Fridge magnets with “Crete” on them drain the last euros fast.
Gift Shop in T1 sits airside near the gates and leans hard into last-minute souvenirs: magnets, keyrings, shot glasses and boxed sweets with Crete branding. Think small, cheapish items rather than olive-oil hampers or €40 bottles of ouzo. One Yandex reviewer mentions blowing their remaining euros here on “small souvenirs with Crete written on them” just before boarding.
Compared with the main duty free in T1, this Gift Shop skews lower-ticket. You see more €3–€7 trinkets and multipacks of packaged Cretan sweets, and fewer premium wines or cosmetics. Another passenger talks about grabbing magnets and packaged sweets purely because they never made it into Heraklion city before their flight.
Prices run higher than in town or resort shops along Hersonissos and Malia, especially for basics like magnets, shot glasses and generic “Crete” T‑shirts that might run a euro or two less outside. Regulars on package deals say they buy most gifts in the city and treat airport souvenir spots like this as a backup for one or two forgotten items.
Space is tight. HER T1 already feels cramped, and this shop is squeezed into the gate corridor, so once two or three flights at adjacent gates start boarding, the aisles clog. Reviewers call it difficult to move around the racks when boarding queues snake past. Plan a quick loop right after security and before your gate fills up.
Tip: price-check magnets or keyrings, grab only what you truly forgot, and keep your hand luggage with you rather than parking it outside the shop in the boarding crowd.