Food & cultureBy Clever Tourists · Published
The best souvenirs from Germany are wooden Christmas figures from the Erzgebirge (a nutcracker or an incense smoker), a Black Forest cuckoo clock with a VdS certificate, Nuremberg Lebkuchen, Franconian wine in its flat round Bocksbeutel bottle, and a jar of proper German mustard. Most of these have a mark or a maker's name that tells the real thing from the imported copy, and that check matters most at Christmas markets, where both sit on the same stall. Below are 10 souvenirs grouped by type, what to look for, where to buy them in the cities we visited (Munich, Heidelberg, Würzburg, Bremen, Frankfurt and Berlin in July 2023), and the customs rules that catch people out: sausage and cheese going to the UK, Kinder eggs going to the US, and wooden goods going to Australia. Prices are tiers: $ is small change, $$ a considered purchase, $$$ a splurge.
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If you only have room for one thing, buy Lebkuchen or mustard from a supermarket for friends, and a nutcracker or smoker with a maker's name on the base for yourself.
| Souvenir | Price | How to know it is the real thing |
|---|---|---|
| Erzgebirge nutcracker | $$ to $$$ | A named Erzgebirge maker on the base |
| Räuchermann (incense smoker) | $$ | Same: maker's name, turned and painted wood |
| Black Forest cuckoo clock | $$$ | VdS certificate, mechanical movement |
| Christmas ornaments | $ to $$ | Glass baubles and straw stars from a specialist stall |
| Nürnberger Lebkuchen | $ | The protected name on the pack |
| Franconian wine (Bocksbeutel) | $ to $$ | Flat round bottle, Franken on the label |
| Mustard | $ | Löwensenf or a Düsseldorf-style jar |
| Lübeck marzipan | $ | Bought in Germany, not the export version |
| Haribo and Ritter Sport | $ | Supermarket, not the airport |
| Beer mug or glass | $ to $$ | Bought at the brewery or its beer hall |
• An Erzgebirge nutcracker ($$ to $$$). The Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains) in Saxony is the home of the German nutcracker; the village of Seiffen alone has around 100 shops. Christmas markets everywhere sell them, alongside imported copies that look the same from a few feet away. Turn it over: a genuine piece usually carries the name of an Erzgebirge workshop on the base or on a tag, and the wood is turned and painted rather than moulded.
• A Räuchermann incense smoker ($$). The little wooden figure that puffs smoke from its mouth when you put an incense cone inside. Same region, same check for a maker's name. Buy a pack of the matching cones while you are there.
• A Black Forest cuckoo clock ($$$). The mark to look for is the VdS certificate from the Verein die Schwarzwalduhr (Black Forest Clock Association). It is only given to clocks that are mechanical and made entirely in the Black Forest, and each certified clock comes with a paper certificate. A battery or quartz clock cannot qualify, whoever made it. Not every Black Forest maker belongs to the association, so a clock without it is not automatically fake, but one with it is certain. Ask the shop about shipping: a good clock is bulky and fragile.
• Christmas ornaments ($ to $$). Glass baubles and straw stars, best bought at the markets themselves. Dates for this year are in German Christmas markets 2026, with city detail in Munich's Christmas markets, Frankfurt's Römerberg market and Berlin's Christmas markets.
• A beer mug or glass ($ to $$). A stoneware mug or a glass with a brewery's name is a better souvenir bought where the beer is brewed or served than from a stall of generic "Bavaria" steins. Wrap it in clothes in the middle of your case.
• Nürnberger Lebkuchen ($). Spiced gingerbread, and the Nuremberg version is an EU-protected name: only Lebkuchen made in the city of Nuremberg can be sold as Nürnberger Lebkuchen. Supermarkets stock it in the run-up to Christmas, often in tins that survive a suitcase.
