Duty-Free at Heraklion Airport (HER)

Yes, Heraklion International Airport “Nikos Kazantzakis” (HER) has duty-free shopping, run by Hellenic Duty Free Shops. The shops cover roughly 2,100 m² across the departure areas, sit airside past security in both the Schengen and non-Schengen zones, and trade whenever flights operate. What decides your price is not the shop but your destination: only passengers leaving the European Union buy genuinely tax-free, and on a flight to another EU country the word duty-free describes a shop rather than a discount. Coming back into the EU by air, the personal allowance is 200 cigarettes or 250 g of tobacco, plus 4 litres of still wine and 16 litres of beer, plus either 1 litre of spirits over 22 % or 2 litres of fortified wine. Liquids bought here travel in a sealed tamper-evident bag with the receipt inside, which matters if you have a connecting flight.

Where are the shops?

The duty-free floor space at HER runs to roughly 2,100 m² across the departure areas and operates around the clock, so it is open whenever there are flights, including the early-morning summer peak. Because the terminal is compact, the shops sit directly along the route to the gates rather than in a separate mall, and you will pass them without detouring.

Landside, before security, there is a small mini-market for drinks and snacks and a souvenir shop, plus a kiosk selling spirits, cigarettes, chocolate and newspapers. These are convenient but they are ordinary retail: the tax-free part only happens airside, on the right kind of flight.

Duty-free or not: the rule that actually applies

This is the part that catches people out, and it has nothing to do with the airport:

• Flying to another EU country (Germany, France, Italy, elsewhere in Greece): there is no duty-free. Excise duty and VAT have been paid, and goods travel within the single market. Shops in the Schengen area still run promotions and airport pricing, but the label “duty free” does not mean tax-free for you.
• Flying outside the EU (the UK, Switzerland, Turkey and other non-EU destinations): you buy genuinely tax-free in the non-Schengen departure area, and the saving on spirits, tobacco and perfume is real.

Staff will scan your boarding pass, which is how the till knows which regime applies. If you are flying within the EU and the price looks the same as in town, that is why.

Alcohol and tobacco: how much you can take

The limits are set by the country you are arriving in, not by HER. Two situations cover most travellers:

Within the EU. There is no fixed duty-free allowance, because duty has been paid. Customs use guideline quantities to judge whether goods are for personal use rather than resale; the EU indicative minimums are 800 cigarettes, 10 litres of spirits, 90 litres of wine and 110 litres of beer per person. Ordinary holiday quantities are nowhere near these.

Arriving in the EU from outside (relevant on the way back, and for the equivalent rules at your destination). Travelling by air, the EU allowance is 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250 g of tobacco; plus 4 litres of still wine and 16 litres of beer; plus either 1 litre of spirits over 22% or 2 litres of fortified or sparkling wine. Other goods are allowed up to €430 per traveller arriving by air. Note that Greece applies a lower tobacco limit of 40 cigarettes, but only to travellers arriving by land or sea, not by air. Under-17s get no alcohol or tobacco allowance at all.

If your destination is outside the EU, check its own limits before you buy: they vary widely, and the shop will sell you more than some countries let you bring in.

What is worth buying

The range at HER covers the usual airport categories: perfume and cosmetics, fashion and accessories including names such as Emporio Armani and Ray-Ban, spirits and tobacco, confectionery, and Greek gourmet products. There is also a gift retailer and a bookshop.

The Greek and Cretan shelf is the part worth a look, because it is the one thing you cannot buy at home:

• Cretan olive oil, the island's best-known export. Note the liquid rules below if you want it in hand luggage.
• Raki (tsikoudia), the Cretan spirit, and a more interesting souvenir than a standard duty-free bottle.
• Thyme honey, herbs and rusks, light, sturdy and genuinely local.
• Mastiha and Greek liqueurs, olives, cheeses and packaged sweets.

Prices on Cretan products are higher than in a village shop or market, so if you have time in town, buy there and use the airport shops as a backstop.

Liquids: what you can carry through and what you buy airside

Two different rules apply, and mixing them up is the usual cause of a bin at the checkpoint:

• Liquids you bring to security follow the 100 ml rule: containers of 100 ml or less, together in one transparent resealable bag of up to a litre. A bottle of olive oil or raki bought in town will not pass, put it in checked baggage.
• Liquids you buy airside, past the checkpoint, are not limited that way. They are sealed in a tamper-evident bag with the receipt visible. Keep it sealed if you have a connecting flight, because a second checkpoint will want to see it intact.

That is the practical reason to do liquid shopping after security rather than before. For the full picture see the baggage and liquids guide.

Tax-free shopping and VAT refunds

If you live outside the EU and bought goods in Greek shops in town, that is a separate scheme from airport duty-free: you reclaim the VAT on your way out, with the paperwork stamped before you check the goods in. The process, the desks and the deadlines are covered in the tax refund guide, start it before security, not after.

Payment, opening hours and practicalities

Cards are accepted throughout and euros are the currency; if you need cash there are ATMs and a currency exchange desk in the terminal. The airside shops keep hours that follow the flight schedule around the clock, but the landside kiosk and souvenir shop are more limited late at night.

In the July–August peak the shops are as busy as everything else at HER, and the queues at the till add to the queues at security. If you have a specific purchase in mind, do it on the way to the gate rather than in the last ten minutes.

Frequently asked questions

Does Heraklion Airport have duty-free?
Yes. Hellenic Duty Free Shops operate airside in both the Schengen and non-Schengen departure areas, around 2,100 m² in total, open around the clock.

Is it really tax-free if I fly within the EU?
No. On flights to another EU country the goods are taxed; the shops still run promotions, but there is no duty-free saving. Genuine tax-free applies only on flights leaving the EU.

Can I buy alcohol at Heraklion Airport duty-free?
Yes, spirits and wine are sold airside, including Cretan raki. How much you may bring in is set by your destination country, not by the airport.

How much alcohol and tobacco can I bring into the EU?
Arriving by air: 200 cigarettes (or equivalent), 4 litres of still wine and 16 litres of beer, plus either 1 litre of spirits over 22% or 2 litres of fortified or sparkling wine, and other goods up to €430.

Where are the shops, before or after security?
The main duty-free stores are after security. Landside there is a mini-market, a souvenir shop and a kiosk, but those are ordinary taxed retail.

Can I take olive oil or raki in my hand luggage?
Only if bought airside and left in the sealed bag with the receipt. Bottles bought in town must go in checked baggage, the 100 ml rule applies at the checkpoint.

What Cretan products are sold?
Olive oil, raki (tsikoudia), thyme honey, herbs, rusks, olives, cheeses, liqueurs and packaged sweets.

Are the shops open early in the morning?
Yes. Airside retail follows the flight schedule, which at HER starts with an early-morning departure peak in summer.

Do I need my boarding pass?
Yes. It is scanned at the till, which is how the shop applies the right tax regime for your destination.

Is duty-free at the airport cheaper than shopping in Heraklion?
On spirits, tobacco and perfume bought for a non-EU destination, often yes. On Cretan food products, usually not, a shop or market in town is cheaper.

Is there a pharmacy or newsagent?
There is a kiosk selling newspapers, cigarettes and confectionery, plus a bookshop and a gift retailer. For medical needs see the airport services page.

Can I claim a VAT refund at the airport?
If you live outside the EU and have the paperwork from the shop, yes, but start at the customs desk before you check your bags in. See the tax refund guide.