Here are the best picks for authentic St.Gallen-related gifts to brighten any holiday or occasion — or just to bring home rather than that same old t-shirt or gift-shop shot glass! These are some Souvenirs to buy and take home.
Cathedral Christmas decoration
If you’re a Christmas fanatic like I am, then this is a must-see. It’s full of magical Christmas ornaments and lights. Across the Gallusplatz, you can find lots of lovely bits and pieces to put on your mantlepiece or on your Christmas tree. It’s a girls’ heaven in there.
Lüchinger Galerie | Webergasse 26 | weihnachts-deko.ch
Cathedral Soap
You find this in this lovely Store:
Töpferschiibe am Gallusplatz | Gallusstrasse 33 | toepferschiibe.ch
Local Jewelry, Watch or Glasses
While you are picking up some t-shirts, you should grab some accessories, like exquisite luxury jewelry or locally handcrafted jewelry. A beautiful watch or a timeless piece of jewelry will keep the memory of your holiday alive for many years to come. These also make great gifts and souvenirs for the family and friends back at home – they’ll love unique local handmade jewelry or maybe a shiny new watch?
enoi – belts & jewellery, Hinterlauben 13
Eveline Frischknecht – fine jewellery, Kugelgasse 2
Irini – handmade jewelry by Alina Forster (only onlineshop)
Einstoffen – watch & glasses
Swatch Shop – Frongartenstrasse 15
Chocolate, Pralinés, Truffes
Switzerland is famous all over the world for its chocolate. The Swiss consume a whopping 23 pounds of Swiss chocolate per year, an impressive number considering the country’s size. Grab a bar, or more.
Praline Scherrer – Marktgasse 28
Chocolaterie Kölbener – Gallusstrasse 20
Biber
Biber is a typical Swiss specialty from the family of gingerbread buns, beautifully decorated by using a hand made wood model. The Biber has a soft dough that comes with a filling of either pealed almonds or roasted hazelnuts, honey and a secret mixture of spices. If you’re in Switzerland, you can find Biber in almost every supermarket but these are no match to those made in the bakery with the best local honey, local biological flour and selected almonds. Get the chance to taste and buy a Biber in these several shops in town:
Café Gschwend – Original St.Galler Bear Biber – Goliathgasse 7
Confiserie Roggwiller – Original St.Galler Cathedral Biber – Multergasse 17
Arts and Crafts
You must not leave without some of the local arts and craft, for this is the very essence of the cultural experience that you came to St.Gallen to experience. All of the artwork in St.Gallen has a story behind it, stories that are as unique as the people who forged them. Visiting local communities (LadenCafé) is a great way to find unique souvenirs – and support local craftspeople and traditions.
Sockstar-Monster – Handmade sockpuppets by Clarissa Schwarz – At the Textilmuseum or LadenCafé
Gonchar – Handmade porcelain – At Lavka or LadenCafé
Atelier MDJB – 3D printed candlelights – At LadenCafé
Hungric – Handmade unique bags by Rico Hungebühler
2mol – Recycling lampshades
Local Beer
We from St.Gallen love to drink beer just as much as we philosophize about the taste of beer with friends. A small bottle of beer fits neatly into your luggage, making it an ideal holiday gift from St.Gallen.
Schützengarten – Beer by the oldest Brewery from Switzerland (1779)
Biergarage – Beer brewed by Adrian Schmid
Bleischcraftbeer – Beer brewed by Marco Bleisch
Hermann Bier – Beer brewed by Marco Hermann
Soap
The best soap in St.Gallen.
Soap Die Katze – Seifenmuseum, Rorschacherstrasse 135
Local Fashion
These ones
Einstoffen – Fashion
Aetheree.ch – Fashion by Ly-Ling Vilaysane
J.Grubenmann – Fashion by Janine Grubenmann
Li Con – Fashion by Lisa Contaldi
Berenik – Fashion by Veronika Brusa
Magazines
Coming soon