For small but "thought of you" gifts leather bookmarks are always lovely to receive and last a lifetime and of course are so easy to pack. I have usually bought mine while in Florence both for others and myself but I have some from England that friends have brought back to me. No doubt they can be found in each country you will be visiting.

The grocery store and food section of the department stores sound like a great place to hit. Will also try to get to the bookstores and look for nice bookmarks. Most of the folks I know love to read, as to our kids. These are great ideas! Keep them coming, please :)

Another fan here of leather bookmarks and Murano winestoppers. Found some small lace handkerchiefs in Venice that weren't too pricey (though not THAT inexpensive) for the special people on my list. Also, bought a few fabulous Murano pendants (with the leather cord) for about 10euro each.

Venice: little glass animals (about 1 euro each for the smallest).

Vienna: upstairs at Julius Meinl, I bought small tins decorated with Klimt paintings (1,50 euros empty IIRC, more if filled with tea). At the gift shop of the Belvedere, tiny jars of jam with "The Kiss" on the lid.

Paris: 4-packs of little (100g) cans of creme de marron. Poulain 85% dark chocolate bars.

HImom, I don't know if anyone in your life would appreciate what I received but a good friend, a Fodorite, gave me a small compact from Paris. When it is opened one side is the regular mirror and the other side is a magnifying mirror. It came in a black bag and I always have it in my purse. In that I need a magnify mirror her present has always been so appreciated and of course I think of her every time I use it.

Hi HImom,
If your daughter wants to buy small wearables for her friends then she shouldn't have any trouble finding them in Venice. I bought two small necklace pendants made from Murano glass. They are about the size of a penny and come in various mixed colors. They run about 5-8 euros each so even with the exchange rate they are very reasonable. I bought two for myself but wish I had bought more for gifts. There are also many necklaces and bracelets made from Murano glass. You can find these in Venice even if you don't go to Murano. There are many choices for around 10 euros.

I brought back several dishtowels for friends along with vinegars from France, Oktoberfest coasters from Munich and beautiful scarves from Paris for my son's girlfriends. These ran about 10 euros each also. Lots of beautiful colors to choose from.

In the smaller German villages we bought handcarved wooden ornaments. Very inexpensive also.

You'll have fun scouring the shops for fun little things to bring back. Something that I did was to include a postcard with each gift from the town where I purchased their gift from. I wrote a small note to each recipient on the postcard telling them a little about the area where I purchased their gift. Made it seem a little bit more personal.

Have fun,
Michele

Michele, what a lovely idea you have about the postcards. Something I and I am sure most of us have never thought about doing. An excellent suggestion.

Unfortunately, this trip we will not make it to Italy. These are wonderful ideas and that is a great use for the postcards, as postage is quite high to mail them back and they are nice to tell folks a little about where they were purchased.

I know we'll enjoy seeing what we find. Not sure about the vinegar because I always am concerned about breakage and really don't want to deal with that possibility.

You've all given such excellent suggestions for us to ponder! Thanks so much!

Well I am confused as in your original post you said that the last place you would be in is Venice. But evidently your plans have changed or you mistyped and meant Vienna? Regardless you have received some wonderful ideas regarding your question about buying gifts. I wish you a beautiful time in Europe and enjoy the shopping part, that is always fun.

No-one has mentioned playing cards - the suits are different in Germany (acorns, bells, leaves, hearts). Not sure about Italy. Small, easy to pack and can at a pinch be used for your own amusement.

Lavandula

I think the mention of "Venice" in the OP was a typo for Vienna?

Germany is great with wood. The small wooden Christmas ornaments are easy to bring home. I get bookmarks for myself. It is amazing how they are now showing up everywhere. Same with letter openers made of different items..wood, glass, stainless. Baseball hats are good for kids. I have an adult friend that collects hats. I usually bring him a unique one if I run across it. Same goes for Tshirts for kids. We used to bring coffee mugs home. Use them everyday and remember where we had been. Now have too many!

Ah yes, playing cards! That sounds nice & may have nice pictures on the back of the different places we visit.

At one point, we had hoped to get to Venice, but we've pared things down and will do fewer countries in more depth this trip, as noted on the 1st post in this thread.

Most folks I know have too many mugs as well. Ditto for hats (tho I always think they're interesting). Thanks again, everyone for all of these great ideas! Will discuss them with hubby & the kids. I had no idea scarves in Paris could be purchased so inexpensively! Like the idea of artwork as well. Maybe some tins, but our state tends to cause rust with the salt air.

All of the places you mentioned have wonderful linens with handwork. Easy and light to pack.

In Munich, there is a kitchen store near Marienplatz (down a flight of stairs from the street level) that sells made in Germany wooden kitchen brushes - the veggie scrubber type and similar. They were 6 E last year and made nice gifts for my friends who cook. Linen tea towels are also nice here.

There are also some great handmade chocolates to be had most everywhere.

I agree with the mustard suggestions and have discovered some great mustards in tubes with herbs and other flavorings that were unique and delightful.

I like to bring locally made Christmas ornaments when I can find them.

In Venice you can find bookmarks made of parchment paper with beautiful designs for a reasonable cost.

We also find grocery stores an excellent place to pick
up inexpensive and unusual gifts. Sometimes larger department
stores also have a souvenir type section with some goodies.

It's fun to have an assortment of little things and let people pick a gift they want. You just have to keep your eyes open. In Amsterdam I bought a dozen tiny 'wooden shoe' frig magnets that were a big hit. The French guest soap from Paris idea came from a coworker who brought one back for all the women in the office.

Hi Hlmom,
The following link shows you original gifts: little bottles of Danube water (The Danube is the river which crosses Vienna): https://dilem.pswebshop.com/en/