Several countries, primarily in Europe, enforce Sunday trading laws (often called "blue laws") that restrict or ban retail activity to protect worker rest and promote family time. Key nations with strict regulations include Germany, Austria, Poland, Norway, and Slovenia. Other regions, such as parts of the UK, France, and Canada, have modified or relaxed, but still maintain, specific Sunday restrictions.
The following European Union countries currently allow all shops to open for at least part of every Sunday: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden.
The Zondagswet (“Sunday law (in the Netherlands)”), a law on Sabbath desecration, is mainly to ensure that church services remain undisturbed on Sundays and Christian holidays.
Sunday is the normal day for shops and businesses to close. What are Spain's national public holidays? Certain dates are designated public holidays in Spain, and these may be national, regional or local. The following are the national public holidays for 2026: 1 January, New Year's Day.
Traditionally, Sunday is reserved as a rest day, so many shops are closed. For example, supermarkets are open until 1pm on Sundays. Shops that are in touristy areas are allowed to stay open longer. Shop hours can vary between cities.
The government says there are no plans to change the law. Sunday Trading regulations date back to the Sunday Fares Act of 1488, when the last day of the week was traditionally a religious day of rest.
The Sunday Trading Act came into effect at the end of August, 1994. It removed all restrictions on Sunday trading from all small shops (and certain larger ones) but permitted other large shops to open for six hours on Sundays.
Barcelona's shops traditionally open from Monday to Saturday and are closed on Sundays, except in some of the tourist areas and for a series of Sundays throughout the year. It is usual for shops' shutters and doors to open to customers between 9 am and 10 am and to close midday between 1 pm and 2 pm.
In this country, it's completely illegal to work on Sundays. Everything is closed. Even the airports, you can't fly in on a Sunday. Welcome to Tonga, my 1 55th country and the only kingdom in the Pacific.
The concept of Ruhezeit originates from the Grundgesetz, or basic laws, of Germany, intertwined with the country's religious traditions. Historically, Germany was a deeply religious nation, and to facilitate church attendance, the government minimized work on Sundays.
Sunday Law was an edict issued by Roman Emperor Constantine I in 321. It made Sunday, the day of the sun, the official day of rest. Before the Sunday law was declared, only the Church in Rome and some churches under its influence kept Sunday worship from the 2nd century.
Usually normal stores are closed. Nothing is open on Sunday in Germany. It's usually a rest/travel day. Only thing that (might) be open are gas stations but even that is iffy.
The Sunday Trading Act 1994 (the STA 1994) regulates Sunday shop opening hours in England and Wales. There are no equivalent restrictions to the STA 1994 in Scotland, but there are similar restrictions in Northern Ireland.
Employment duties must be carried out in Spain, although if they must also perform part of their duties outside of Spain, the percentage of their income earned from these activities must not exceed 15% (or 30%, where the employment activity or duties are undertaken in another firm within the group);
Can I keep cash in my pocket through airport security?
Can I Keep Cash in My Pockets through TSA? No. TSA agents will ask that you remove everything, even a half-used tissue, from your pockets before going through metal detectors and scanners. Especially if you have coins in your pocket, you will get flagged for further search.
Iceland is the country with the least number of cheaters (9%). Some people prefer one-night stands with strangers! In fact, most respondents from Thailand, France, Russia and Australia said they've slept with a stranger behind their partners back.
Seine-Saint-Denis (French pronunciation: [sɛn sɛ̃ d(ə)ni]) is a department of France located in the Grand Paris metropolis in the Île-de-France region. In French, it is often referred to colloquially as quatre-vingt treize or neuf trois ("ninety-three" or "nine three"), after its official administrative number, 93.
In France, this is more a way to show that you want to start or develop a romantic relationship. That is why, the first kiss can happen later on, after several dates, and the pace at which a relationship might develop is much slower than in some other countries.
