Checked on 23 October 2026
Everyday life in Germany: opening hours, Sundays, public holidays, emergencies, recycling and Pfand, social codes
In Germany, Sunday really is a day of rest: shops closed (with exceptions), and no lawnmowers or DIY noise. Many rules change depending on the Land: public holidays, shop opening hours, school holidays. Keep three numbers in mind: 112 (fire brigade and ambulance), 110 (police) and 116117 (on-call doctor when it is not a life-threatening emergency).
- Costs
- Deposit (Pfand) of at least €0.25 per disposable bottle or can
Daily life
- Shop opening hours. They depend on the Land. In Bavaria (2025 law), shops are closed on Sundays and public holidays, and from Monday to Saturday before 6:00 and after 20:00; on 24 December, if it falls on a working day, they close at 14:00. Automated unstaffed mini-supermarkets (150 m² at most) may open outside these hours. In other Länder, shops may open later on weekdays: check your Land's law (Ladenöffnungsgesetz). On Sundays in Bavaria, the following are open in particular: on-duty pharmacies, petrol stations, shops in railway stations and airports (travel items), shops at cultural and sports venues for their visitors, and for a few hours bakeries (3 hours), newsagents (5 hours), florists (2 hours) and the sale of fresh milk (2 hours); the law also provides for exceptional Sunday openings (art. 6 BayLadSchlG). The other Länder have their own law, with other hours and other Sunday exceptions: check the one for your Land.
- Quiet on Sundays and public holidays. In residential areas, noisy outdoor machines (lawnmower, leaf blower, hedge trimmer…) are banned all day on Sundays and public holidays, and from 20:00 to 7:00 on weekdays; some also from 7:00 to 9:00, from 13:00 to 15:00 and from 17:00 to 20:00. The Länder, municipalities and your building's rules (Hausordnung) often add quiet hours (Ruhezeiten), especially at night: read your Hausordnung.
- Waste sorting. The municipality must collect bio-waste, plastic, metal, paper, glass, textiles, bulky waste and hazardous waste separately. In practice, you have several bins (Biotonne, Gelbe Tonne or Gelber Sack for packaging, paper, residual waste Restmüll) and glass containers by colour. Colours and calendars vary by municipality: check your waste service's website.
- Pfand (deposit). Disposable bottles and cans bearing the deposit logo cost at least €0.25 more. You get the deposit back in any shop that sells the same type of packaging (glass, metal, plastic…), often via a machine. Small shops of less than 200 m² only take back the brands they sell. Wine, spirits and fruit juices are generally not subject to a deposit, except in a plastic bottle or can.
- Language. German is the language of the administration: letters, forms and appointments are in German, even if English helps in town. Arrange for a translator or a friend for important appointments.
Public holidays and Land particularities
- A single public holiday set by federal law: 3 October, German Unity Day. All the others are set by each Land.
- Nine public holidays common to all the Länder (Federal Ministry of the Interior): New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, 1 May, 3 October, 25 and 26 December.
- Example of Bavaria: New Year's Day, Epiphany (6 January), Good Friday, Easter Monday, 1 May, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam), 3 October, All Saints' Day, 25 and 26 December; Assumption (15 August) in municipalities with a Catholic majority; in Augsburg, in addition, the Peace Festival of 8 August.
- The other public holidays depend on the Land (Federal Ministry of the Interior): for example Epiphany, Corpus Christi, All Saints' Day, Reformation Day (31 October), the Day of Repentance and Prayer (Buß- und Bettag) or Women's Day (8 March, in Berlin). The list for your Land is on its official website; the one for Bavaria is above.
- School holidays: set by each Land, staggered, published by the conference of education ministers (KMK). See DE-ECOLE-TOUS-001.
Emergencies
- 112: fire brigade and medical emergency services, free from a landline or a mobile, anywhere in the EU.
- 110: police, free.
- 116117: on-call doctor (ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst), day and night, for what cannot wait until the next day but is not life-threatening. Free with a German phone plan.
Social codes and work culture
These points are customs, not an official rule: take them as guidelines.
- Sie or du. Use the formal Sie at work, with the authorities and with strangers, and wait for the other person to offer the informal du. In many young companies, du quickly becomes the norm.
- Punctuality. An appointment at 10:00 means 10:00. Let people know if you are late, even by a few minutes.
- Tipping. In a restaurant, you round up or add a tip by stating the total to the waiter when paying, rather than leaving the change on the table.
- At work. Prepared meetings, written decisions, a clear separation between work and private life.
- Cash. Some small shops and cafés do not accept cards: keep a little cash.
Common pitfalls
- Doing your shopping on Saturday evening for Sunday. On Sunday, almost everything is closed: plan ahead.
- Relying on another region's public holidays. A colleague in Munich may be off while you are working in Berlin.
- Throwing away deposit bottles. Take them back: the deposit is refunded.
- Sorting badly. Some waste services or landlords flag sorting mistakes; follow your municipality's instructions.
- Calling 112 for a simple fever at night. 116117 is made for that; 112 is for life-threatening emergencies.
What changes by country of origin
- All countries: same rules for everyone. Cultural differences are felt mostly on Sundays, punctuality and recycling, which are stricter than in Southern Europe.
Official sources (12) ›
- Unification Treaty, Art. 2 (3 October, statutory public holiday)
- Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI), "Nationale Feiertage" (public holidays that are a matter for the Länder, 3 October set by federal law, nine public holidays common to all the Länder)
- Bavaria, Feiertagsgesetz (FTG), art. 1 "Gesetzliche Feiertage"
- Bavaria, Bayerisches Ladenschlussgesetz (in force since 01/08/2025), art. 2 "Allgemeine Ladenschlusszeiten"
- Bavaria, Bayerisches Ladenschlussgesetz, art. 3 "Verkauf bestimmter Waren" (pharmacies, bakeries, newspapers, flowers)
- Bavaria, Bayerisches Ladenschlussgesetz, art. 4 "Verkauf an Verkehrsanlagen" (petrol stations, railway stations, airports)
- § 7 32. BImSchV - Einzelnorm (noisy machines banned on Sundays, public holidays and from 20:00 to 7:00 in residential areas)
- § 46 VerpackDG - Einzelnorm (deposit of at least €0.25 on disposable drinks packaging, take-back in shops)
- § 20 KrWG - Einzelnorm (separate collection of household waste: bio-waste, plastic, metal, paper, glass, textiles, bulky waste, hazardous waste)
- European Commission, "112 - the EU's emergency phone number"
- Polizei Berlin, "So erreichen Sie uns" (free emergency call 110)
- Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung, 116117 "Der ärztliche Bereitschaftsdienst"