• Franconian wine in a Bocksbeutel ($ to $$). Franken, the wine region around Würzburg, bottles its wine in the Bocksbeutel, a flattened round bottle. In 1728 Würzburg's city council ruled that the best wines of the Bürgerspital, one of the city's old wine estates, should go into this bottle to protect them from fakes, and the shape is now protected under EU wine rules for Franken and parts of Baden. Our Würzburg guide covers the old town.
• Mustard ($). Senf in Germany is sharper and more varied than the mild yellow kind; Löwensenf and the Düsseldorf style are the ones to look for. A jar costs very little in any supermarket. Pack jars in checked luggage: in carry-on they count as liquids.
• Lübeck marzipan ($). Marzipan from Lübeck, from a German supermarket, is far better than the export version.
• Haribo and Ritter Sport ($). Both cost much less in a city supermarket than in an airport shop, and the range is wider.
More ideas, plus how the bottle deposit works, in what to buy at a grocery store in Germany. For food to eat there rather than carry, see what to eat in Munich.
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• Christmas markets (late November to December): the best time for nutcrackers, smokers and ornaments, and also the place with the most imported copies. Check the base of anything wooden for a maker's name.
• Supermarkets and bakeries: Lebkuchen, marzipan, mustard, sweets and wine for a fraction of gift-shop prices. Remember that almost all shops, supermarkets included, close on Sundays.
• Würzburg: wine from the city's wine estates and wine shops, in the Bocksbeutel.
• Munich, Heidelberg and Bremen old towns: gift shops sell wooden figures and clocks all year; the same checks apply. Our Munich, Heidelberg and Bremen guides cover each old town.
Cash is still more common in Germany than in most of Western Europe, and some small shops do not take cards.
• Unmarked "Erzgebirge" figures at a low price. If there is no maker's name and it feels light and moulded, it is probably imported.
• Battery cuckoo clocks sold as Black Forest clocks. They cannot carry the VdS certificate.
• Kinder Surprise eggs if you are flying to the US. US Customs and Border Protection bans them because of the toy hidden inside, and officers confiscate them at the border.
• Sausage, ham and cheese if you are going home to the UK. See the customs section below.
• The airport shop. The same sweets, mustard and Lebkuchen cost less in town.
• VAT refund: visitors who live outside the EU can claim back German VAT (19%, or 7% on food and books) on goods worth more than €50 (≈ $56) on one receipt (€50.01 (≈ $56)). Ask for a Tax Free form when you pay, keep the goods unused, and get the form stamped by customs at your last EU airport. Operators keep a fee, so expect roughly 10% to 14% back on standard-rated goods. Full steps in our EU VAT refund guide.
• United Kingdom: since 12 April 2025 travellers may not bring meat or dairy from any EU country into Great Britain in their luggage, including cheese, cured meat and sandwiches, and including duty-free purchases. Lebkuchen, mustard and chocolate are fine.
• United States: travellers may not bring in cured pork such as German salami. Solid, aged cheese is generally allowed if declared. Kinder Surprise eggs are banned.
• Australia and New Zealand: both are strict about anything wooden, so declare nutcrackers, smokers and clocks on your arrival card.
Germany is on the euro. Tips in restaurants are covered in tipping in Germany. For souvenirs from 19 other countries, see our guide to the best souvenirs to buy by country.
A wooden nutcracker or incense smoker from the Erzgebirge, followed by a Black Forest cuckoo clock. For something cheap and light, Nuremberg Lebkuchen or a jar of German mustard from a supermarket.
Look for the VdS certificate from the Black Forest Clock Association. It is only given to mechanical clocks made entirely in the Black Forest and comes as a paper certificate with the clock. Battery clocks cannot qualify.
No. Since 12 April 2025 Great Britain has banned travellers from bringing meat and dairy from any EU country in their luggage, duty-free purchases included.
No. US Customs and Border Protection bans Kinder Surprise eggs because of the toy hidden inside the chocolate, and officers confiscate them.
Yes, if you live outside the EU and spend more than €50 (≈ $56) on one receipt. Ask for a Tax Free form in the shop and get it stamped by customs at your last EU airport.
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