. And, it’s just tasty.

Even if you don’t have too much space in your suitcase or you travel with a carry-on only, you can still buy olive oil in small cans of different sizes. There are even bottles sizes of 100 ml (3,4 fl).

4. Olive Paste

One more thing from olives: olive paste. Especially from black ones. It’s a spread, good for example for bread, something similar to Spanish tapenade.

Again, you can buy it in very small jars.

5. Greek honey

In Greece, a lot of honey is produced, of different types. Look for honey especially if you are on islands, as often you can buy it from local producers, for example, thyme honey.

Remember that honey is treated as liquid at the airport, but quite often you can buy it in small jars too. It’s often sold in nice jars, so additionally, it’s not only tasty but also a pretty gift.

6. Feta cheese

What comes to your mind first when thinking about the most typical Greek food? I bet it’s Feta cheese! Feta is produced from sheep’s milk or a mixture of sheep’s and goat’s milk and cured in a salty brine. It’s soft and salty. There are similar products in other countries around, but Greek Feta is the one and only and the name is restricted and protected. You can buy it everywhere in Greece. At airports, it’s packed in the travelling way.

7. Other Greek cheeses types

Feta is the most known Greek cheese, but it’s not the only type, as cheese plays an important role in Greek cuisine. So you can also buy harder types of cheese, which may be easier to take with you. Look, for example, at graviera cheese. Additionally, try to search locally whenever you are. Last year, I brought very good cheese from Kalymnos Island.

8. Figs or fig jam

You will be able to see a lot of fig trees in Greece. The season for figs is around late August and the beginning of September. As a present, you can take a pack of dry figs with you. Or a small jar of fig jam.

9. Greek Sweets

And some sweet treats at the end. You can bring a box of halva, baklava, or loukoumi. The perfect gift for someone with a sweet tooth.

Best Souvenirs from Greece: Greek Drinks

Be careful with drinks. If you have big luggage, it’s no problem. If you have only carry-on hand luggage, you can take liquids only up to 100 ml (3,4 fl). Unless you buy at the airport after security check-in then it depends on the airline, but it’s usually fine.

Which drink is the best Greek souvenir?

1. Wine

I don’t think it even needs any explanation, why. Greece is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world (dating back to even 6500 years ago). And the oldest wine region in Greece itself is likely the Island of Crete. Greece also has wide variety of wines. There are so many vineyards, wineries, and local wines types in Greece. For sure, you can find a type that you like and take it home with you.

2. Ouzo

Sometimes called the ‘Greek national drink’. It’s treated as an aperitif- strong alcoholic drink with anise flavour. I have to say I don’t like it, but I can’t argue that it’s a perfect souvenir from Greece. Especially that you can buy it almost everywhere, also in small, easy-to-carry bottles.

3. Raki and liqueurs

Raki, again with a high percent of alcohol (around 45%). It resembles Balkan rakija or Italian grappa.

The good thing is that there are also many liqueurs available in small, nice bottles, which are great as a gift. For example, coming from Crete, rakomelo is based on raki with honey and spices added. From Corfu, you can bring the famous Kumquat Liqueur. From Naxos, Kitron, liqueur produced from lemons.

4. Coffee

The coffee culture in Greece is very strong. In summer, you will mostly see people drinking iced coffee: freddo espresso and freddo cappuccino. But there is one more very special type of coffee: traditional Greek coffee. It’s cooked in a pot called briki and put into small cups (you can know it as cezve; this is the Turkish word for this coffee pot). If you were earlier in Croatia or any other country in the region, you could also hear the name ‘džezva’). It’s very similar to and you may know this coffee style as Turkish coffee. The taste is quite specific, a bit ‘ground’. Because of this, not everyone likes it. When you are in Greece, try it and see if you like it. If yes, take it as a souvenir. You can buy it in every shop.

I love such coffee, and I always bring it for me from Greece (or I receive it as a gift from my visiting Greece family). I drink it usually during cold autumn and winter days, which may be quite tiring in the north of Poland, where I live. It right away brings me back to summer time in Greece or Balkan region countries.

This small coffee cup can also be a great souvenir.

This list can go on here for a long! But I believe these are the easiest to bring, and the most tasty and typical souvenirs from Greece in the Food and Drink chapter.

When you bring food souvenirs and search for how to use them in the kitchen, check out the blog Hungry Happens with many healthy and quick recipes in Greek style.

