The town of Arachova is visited by lots of people every year, and has a great variety of high quality local products. In general terms, the most representative products in this town are related to food and drink, carpets and woven articles, as well as ski equipment.
When it comes to the alimentary field, there is an advisable family-run sweet shop selling traditional home-made desserts like ‘koukotakia’, which are honey curls; and ‘tiganites’, or pancakes. Other types of food products can be found in the traditional shops of Arachova, many of which have a remarkable antiquity. These products are mainly related to cheese, like the fried ‘formaella’, sold only in this town; the ‘graviera’, a cheddar like cheese; the ‘mizithra’, a type of soft cheese; and the ‘opsimotyri’, a sort of strained cheese. Other products you could buy are olives, olive oil, yoghurts, pastas, jams, honey, and the great Arachovian wines.
Regarding the wool carpets and the woven articles made in the area, many of them can be found at the souvenir shops scattered all over the town. These items usually constitute great examples of folk art, as they have nice patterns in vibrating colours. Apart from being really durable, they can be used for several purposes, such as on saddles, in boats, on beds, and obviously for decorating the floor. Many of these shops also sell nice shoulder bags, and other accessories. These articles coming from Arachova are not only sold in this town, but in the whole Greece because of their uniqueness and high quality. In case of wanting to take home one of such “souvenirs”, it is advisable to save some money with this purpose, as they do not tend to be cheap!
Some other shops are devoted to clothing, and include footwear, such as trainer boots, and different accessories, among others. One of them is on the road next to the main square of Arachova.
Finally, the ski equipment is another subject to which many Arachovian shops are related. They provide all the necessary for performing this activity, and they are very useful, due to the closeness of this town to the Parnassos ski centre, the biggest in Greece. Along the road to the centre, at just 500 metres from Arachova, a couple of tranquil ski-shops can be found. The shops in the ski centre also provide the proper equipment and clothing for practising this sport.
Take this information into account, and have fun shopping around the amazing town of Arachova!
