Heraklion Shopping

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Heraklion's street market is a nice street lined up with souvenirs stores as well as butcher, fish, and other stores and shops.
We got there some Cretan herbs, however they were not as good as the one we got in Rethymno few years back.

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The title is actually the name of this amazing shopping street which runs from the Platia El Venizelou going east to the Porta Chania. Every sort of shop is here: designer clothes or fruit and veg! Upmarket consumer electrics or fresh fish! Knickers or cheese (2 of my favourite things ;))! Fresh ground coffee or a diamond ring - Yep, you name it and here it is, every shop is individual, no chain stores here AND you can walk the whole length of it (on either side) without once having to detour round some obstruction - HA In Athens you can hardly walk 20 metres without having to navigate something parked across the pavement!!!

For a selection of the shops see the travelogue.

What to buy: Everything And Anything! (Tho' knickers and cheese always do it for me ;-p)

What to pay: Whatever!

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Designer shops on board at tax free prices and yes they were very reasonable prices.
From designer jewelery , watches, fragrances and perfumes to clothes.
They also have sale days in Village square on certain nights ,which could be jewelery or watches at discount prices.
Fragrance frenzy with names such as DKNY,Prada,Chanel Hugo Boss to name a few.

What to pay: Tax Free prices.

In the market area you will find many places to buy some cretan cheese.

What to buy: Different types of cretan cheese like graviera or kefalotyri, anthotyro (excellent with spaghetti), mizythra (soft white) or staka. Cretan cheese is famous and certainly worth to taste.

Agora is a pedestrian area where locals and tourists come to buy food and different other practicalities.
Any other grocery shop.

What to buy: Fresh fruits and vegetables, of course!
Eastern Crete produces and exports groceries around Europe. So, why not to taste them on the spot, probably on the day of their crop?

Buy some grapes or tomatoes, clean them with some fresh water and eat them to have all their freshness and juices and smells!

The fleamarket ,open every day,with various products,from olive oil,Cretan cheese and raki ,to spices, local herbals,shoes,clothes,liitle nothings etc.
If you wander around the narrow streets you'll discover also the fish market,which I like because of the funny vendors.
Now,if you get lost,don't worry,it happens all the time.I personally have been living here for 5 years and still haven't understood the street lay-out of this town.I must add that this goes only for Heraclion,rest big cities of Crete are more logical.

What to buy: Olive oil,wine and Cretan gruere cheese if you can carry them.And Cretan knifes,with poems curved on them and the peculiar black headscarfs that you see at the photos of Cretan men.Also try finding homemade raki and buy a couple of kilos!(The wierd thing with this liquor is that,while it is very strong,it is so clear that very rarely can give you a hangover and even then you won't have a headache)

What to buy: You definitely must buy some of the bars of peanuts, almonds, sezame or pistacio sticked together by honey. They aren't that expensive and it is really good present for your friends from your holiday. I love those of almonds and mixed ones. Be careful if your teeth aren't in good conditions it is really hard to bite. :)But all in all it is delicious.

Cretan Honey is a must to buy :) there are wallnuts, almonds or other similar stuff inside the bottles. It is really yummie and there is more flavour of honey of course, too.
Typical for this place is thyme honey. You can buy it wherever you will look at in different sizes and decorative bottles.