Best souvenirs from Greece: Cosmetics

There are many natural cosmetics and beauty products that you can buy. Often in very nice packages, ready to be gifted. They are produced based on olive oil or with other natural Greek treasures: honey, fruits, or goat milk. Olive oil soap will be available everywhere. But also any other cosmetics, such as balsams, creams, and lipsticks.

On a few islands, for example, on Crete, you can buy pumice stones. On the other hand, on the island of Kalymnos you can buy natural sponges.

Again, I would really recommend searching for cosmetics from local producers.

Clothes

In bigger tourist towns, you will find many clothes and shoe shops, or even stands on the markets. You can find there more traditional clothes with Greek folklore style as well as modern ones. I’m not a fan of shopping, especially when travelling, but if you want any summer dress or hat, you will be able to find a lot of them. Indeed, they are a bit different than in typical chain stores, like, let’s say, H&M.

Look also at handmade leather sandals; you will find them almost everywhere, similarl to other leather goods.

Best souvenirs from Greece: Eye Pattern

When in Greece, you will see a lot of staff with eye pattern. Usually it’s blue with black and white. It’s believed that this shape and pattern are a talisman to protect someone from bad luck.

It protects from evil spirits, and from the evil eye, which means a look that can harm another person. It’s a widespread belief in Greece now, and it dates back to ancient times. More about the evil eye concept you can read here.

And what about souvenirs? Now the talisman protective pattern is common on many typical tourist souvenirs. You can find it on plates, mugs, kitchen towels, and bags. But also on decorations that you can hang at home. Also on jewellery. The pattern with its blue colours looks actually pretty, and it gives a very ‘Greek’ feeling. So it can be a great idea for a perfect gift from Greece for your loved ones. Especially because of their additional ‘protective’ powers😊.

Best souvenirs from Greece: Ceramics

As pottery is a long tradition in Greece, you can find ceramics in many tourist shops. There are cheaper bowls, but there are also locally handmade ceramics.

It just needs a space and good packing for your travel. Even such a small bowl is a good idea; it will be great for serving original Kalamata olives.

Magnets and other typical tourist souvenirs

Obviously, you can find a lot of ‘typical touristic souvenirs’, the ones that are available in every touristic place in Europe. They just differ by picture or name. The best examples are magnets, but there are also cotton bags, notebooks, pens, etc. But I have to admit that in Greece, you can see a lot of pretty, not kitschy souvenirs like this. I have a whole collection of magnets from the Greek islands (I usually get them as a gift; I don’t bring them for myself).

For children, you can buy cute donkey mascots or bags with donkey pictures. If you travel to Zakynthos, you will see a lot of souvenirs with pictures of the turtle.

Best souvenirs from Greece: Tips

Hopefully, now you are ready for Greek souvenirs shopping. Although it’s not yet the end of ideas that you can buy as a souvenir from Greece. What else you can think of is: Greek Orthodox icons, staff like plates or notebooks with Greek mythology scenes, olive wood products, for example, for the kitchen.

Most of mentioned are things typical for the whole country, and you will be able to buy them everywhere in Greece you travel to. I would like to encourage you to additionally search for things very locally. First of all, in restaurants, always try local dishes. And in shops. There is nothing better than bringing home liquor, honey, or cheese traditionally produced on a small island.

Usually you can use a card for shopping, but on these small stands, very locally, it can only be by cash.

Additionally, remember about limits for your airlines and security check. Don’t take liquids over 100 ml (3,4 fl) to your hand luggage, as you will be asked to leave them. And it just hurts when you have to leave the great olive oil or wine that you bought on the trip the day before.

Of course, it depends on the island airport and time of your plane’s departure (if it’s a day or night departure, etc.), but most often you can buy a lot of good souvenirs (food included) in the airport shops.

And, check the security rules for your country when it comes to bringing food and drinks. It could be that you are not able to bring any food through the border of your country.

Best souvenirs from Greece: Conclusion

During the summer in Europe, I always travel only with bigger hand luggage. So I can’t really take a lot with me. But somehow, from Greece, I always try to fit in as much as I can. Even if there are many Greek ingredients in shops outside Greece, it’s not the same. Nothing tastes like a pack of Kalamata olives brought from Crete. Or herbs originally bought on Rhodos. That’s why I put the most attention on the food and drink part.

Enjoy your holidays in Greece! And pack well so that you can bring some souvenirs from Greece with you back home.

On the blog, you can find a lot of Greece-related articles.

Here you can find the Greek islands’ description to see which Greek island to choose.

And if you are looking for a great hotel on one of the islands, check out this post.