Saturday is the main shopping day for Germans. Second, on Sundays and public holidays most shops are closed. Exceptions are bakeries, shops in airports, train stations and gas stations. Restaurants, bars, amusement parks, museums, public swimming pools etc.
German supermarkets, as well as clothes shops, bookshops and pharmacies, are all closed on Sundays. Sunday is a “quiet day” in Germany, and a law adopted in 1950 prohibits shops from opening so people can enjoy recreational activities and time with family and friends.
For those who aren't aware: shops and grocery stores are closed on Sundays in Germany. As is the case with many laws that seem out of place in our modern world, this one has its roots in religion. In the Christian faith, Sunday is a day of rest.
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Why are Germans quiet on Sundays?
Historically, Germany was a deeply religious nation, and to facilitate church attendance, the government minimized work on Sundays. This allowed people to not only attend services but also to spend quality time with their families.
In the Federal Republic of Germany, the Ladenschlussgesetz or "Shop Closing Law" (abbreviated: LadSchlG) is the federal "blue law" compelling retail stores to close to the public on Sundays and Christian holidays.
Pros: Germany is a highly developed country that's clean and orderly. Things run on time, there is a respect for the environment, and the country's infrastructure is good. Cities are generally walkable, and you can easily get around using the country's well-organized mass transit network.
Sonntag, the German word for “Sunday,” is pronounced as “zon-tahk.” Sonntag translates to “sun-day,” which is the same as the etymology for the English “Sunday.” In many cultures, Sunday is considered a day of rest and religious observance.
There are exemptions for smaller shops, gas stations, and garages. The Netherlands has a Sunday blue law restricting public festivities until approximately 1 pm when church services are over. Blue laws in Germany prevent restaurants and shops from opening and enforce a rest day.
The commonly agreed upon quiet hours in Germany (Ruhezeit time period) are from 10pm and 6 or 7am on weekdays and the entire day on Sundays, although there can be some exceptions in different cities or if your landlord imposes other rules as well. Ruhezeit also applies to all public holidays for the entire day.
Did you know that Tonga is the only country in the world to be "officially" CLOSED on Sunday? It is actually illegal to work, and could be punishable by a large fine or imprisonment.
Gas Station Availability - Gas stations are open from 7am to 12:30pm and from 3:30pm to 7pm. Most stations are closed on Sundays. There are 24 hour stations along the highways. The 'autostrade' is Italy's toll super highway and toll cards can be purchased at banks or at Automoblie Club d'Italia (ACI) offices.
Sunday is a day of for family and rest. Restaurants and museums are open. You will find many people hiking and cycling. Also, it is illegal to make a lot of noise, so no mowing.
The main reasons were to protect the peace and quiet on Sundays and public holidays and to keep the road network free of heavy truck traffic in favor of car traffic to enable increased excursion traffic on Sundays and public holidays and as a contribution to increasing road safety on these days.
While 60% of people in Germany describe themselves as happy, their fellow human beings are perceived as significantly less happy: only 25% believe that people in Germany are happy. This figure has fallen significantly since 2019: five years ago, 46% of respondents thought that Germans were happy.
With plenty of straightforward rules, German is not actually as hard to learn as most people think. And since English and German stem from the same language family, you might actually be surprised at the things you pick up without even trying! And on top of it all, it's definitely a useful one, too.
With a gross domestic product of 4,305 billion euros in 2024, Germany is the third largest economy in the world after the United States and China and just ahead of Japan, making it the largest economy in Europe.
Barbecuing on the balcony is generally permitted, as there is no general regulation in Germany that prohibits this. Property owners may use their property, including the balcony, as they wish. However, they must show consideration for their neighbors.
What do visitors to Germany have to be careful about?
There may be longer border queues (see 'Travel'). There's an ongoing threat of terrorism in Germany. Terrorist attacks could occur anywhere and at any time. There have been multiple attacks using vehicles or knives in the last year.
Can I do my laundry on Sunday? Doing your laundry on a Sunday is fine once the noise level isn't too disruptive. If you think you've got a noisy washing machine or dryer, it's worth checking in with your neighbours to see if they can hear it. If they can't you can do laundry all day.
Nachtruhe is the most common and well-known kind of Ruhezeit in Germany. Part of the State Emissions Protection Law (Landesimmissionschutz-Gesetz), Nachtruhe forbids noisy activities between 10pm and 6 or 7am, depending on the federal state. For noisy outdoor activities like mowing the grass, Ruhezeit begins at 8pm.
What are you not allowed to do on Sundays in Germany?
In the evening, you are not permitted to mow lawns after 8 p.m. General evening quiet time begins at 10 p.m. All loud activities are restricted throughout all of Sunday, to include lawn mowing, car washing, loud games or music...if it can be heard outside your dwelling or vehicle, it is too loud.
