Shopping
When it comes to shopping on holiday, ditch the gift shops that
sell all the regular tourist tat and souvenirs and head for the
small pedestrian streets in the island's towns and villages for the
best deals, such as in Psalidi, Zipari, Asfendiou, Zia and Lagoudi,
which all offer tourist shops selling traditional wares The old
part of Kos Town offers high-end fashion stores, such as La Coste
and Tommy Hillfiger as well as smaller shops selling local goods
like leather, jewellery and ceramics.
Eleftherias Square is a good place for locally made souvenirs, oil
paintings and Byzantine icons, while the local markets are usually
the best places to pick up fresh goods and hand-made produce, such
as the local red cheese,
tyri tis possas matured
in red wine, or candied tomato sweets,
glyko
tomataki. Kiosks selling everything from food and snacks to
cigarettes and postcards abound on Crete and many of these are open
24 hours a day. Kardamena also offers fantastic shopping
opportunities, including the market on Bodrum, across the water in
Turkey, on Tuesdays.