Public Holidays in Germany 2019

If you are planning a short break, a longer holiday or maybe you just need to contact someone in Germany for work, it goes without saying that it would be helpful to know when businesses or shops might be closed.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, Hessia and Rhineland-Palatinate, Carnival Monday is one example of when you might find things closed for business. In fact, the partying normally starts on the Thursday before as workers begin to celebrate carnival time. So, do check my list of German public holidays before planning your trip as there is nothing more disappointing than arriving at your destination only to find that everything’s closed! Unlike the UK, it’s important to bear in mind that shops are closed on Sundays (with just some shops being allowed to open on certain Sundays). However, there is a debate going on at the moment about the possibility of shops opening on Sundays but, as yet, nothing’s been confirmed.