What to bring from Germany as Gifts

Do you want to buy souvenirs from Germany but can’t decide?

Getting gifts for friends and family can means spending a full day visiting the gift shops. There are people who like to do this, but others prefer to use those hours to exploring and enjoying.

That is why we made a list of souvenirs that you can bring back from Germany.

Souvenir houses in Germany

Each region of Germany is famous for its unique and many traditions. The same applies to souvenirs.

For example, from Berlin one can bring a magnet with a piece of the Berlin Wall, a wooden toy and Haribo candies.

While Saxony is rated highly for its Dresden cheese, Meissen porcelain, cutlery from Zwinger.

Some great gifts from Munich can be marzipan sweets, pretzels and beer mugs.

If you are planning to visit Frankfurt, do not forget to buy apple wine, Frankfurt sausages and Frankfurt porcelain there.

More souvenirs from Germany and their photos can be seen below.

Souvenir houses

Table of Contents

Food Delicacies to get from Germany

If your family and friends are particularly interested in the food products from Germany then you can find some interesting ideas on what to get for them from the products below.

1. German Sausages

Over 60 types of sausages were invented in Germany. Each of them have their own unique aroma and unique cooking methods. The size and taste of the sausages vary depending on the region where it was made. The most famous include:

 Bratwurst
  1. White sausage: It consists of veal, pork and a large number of seasonings. The Germans say that the most delicious White sausage is made in Munich.
  2. Bockwurst: This is not a traditional sausage, but a boiled-smoked sausage, eaten with mustard. This recipe is popular in the southern part of the country.
  3. Nuremberg sausages: These miniature sausages (7-9 cm) are made in Nuremberg. Served with potatoes or sauerkraut.
  4. Currywurst: These sausages are most popular in Berlin: they are prepared from pork and beef, and served with ketchup and curry.
  5. Bratwurst: These are very popular sausages in Germany, intended exclusively for grilling or a frying pan. You can buy them both in stores and on the streets (already ready-made). Served with a roll, ketchup and mustard.
  6. Frankfurt beef sausages: This type of sausage is prepared exclusively in the city of Frankfurt from beef. They can both be fried and boiled.
  7. Thuringian sausages: Prepared from lean pork with the addition of caraway seeds, garlic and marjoram. Fried exclusively on the grill.
  8. Blood sausage: These sausages are fully consistent with their name: they are made using calf, bovine or pork blood. There is no single recipe, and it all depends on the particular cook.
  9. Liverwurst: In terms of consistency, these sausages (composed of pork liver) are more like paste. They are very popular in the western part of Germany.
  10. Mettwurst: These sausages are made from smoked minced pork and beef. Mettwurst often have a paste consistency.
Blood sausage
Blood sausage

2. German Cheeses

Although Germany is not famous for its cheeses like Holland or Switzerland, the cheese produced here is very high quality and delicious. Cheese here is generally not produced in large factories. Rather cheeses are produced at farms, so the cheese from each producer is unique in its own way. The most popular varieties include:

 Tilsiter cheese
  • Tilsiter: This variety is made from cow’s milk with the addition of caraway seeds and black pepper. The Germans advise eating it with bread and beer.
  • Bavarian blue: This is the most famous cheese of those that are made in Bavaria. The consistency is similar to paste. It has a sour taste. In Munich they serve it with fruits and crackers.
  • Dorblu: This is one of the new varieties, the production of which began in Germany in the late 1990s. In order for blue cheese to ripen, it is necessary to wait from 3 to 5 months. Served with wine and nuts.
Cambozola cheese
  • Cambozola: This is one of the most popular cheese varieties in Germany, which has been made since the beginning of the 20th century. It has a bright creamy taste and smell of garlic.
  • Harzer käse: This cheese is made from low-fat cottage cheese, therefore it is considered dietary. Popular in the Harz region.
  • Handkäse:  One of the few German cheeses that is produced exclusively on private farms. Cheesemakers say that you need to eat this cheese with “music” (that is, with a sauce that consists of vinegar, cider and cumin).
 Butterkäse
  • Butterkäse: This cheese is produced in most European countries, but German Butterkäse is considered the most tender and fragrant.
  • Limburger: This cheese is known for its rich and pungent odor that repels many. If you have not tried Limburger before, choose cheese that is no more than 3 weeks old – this flavor will not be very pronounced.
  • Weisslacker or beer cheese should be brought from Germany as a souvenir. The main difference between this Bavarian variety is the absence of a cheese crust (a glossy surface is in its place). Weisslacker is believed to be the first patented cheese in the world.
  • Milbenkäse: Perhaps this is the most unusual cheese on this list. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that it can only mature in small crates with rye flour or bran. It is made only in Saxony.

3. German Mustard

Mustard and Pretzel

The world famous Bavarian mustard can be purchased in any German city, but still it is better to do it in Munich or Nuremberg. It is believed that local chefs are better versed in the nuances of making this product. In addition to the Bavarian, from Germany, as a gift, it is worth bringing:

  1. Royal mustard, which is still made in the city of Monschau by hand.
  2. Lion mustard, thanks to which Dusseldorf became famous.

4. German Gingerbread cookies

 Nuremberg gingerbread

One of Europe’s most famous Christmas sweets is Elise’s Nuremberg gingerbread. There is a legend that this gingerbread can cure any person (and on Christmas night the chances increase several times).

Eliza’s gingerbread can be purchased only in Bavaria and only in the winter season. It is packed in a tin can, which is the best suited as a gift. Cost – from 5 to 25 euros (depending on size).

