The Best Souvenirs to Buy in Germany

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Germany basically invented the traditional British Christmas (thanks, Queen Victoria!) – an intimate, candlelit family celebration that eventually morphed, thanks to a bit of help from Tin Pan Alley and Coca-Cola, into the holiday extravaganza many of us know and love today. Germany has since recognised its outsized influence on this most nostalgic of holidays and now sells tangible Christmas cheer to tourists at every possible opportunity. Christmas markets are the best place to pick up carved wooden ornaments, high-art crêche figurines and the windmill that turns because of candles. If it is important that the piece is made in Germany, be prepared to dig deep, as most of the cheaper ornaments come from China.

The 155-km (96.3-mi) Berlin Wall is the souvenir that keeps on giving. How can you tell if your little plastic bag is full of legit pieces of the wall and not a little bit of the neighbour’s graffitied basement? Does it really matter? The Berlin Wall Memorial sells bits with a certificate of authenticity, but the best option is to hack off a chunk yourself with tools provided by the Westin Hotel.

A renowned symbol of East Germany invented by psychologist Karl Peglau, the Ampelmännchen (literally translated as the little man of the pedestrian traffic light) has become a hot souvenir item in Berlin. After reunification, the little guys were due to get the axe and be replaced by the less charming Western image, but designer Markus Heckhausen stepped in to save the day, and now tourists the world over can enjoy sunglasses, shot glasses, ice-cube trays, chalkboards and even pasta, which all bear the mark or even come in the shape of this intrepid little street-crosser. Visit the Ampelmännchen shop near Konzerthaus Berlin, or order online.

They’re hideous and impractical, but nothing says Germany quite like a beer stein (well, maybe a cuckoo clock, but they’re expensive and fragile). A great buy for uncles or fathers-in-law, choose from stone, porcelain, glass or pewter, with a lid or without.

It looks (and, to some, tastes) pretty questionable, but many Germans swear by sauerkraut juice as a cure for many ailments, particularly stomach complaints. Supposedly, there is something about the milk and vinegar mixing together with your stomach acid that calms the pain. It’s available at any grocery store, and for extra Deutsch realness, package the juice with a box of medicinal dirt.

Nothing says Christmas in Germany like setting fire to rum-soaked sugar in the middle of the dining room table. A Feuerzangenbowle is a method of preparing mulled wine in a manner that makes everyone want to take part. Special equipment is needed, as a normal punch bowl will explode when it comes into contact with either of the two flames. It’s fun, but a little hard on Grandma’s clean carpet. Buy this in any department store – ask for Karstadt or Kaufhaus des Westens.

While this souvenir is an obvious one, it’s not budget friendly. Lederhosen for men (and sometimes women) and dirndls for ladies (and, why not, sometimes men too) are the traditional clothing in Bavaria – the south-German state that touches the Alps and is home to Munich. Beautiful silk dirndls start at about €800 (£725), and a quality pair of deer-leather lederhosen go for at least €400 (£363).

A warning: lederhosen are never washed, instead kept soft by the wearer’s natural oils, which is something to bear in mind when you spy a pair at a second-hand shop.

Germany is an old place, and for all the time that there have been people here, there has been some type of furniture. This means that Germany, along with the rest of Europe, has a lot of magnificent old furniture that just can’t be found elsewhere in the world. Whether sourcing your own treasures is cheaper than having an expert do it for you is open to debate, but any reputable antiques dealer can help you sort out shipping.

Be careful at flea markets, where the romance of it all and the lure of a deal makes you vulnerable to hustlers and hidden costs. That 18th-century Biedermeier secretaire may be to die for, but working out where you’re going to stash that behemoth during the remaining eight days of your holiday could be a bit dicey. And your friends at customs will have something to say about anything with rare wood, ivory or other restricted materials.