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Greece Travel : Shopping In Greece
This part of our guide to holidays in Greece sees us covering shopping and money...
While Greece isn't known as a great shopping destination, it does offer some fine and unique local products. The country produces good handicrafts, pottery, jewelry, metalwork, knitwear, lace, rugs and leather goods. In addition, its local wines and spirits make distinctive purchases.
Almost all Greek cities have large shopping malls with internationally recognized major retailers and brands. However, prices in these shopping centers are similar to those in other Europe countries, you unless they are holding sales you won't get any real bargains.
Tourist souvenir shops and some family-owned arts and crafts stores tolerate haggling, but otherwise it is frowned upon. In places where bargaining is accepted, you can reduce the price by at least 10-20%, and being able to speak some Greek can help you get price as low as possible.
Most items incur Value Added Tax (VAT) and this is generally but not always included in price tags. However, some shops do provide tax-free shopping for non-European Union residents. Under this system, people who do not live in the EU can seek a VAT refund when departing the EU. To do this, ask for a VAT voucher when buying an item and show a customs officer all such vouchers and the related items upon leaving the EU.
The Euro is Greece's official currency. This is the only currency that will be accepted but money can easily be exchanged in any tourist center and in the larger cities. The best exchange rates are usually offered by banks, followed by specialist shops, and then automated currency exchange machines. When changing money, make an effort to get mostly smaller denominations, preferably nothing bigger than a 50 note, as many businesses are wary about accepting larger notes.
ATM machines are present almost everywhere and Mastercard, Visa, and Eurocard are widely accepted in retail stores, hotels, and travel agencies, but are not accepted at some restaurants and local souvenir shops.
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