What to buy in Germany?

(Do you realize you live about 2h30m from a Käthe Wohlfahrt store? Better you than me...and my Visa.)

FWIW, you can turn the cuckoo and/or any music sound off ;-) (and after the first day, you probably won't even notice it. Seriously.)

I think - gulp - that all of my steins - gulp - are absolutely worth it - gulp. As with most things these days you just have to turn items over to find out where they're made. Their nutcrackers are German, and all of the ornaments I've ever bought from them are German. That doesn't mean I can vouch for everything they sell, though.

Salzburg would be a good place to purchase souvenirs, from my personal experience ;-) Good examples - wherever you purchase - are: ornaments, tablecloths (small, card-table size to large-with-leaves dining table size - bring your measurements in metric, too!), napkins, pillow covers (tapestry, lace, etc.), nice or kitschy magnets, pen and ink drawings or etchings, posters, tapestry purses with local scenes, drink coasters, pewter everything, locally-made jewelry, kitchen utensils or pocket knives (may need to check luggage), steins and glassware (wine, juice, egg cups, etc.), nutcrackers and smokers (don't forget the incense cones!), nice key rings, scarves, etc.

You might strongly consider bringing as large a mailing tube as will fit inside your luggage, filled with rolled-up bubble wrap. When necessary, get boxes from the retailer! Most of the above items are very small/lightweight/flat, so are easily packed.

You may get there and see something that you think of as a unique souvenir, so keep your eyes and mind open!

Excellent suggestions. You might also want to consider place mats with scenic towns pictured. Easy to pack.
My favorite things to buy in Germany are calendars, for myself and as gifts for friends at home. Calendars provide a wonderful reminder throughout the year of the great trip that you had. Buy several--Germany, Berlin, Bavaria, Munich, Rhine, castles, depending on what areas and sites you visited.
Each time you turn the page you will get a vivid remembrance,--take a minute and reflect on what you saw and experienced while in Germany.

Last time we brought back some of the wooden smoker Christmas ornaments - Rauchermanner I believe they are called. Hard to describe, but found all over: wooden Santa or snowman, in which you put an incense tab, which is lit and smoke comes slowly out Santa's mouth. Less breakable than a cuckoo clock, which you should take a look at anyway. Some incredibly elaborate and complicated ones. You can have them ship it home for you.

There's crystal and wine in Germany too.

Ah, calendars (smacking forehead)! Also cooking aprons (or for microwaving and serving LOL!) - either really elegant or with kitschy regional maps/metro plan/Oktoberfest theme, etc.; ceramic tiles with anything - WC, Biergarten, 'Guard Dog' in German, etc.; books, flags, toys...whatever catches your eye.

Great ideas! Thanks so much!

Eileen, I saw there is a store in Stillwater but buying things at the mothership always makes them more special I think :)

Christmas ornaments made in the Erzgebirge are wonderful souvenirs. Those include the aforementioned smokers or Christmas pyramids and many more. Just depends on your budget. Souvenir stores in larger cities like Munich should sell them outside the Christmas season as well.

here is one option:
http://www.geschenke-kaiser.de/index.php?language=en

I love shopping in Germany. One thing I've found out (and maybe others can confirm it ... or not) is that I guess there's no law in Germany that requires an item to show where it's been made, so many of them have no stamp or sticker. Those are the ones to avoid, as they are most likely made in China. The ones that are are made in Germany usually say so.

Munich is one of my favorite places to shop. There's a wonderful wood art store right on the Marienplatz called Holz-Leute (http://www.holz-leute.de/) that every time I visit I buy something: a small hand-carved nativity scene, wooden bowls, etc... You should also check out the large department store Galerie Kaufhof, which is nearby. The basement has groceries and it's fun to wander through the aisles and aisles of chocolate. I also love browsing the kitchen section and usually bring home some new gadget that we don't have in the US.

You might consider buying a hand-embroidered tablecloth, runner, or square topper. Again, you'll find SO many from China that you specifically have to ask for a German one.

You might check where other Kathe-Wohlfahrt stores are located; they're not just in Rothenburg. A nice candle pyramid or some ornaments are wonderful souvenirs.

My favorite purchase is a pair of duvets from the big department store in Munich. What was special were the many piles of these....and the chart where you can choose the cover material, the weight, and what you want it filled with Our duvets (betdecken sp?) are filled with spun wool. My husband's is lighter weight then mine. I asked the saleswoman if I should buy one large one or two singles. She told me younger people usually buy one, but she and her husband have two. That's the way I went. This investment was worth EVERY penny! Of course you have to have them shipped home which they are happy to do.
'

Right now I'm thinking we will be in Munich, Salzburg, Fussen, and
maybe Staufen.

