Everyone has different opinions but here’s my cheat sheet for what to purchase at each location when going on the Grand European Tour with Viking. We traveled from Budapest to Amsterdam so my guide is in that order.
Prior to going, I formed a mental list by reading posts from others. I really picked up some great tips. For example, reading other posts is how I knew about the amazing roof tiles in Budapest as well as the to-die-for fruit-filled chocolate bars at the Melk Abbey gift shop.
I vowed to shop with some thought versus coming home with stuff to clutter up the house. I wanted items, with the exception of Christmas ornaments, that we would consume or use. The biggest surprise was probably how fantastic Hungarian chocolate is. I subsequently read that Hungary is really well-known for chocolate – go figure! We actually enjoyed the Hungarian chocolate more than the chocolate from Germany.
Budapest
Roof Tiles from Saint Matthias
Christmas ornaments from shops near Saint Matthias
Chimney Cake from the stand adjacent to Saint Matthias
Paprika, Lavender, wooden spoons, leather goods ,such as belts, and chocolate from the stands at the Central Market. My husband bought a terrific leather belt that the vendor customized to his waist for $20 Euros.
Vienna
Mozart Chocolates from shops near the cathedral
Christmas ornaments from the Schonbrunn Palace Gift shop
Melk Abbey
The fruit-filled chocolate bars are an absolute must! They are just fantastic. We also bought a few prints. Others bought wine which they loved.
Passau
I bought nothing
Regensburg
Sausage sandwiches from the Sausage Kitchen, pretzels, mustard and Christmas ornaments. Our tour guide recommended a shop for ornaments and he was spot on with his advice. We bought an adorable German smoker and incense for about 1/3 price Amazon charges for German-made ones.
It started to rain heavily towards the end of our afternoon. We were waiting to meet our cruise director for the return walk to the ship. To stay warm, we stumbled upon a book store. Another lady from the ship (we still stay in contact) and I made a beeline for the Christmas ornaments. We found some very unusual ones.
Nuremberg
We went on a Sunday when most stores are closed but the bakeries were open and wow! The Lebkuchen are an absolute must-buy item. We bought ones to eat on the ship as well as a package to take home. I can see why these spicy soft cookies are so popular.
Bamberg
We bought Christmas tree ornaments from two adjacent Christmas tree ornament shops. Bamberg is famous for its smoked beer and one of the shops sold smoked beer ornaments as well as glass sausage and mustard ornaments. Both shops beautifully wrapped my ornaments in tissue paper and boxes. I did not have a single ornament break during our travels.
Wurzburg
Here we did one of our favorite things. We went to a local grocery store – close to where the tour guide left the group. We bought German coffee and cookies. The prices were very reasonable and we loved the coffee. I wish we had purchased more coffee. In addition, we enjoyed a lunch at a cute cafe along the bridge – next to the wine bar.
Wertheim
Here we had fun buying a few pretzels and amazing Linzer cookies at a local bakery. We only bought two of each. The pretzels in Germany have no preservatives so they get hard within two days. They were so delicious. In addition, I bought a few items a local gourmet shop – including the best jarred pesto sauce I have ever tasted.
Koblenz
We found a great shop on the corner of the main shopping street. Yes, I bought a few ornaments but the store had so much more to offer. I bought a few delightful heat-resistant pads to protect my table from damage by hot casserole dishes. Also, I found some cute appetizer forks and a cool wooden wine bottle coaster as a souvenir for my brother-in-law.
Cologne
Our morning tour guide pointed out a great souvenir shop near the cathedral where I bought German-made Christmas ornaments (as opposed to imported ones made in China) and a gift box of mini bottles of 40711 cologne. In addition, we bought a fantastic assortment of chocolates from the gift shop at the Lindt Chocolate Museum. Our Viking ship was docked within blocks of the museum. We participated in the evening dinner and pub crawl. Peter’s, our first stop, sells the beer glasses used. They are smaller and unique. I regret not buying one or two glasses.
Kinderdijk
The gift shop at the Windmill stop is great. I bought several Christmas ornaments including a Delft one as well as a cute cheese board. I am a professional cheese monger so I can’t resist anything related to cheese. My husband actually bought socks with a windmill theme – out of necessity. He still wears them now that we are back home.
We loved our cheese farm tour and stocked up on Gouda which was sold vacuumed-pack. I picked up multiple packages of three different types. My favorite was a new flavor- it included ginger.
Amsterdam
We found a fun souvenir shop near Rembrandt’s house where I picked up wooden tulips, Christmas tree ornaments and colorful socks for John. At the Rijksmuseum gift shop, I bought a few more Christmas ornaments – ones that replicated artifacts we saw at the museum as well as some fun refrigerator magnets.
The Ship Gift Shop
I can’t say enough positive things about the Viking cookbook sold on board the ship for $20 Euros. We really enjoyed the goulash and soups served onboard. The book includes some of the recipes for what we enjoyed during our cruise. I especially enjoy the goulash recipe as well the recipes for Swedish meatballs and gravlax. I recommend getting the cookbook early – our ship sold out. I got mine from another Viking ship that adjacent to ours.
Duty-Free Shopping
We loved the shopping at the airport in Munich – way more impressive than what was available in Amsterdam.!The liquor and wine selection was impressive. I bought more Dutch cheese as well as some wonderful German sausages.
My final suggestion is to pack an extra suitcase for your souvenirs. We packed a Goldie-style bag that really came in handy on the return flights home.
NO time for boredom today 