Germany: most shops close on Sundays
Do
- Shop for food and essentials on Saturday
- If you need to shop on Sunday, go to shops at railway stations, airports or petrol stations
Don’t
- Planning a shopping trip for Sunday
There is no penalty — you will just find everything closed. Sunday is protected as a day of rest by the constitution, and each state allows only a few 'open Sundays' a year.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Library of Congress law blog: Germany's shop opening laws