The Mozartkugel was invented in Salzburg, and the best ones are handmade and still sold by the same company (Konditorei Fürst). In Bavaria you could buy a Wolpertinger, a mythological hybrid animal of the Bavarian folkore. In souvenir shops they look like this. Or buy a Bavarian clock, which turns counterclockwise, because.... Bavarians do things differently. :D

Jenni,

My wife lived in Germany for three years approx. 40 years ago and we still have a Giant Candle of a man around a camp fire, Cow bells under an alpine roof that hangs on the wall, a Floor Beer Stein, many beer steins and wine glasses from various gasthaus visits, plates from walking in Volksmarches on the weekends, a beautiful Grandfather clock made by a farmer in the winter, a carving from a root given to her by her German landlord. He also gave her a few Nazi coins. Not to forget Goebel figurines, magnets and recipes. Over the last 10 years we have been back for vacation 5 times and we are still buying items, mostly Christmas ornament, Pyramids, Smokers and anything else that catches our fancy. We bought a Cuckoo Clock our first trip(we have 4 chiming clocks and after a couple of days you don't notice the ticking or chimming), watercolor paintings from Salzburg and Neuschwanstein, a salt candle from the salt caves in Hallstadt, Mozart Candy and liquors from Salzburg, German cookies, more magnets, glass candy from Salzburg, and several pieces of nice jewelry for my wife. I know that there are items forgotten. But, I think some of our favorite items are film photos (Hallstadt, a village in Italy, the Alps) taken blown up to look like watercolors that adorn our walls. No our house doesn't look like a German gift shop as she has them strategically placed throughout our home. So, as you can tell you will not have a problem finding something to bring home(most places will ship items home for you). You will have a problem deciding what it is that you want to bring home the most! Happy shopping.

If you visit Stuttgart, you'll want to visit the Porsche museum in Zuffenhausen. At the end of your visit, they'll mention the Porsche dealership right across the street. There you'll want to purchase your 911 Turbo and ask them to arrange for delivery.

Usually in Germany, items have labels or stickers, or imprints on the item of where of where it was made. If you are in a store that doesn't have items with this on it, then you are in store that you might want to consider leaving. High quality stores will have "Made in Germany" or Deutschland on their gift items. It is of course illegal to label something as "Made in Germany" when it isn't. Sometimes you will read, "Designed in Germany", but that doesn't mean much, as this is a clue that it was made somewhere else.

There is a lot of pottery made in Germany and most regions will have their own style and colors. The salt-glazed, grey and blue pottery of Frankfurt and Hessen is popular, with the Applewine Bembels being one of the symbols of Frankfurt. The small, green Röman wine glasses that one finds along the Rhine are popular. Porcelain from Meissen or Höchst is expensive, but beautiful. Items from Villeroy & Boch are also very expensive. Wooden items from Seiffen and the Erzgebirge are extremely popular, as well as easy to pack, Smokers (Räuchermännchen) Nutcrackers, Pyramids, miniatures, and tree decorations.

Most cities will have stores that offer these type of hand made gift items, so you don't need to worry about visiting a city without a Käthe Wohlfart store in it, though they seem to be in several large cities now, as well as some smaller ones like Rüdesheim and Heidelberg.
http://wohlfahrt.de/fachgeschaefte

Käthe Wohlfahrt shops are actually only in towns with a large number of foreign tourists (Berlin, Nürnberg, Bamberg, Oberammergau, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Heidelberg and Rüdesheim). Quite interesting IMHO. I think for most Germans they are way to kitschy, and most of them simply travel to the Ore mountains if they want these kind of things.
Strange that Käthe Wohlfahrt is so famous among foreign tourists, while the Ore mountains are almost unknown.

I've never been a souvenir person, as I find most items I need in the U.S. cheaper. My wife always buys a Christmas ornament for each of "the girls" or some small jewelry items.

When I'm in Germany, I just rent one thing--beer.

I like Manufactum for more modern but still cozy housewares.

In a moment of whimsy, I stumbled through a FC Bayern Munich souvenir store and came away with a rubber duckie in team colors and lederhosen. Duckie now lives on our fireplace mantle.

As a late addition...coasters with favorite scenes are easy to take home. Jack Wolfskin clothing for outdoor types. Not sure if it's available in the US but don't think so. Etching prints.

"Jack Wolfskin clothing for outdoor types. Not sure if it's available in the US but don't think so." They're not, except by mail order.

I was re-arranging the clothes in my wardrobe the other day and I realized that about a third of all the clothes I own know come from Jack Wolfskin. It's really good quality and it doesn't look to bad either, if I say so for myself.

If you have any sports fans in your family, consider getting a shirt of one of the Bundesliga teams. Bayern München shirts are pretty easy to find in just about any tourist area in Bavaria. And you can still find the shirts for Die Mannschaft (as the national soccer team is now generally known) from the World Cup in many athletic apparel stores.

Or, in Bavaria, consider Tracht. You can buy really nice outfits for over a thousand euro all the way down to cheap clothes that are of Halloween costume quality. The best store I've found anywhere for Tracht is Grasegger in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, although the prices are very expensive.

BMW's make nice gifts.

Hi, Jenni.
I have traveled to Munich, Salzburg, and Fussen. Here are some of the items I have purchased: Fussen - a swan christmas ornament at Hohenschwangau. Not sure if it was actually made in Germany and environs, but when I look at it, I remember my time there. And I took great care in picking out the exact one I wanted!