5. German Chocolate

German chocolate, along with Swiss chocolate, is considered one of the best in the world. There are many factories and factories in the country that produce the following brands of chocolate:

  • Ritter Sport is perhaps the most famous brand of German chocolate in the world. Recognizable thanks to the corporate identity – chocolate bar in the shape of a square. 28 types of Ritter Sport chocolate are sold all over the world, but in the branded stores, which are in many German cities, you can also try exclusive types of chocolate.
  • Hussel chocolate is perfectly suited for a gift, as it can be purchased in the shape of chess, bottles, flowers or holiday symbols.
  • Halloren Schokoladenfabrik – It is the oldest chocolate factory in Germany, founded in 1804. It produces more than 120 types of sweets, 65 of which are chocolate products. Be sure to try the chocolate balls and sweet buttons with various fillings.
  • HACHEZ – This is one of the best chocolate factories in the country, which is located in Bremen. In assortment – chocolate with ginger, bananas, sage and juniper.
  • Schogetten – Another brand of German chocolate, well known outside of Germany. They produce chocolate with strawberry, coffee, milk and nut fillings.

It is better to buy a chocolate souvenir in company stores, because they will pack the gift beautifully.

6. Alcoholic drinks

a. German Beer

German beer, like Czech beer, is known all over the world. Most popular brands are:

  • Paulaner: This is the beer “face” of Germany. The company, which is more than 350 years old, brews more than 20 types of beer.
  • Franziskaner: The company specializes in wheat beer. You can purchase it at any store in Germany.
  • Hacker-pschorr:  According to tourists, this is the best brewing company in Germany. The line includes more than 15 beers that are not cheap, but fully justify the high price.
  • Schneider Weisse: The company, which, according to tourists, brews the best wheat beer in Germany.
  • Hofbrau: The line includes more than 25 types of dark and light beer. In the company store you can buy a drink in exclusive packaging.
  • Ayinger: One of the most technologically advanced brewing companies that annually introduces new beers.

b. Jägermeister

Jägermeister is a type of liquor that is made only in Germany. The composition of this drink includes citrus fruits, as well as 56 types of herbs. Jägermeitser has a balanced taste.

You can bring it as a gift from Germany or try it yourself for only 17 euros. It can be purchased at almost all German stores.

c. German Schnapps

Schnapps

Schnapps is digestif that is popular both in Germany and Austria. The most famous brands are:

  • Williamsbirne (made from pears);
  • Weizenkorn (based on wheat);
  • Doppelkorn (cereal);
  • Wildschelehe (base – wild plum);
  • Apfelkorn (the main component is apple seeds);
  • Marillenschnaps (apricot).

Schnapps can be bought at any store in Germany, but if possible, it is better to visit a liquor store for extensive variety.

d. Eiswein

Eiswein or Ice Wine is a popular drink in Europe, which, according to experts, is best prepared in Canada and Germany.

Buying this drink in Germany is not easy. They are not sold in ordinary supermarkets, and are available only in small quantities in stores specializing in the sale of alcoholic beverages.

7. German Cosmetics

Cosmetics in Germany

It is very difficult to choose which cosmetics to bring from Germany as a gift, as there are many worthy brands in Germany:

  • Annemarie Börlind: The brand specializes in anti-aging cosmetics. The lineup contains a lot of creams, serums, face gels.
  • Biodroga: Is a professional cosmetics brand that is very popular in Germany.
  • Biomaris: This company mainly caters to the need of customers aged on and the brand specializes in a large selection of anti-aging cosmetics.
  • Bremani is a premium-class decorative cosmetics that produces lipsticks, eyeshadows, eyeliners, concealers and tonal foundations.
  • Catrice is a new generation of decorative cosmetics that creates lip glosses, lipsticks, tonal foundations, powder and much more. Buyers note that this is the best value for money.

German cosmetics are considered one of the most natural and hypoallergenic, as it is developed by dermatologists. Their versatility and effectiveness are also an important advantage.

8. Clothes and shoes

Speaking about what to buy in Germany as a gift, one cannot help but recall high-quality German shoes and clothes. Popular shoe manufacturers in Germany include:

  • Sioux
  • Salamander
  • Marc
  • Josef Seibel
  • Caprice
  • Buffalo

Also, do not forget to visit the branded stores of the following clothing brands:

Hugo Boss store
  • Hugo BOSS
  • Adidas
  • Вogner
  • Puma
  • S.Oliver
  • Tom Tailor
  • Escada
  • Bruno Banani

Souvenirs from Germany

If we talk about traditional souvenirs, then a good gift from Germany will be:

Bear in Berlin
  1. Berliner Bär – a symbol of Berlin, which comes in different colors and sizes.
  2. The Nutcracker souvenir toy, which can be purchased at the Christmas market.
  3. A beer mug or a glass is an excellent souvenir from Germany.
  4. Meissen porcelain table set.
  5. Football paraphernalia.
  6. Magnets.

What can not be exported from Germany

It is forbidden to export the following items from Germany:

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  1. Gasoline (in the canister should be no more than 10 liters).
  2. Alcohol (more than 3 liters per person).
  3. Cigarettes (no more than one block).
  4. Medicines (with the exception of essential drugs).
  5. Objects of cultural heritage.

Germany offers a wide range of products that can be brought as gifts for friends and family. Shopping for these items and exploring Germany will surely prove to be an interesting task.

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