The most reliable way to learn the rhythm of daily life in Germany is to go shopping on a Sunday. The shelves are there, the lights are off, and the only open door is the petrol station. Welcome to the Ruhetag, the day of rest. It is only the first of a handful of habits that look rigid to newcomers and quickly become comfortable.
How do Sundays and shop hours work?
Shop opening hours are set by each Land, not by the federal state. In Bavaria, under the 2025 law, shops are closed on Sundays and public holidays, and on weekdays before 6 am and after 8 pm. On 24 December they close at 2 pm. Small unstaffed automatic mini-stores of up to 150 m² can open outside those hours. On Sundays in Bavaria, only on-duty pharmacies, petrol stations and shops at stations and airports (travel goods) are open, plus bakeries for three hours, newsagents for five and florists for two. Other Länder have their own laws, with later weekday hours and other Sunday exceptions, so look up the shop-hours law of your Land.
Plan the weekly shop before Sunday. Many small shops and cafés also prefer cash or do not take cards, so keep a little cash. For the money side, see cost of living in Germany.
What are the quiet hours?
On Sundays and public holidays, noisy outdoor appliances (lawn mowers, leaf blowers, hedge trimmers) are banned all day in residential areas, and from 8 pm to 7 am on weekdays. Some are also restricted from 7 to 9 am, 1 to 3 pm and 5 to 8 pm. The Länder, municipalities and your building's house rules (Hausordnung) often add quiet hours (Ruhezeiten), especially at night. Read the Hausordnung the day you sign your lease: it is part of your contract in practice. The rules on housing are in renting in Germany.
How do recycling and Pfand work?
Municipalities must collect biowaste, plastics, metal, paper, glass, textiles, bulky waste and hazardous waste separately. In practice you will have several bins: a Biotonne for organic waste, a Gelbe Tonne or Gelber Sack for packaging, paper, and Restmüll for the rest, plus glass containers by colour near your home. Colours and collection calendars differ by town, so find the website of your local waste service. Mis-sorting can be reported by the waste service or by your landlord.
The Pfand is the deposit on single-use bottles and cans that show the deposit logo: at least €0.25 extra each. You get it back in any shop selling the same sort of packaging, usually at a machine. Shops under 200 m² take back only brands they sell. Do not throw those bottles away: it is your money.
Rules about noise, waste and house rules are local, and they can differ between your flat, your building and your town. If a neighbour or a landlord raises a point you do not understand, Moovy can explain what is usual and where to check the actual rule. It does not settle disputes.
Which public holidays apply to you?
Only one public holiday is set by federal law: 3 October, German Unity Day. Nine are common to every Land: New Year, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Ascension, Whit Monday, 1 May, 3 October, and 25 and 26 December. The others vary: Bavaria, for example, adds Epiphany (6 January), Corpus Christi, All Saints (1 November) and, in predominantly Catholic municipalities, the Assumption on 15 August, plus a special Peace Festival on 8 August in Augsburg. Berlin has International Women's Day on 8 March. A colleague in Munich may be off while you work in Berlin.
School holidays are staggered by Land and published by the KMK. See schools in Germany.
What are the emergency numbers?
- 112: fire and medical emergencies, free from any phone, throughout the EU.
- 110: police, free.
- 116117: the on-call doctor (ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst), day and night, for cases that cannot wait for the next day but are not life-threatening. Free from a German phone plan.
Do not call 112 for a simple fever at night. Use 116117 for that. For your health cover, see health insurance in Germany for expats.
Which language and manners should you expect?
German is the language of the administration. Letters, forms and appointments are in German, even if English helps in the cities. Take a friend or a translator to important appointments.
A few habits are customs, not official rules, so treat them as pointers:
- Sie or du. Use Sie (formal) with colleagues, officials and strangers until the other person offers du. In many young companies du arrives fast.
- Punctuality. A meeting at 10 means 10. Warn people if you are late, even by a few minutes.
- Tipping. In a restaurant, round up or announce the total when you pay, rather than leaving coins on the table.
- At work. Meetings are prepared, decisions are written down and work is separated from private life.
Which mistakes catch newcomers out?
- Shopping on Saturday evening for Sunday. Do it earlier.
- Trusting another region's holidays.
- Throwing away deposit bottles.
- Sorting waste badly. Follow your town's guide.
- Calling 112 for a minor problem.
- Ignoring the house rules. Noise is the commonest cause of friction with neighbours.
If you are still deciding where to live, our moving to Germany guide gives the first steps.
What does a typical first week of daily life in Germany look like?
Putting the rules together gives a realistic first week:
- Day 1. Put your name on the letterbox and the doorbell. Official letters come by post only.
- Day 1 to 3. Do a big grocery shop before the weekend, with some cash in your pocket. Save 112, 110 and 116117 in your phone.
- First week. Read the Hausordnung and find the waste calendar of your town. Learn which bin is for what.
- Within two weeks. Register your address (Anmeldung).
- After the first weeks. Open a bank account, choose a health fund, and register your home for the broadcasting contribution (Rundfunkbeitrag).
How does daily life in Germany feel at work?
The workplace habits are customs, not legal rules, but they shape your first months. Meetings tend to be prepared in advance and decisions written down. The line between work and private life is clear: colleagues may not call you in the evening, and you will rarely be invited home in your first weeks. Punctuality is taken seriously, and the formal Sie is the default until a colleague proposes du. Our guide to working in Germany covers contracts, hours and holiday.
Why does Germany feel so rule-bound, and where can you be flexible?
Germany relies on rules that are written down and applied evenly, from the law on noise to the deposit on bottles. That predictability is a comfort once you know them. Where the rules differ by Land (shop hours, holidays, school calendars), the lesson is simply to check your own Land. Where the rules are customs (tipping, forms of address), people forgive newcomers readily if you try.
Where do you find help?
For emergencies, the three numbers above. For administrative questions, the citizens' office of your town and the federal portal. For health, your fund and the on-call medical service. For legal or tax situations that go beyond everyday life, a lawyer, a tax adviser or a tenants' association. Beware of paid websites that offer to do the free official procedures for you.