Munich - I lived there as a college student and have a few ornaments from the 70s that I will not part with, just a part of the small, but cheished collection from that time. More recently, I have purchased Dallmayr Christmas season candy bars with a wonderful winter scene on the cardboard covering. I gave several as gifts. I also recently purchased a useful and lightweight tote from the Viktuelian Markt with a Christmas market print on it. Again, I do not see it daily. I think I house scarves in it, but when I see it, I smile. At the Christmas market in Munich, I purchased some hand-blown glass ornaments from the maker. So much fun - and they made it home safely. And, some old prints of Marienplatz. What did not make it home was a tin container of sausages with a Munich theme on the wrapper. The Philadelphia airport folks confiscated it. They could not understand the concept of sausage in a tin. Oh well.

Salzburg - there is a store near the centrum and museums that offers local goods. I have and gave a few fuzzy sheep to be part of manger scenes. I purchased in some of the museums pop-up postcards of Salzburg in a snowy winter scene. I use these as backdrops for winter decorating - cost almost nothing, if I recall. Also, I may have an advent calendar that called to me from a window display.

From Innsbruck, not where you have mentioned, but similar, I have a blue glass ornament that I bought from a glassblower's store in the middle of summer. It is the one I keep up all year. From Bolzano, some Giesswein slippers and a yearning for the antique tracht earrings I saw in a window and did not pursue. And way off your destinations, but indicative of small reminders is a cork wine stopper with the Basilica of St. Anthony that I purchased in Padua and take with me for every trip. Small but memorable is my method, easy to pack in the suitcase. But then there is the Venetian chandelier....

Enjoy and be open to what you find along the way. Sure, when I go now to Bolzano, I know I will look for slippers, but originally, I did not. I just encountered them. Lucky me.

Debbie

Nice to see there is another person who appreciates Grasegger apparel from Garmisch. During the years, I have bought four male jackets from them, that I wear in winter, usually in solemn occasions. Not cheap but really top quality. Designer clothes look cheap when compared. - My wife, similarly, got married in a dirndl from Wenger in Salzburg. Again, not cheap, but top quality - and about a third as expensive as a traditional wedding dress, but much more original; and in important occasions it can be used again. She is the only lady I know that occasionally wears again her wedding dress.

mmmm, might not be exactly what you are thinking of- but German shoes are terriffic! I have a nice collection and can easily justify another pair or two on each trip= plus they are always at least 60-70-100 $ less than stateside prices.
I usually buy a Christmas ornament for each of my children, and found in Rothenburg that Provencal fabric was less expensive than in France.
and concur with the BMW souvenir suggestion!

From a Munich Christmas market I have a pair of Owls made of twigs, about 6 inches tall- delicate but cute,

In 1987 I visited the Weihenstephan brewery and brought home two bier steins that showed local Trachten (traditional ceremonial dress). I just looked at the Weihenstephan online store, and I don't see the Trachten Steins, so I'm guessing they don't sell them anymore, but that would be a good, relevant souvenir.

BMW's make nice gifts.

I went to BMW Welt in Munich last month, then texted my wife (who was on an RS tour in England at the time) to tell her that I just bought a white X5.

It's about three inches long and now sits on the bookshelf next to the red Fiat 500 we bought in Italy last year. :)

Couldn't resist chiming in. I purchased German wine, a jaunty alpine hat, a dozen flat starched lace pieces that fold up to create a small tray like you'd set your jewelry in at night, German chocolate bars and a stein for gifts for family and friends. And we don't leave for Munich for another week! We live near an attraction called Alpine Village in suburban Los Angeles so I've done all my shopping and don't have to worry about anyone other than myself while we're traveling. The owner of one of the shops helped me choose things and told me about her most recent buying trip to Germany. I was tempted by some flat, painted pewter Christmas ornaments, but since I'll know they came from Torrance and not Munich I'll try to find the same item while we're on the trip. We have five train rides this trip and didn't want to become overloaded -- and the hat would never have made it home for my dad in a suitcase. So I cheated and as long as the plane doesn't drop out of the sky I shouldn't get caught!

Perhaps most importantly, if you see something and really like it, BUY IT! Don't wait until after lunch, or when you're on your way back to your hotel at the end of the day (even though the sign says they'll still be open), or look around some more to see if you can find it for less money. There's a universal rule - Buy It or Forget It. The store WON'T be open after dinner, it WON'T be open tomorrow (even though the sign said it would), it will cost even MORE money in the next town, etc. Just trust me on this. I'm still haunted by screw-ups from trips gone by (sniffle). And this is why I always travel with my Rick Steves Hide-Away Tote in my daybag ;-)

FWIW, it's always more fun to bring something back from your trip, but I only mentioned the close-to-home KW store for those 4' tall beer steins and 17 nutcrackers you absolutely must have; they'll still be from Germany, but won't require their own suitcase [nor have to be lugged around :-( ]

If you see it and like it, BUY IT!!!