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.
Date | What | Where |
19th April (Friday) | Good Friday | nationwide |
21st April (Sunday) | Easter Sunday | nationwide |
22nd April (Monday) | Easter Monday | nationwide |
1st May (Wednesday) | Labour Day | nationwide |
30th May (Thursday) | Ascension (also “Father’s Day”) | nationwide |
9th and 10th June (Sunday and Monday) | Whitsun | nationwide |
20th June (Thursday) | Corpus Christi | Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North-Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and some areas in Saxony and Thuringia |
15th August (Thursday) | Assumption Day | Saarland and Bavaria |
3rd October (Thursday) | Germany National Holiday | nationwide |
31st October (Thursday) | Reformation | Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein & Thuringia) |
1st November (Friday) | All Saints | Baden-Württemberg , Bavaria, North-Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland) |
20th November (Wednesday) | Day of Repentance and Prayer | Saxony; schools closed in Bavaria |
24th December (pm) (Tuesday) | Christmas Eve | nationwide |
25th December (Wednesday) | Christmas Day | nationwide |
26th December (Thursday) | 2nd Christmas Day (Boxing Day) | nationwide |