Small town Germany-Are stores still closed Saturday afternoon and Sunday?
 

I haven't been to Germany since 1992. I remember that stores closed at about noon on Saturday and didn't reopen until Monday morning. Is that still the case? We'll be along the Rhine (St. Goar) one weekend and in Rothenburg the other. Will we find the stores closed?

Opening laws are less regulated by now from Monday to Saturday. I think there are differences within Germany but stores are now allowed to open until late in the evening (10 PM in the place where I live). In small towns the smaller shops close earlier, especially on a Saturday, but I assume that in Rothenburg the shops targeting tourists will take advantage of the longer hours and stay open until at least 20:00.

Sunday normal shops are closed, but a notable exception might be shops selling souvenirs and such stuff, which are allowed to open in some states (no idea whether this also applies to Bavaria).

Hans,

Do you think we need tickets to the night watchman tour or would it be fine to meet the tour before 8:00.
natjgc

In a lot of smaller towns, stores still close around 14.00/2 pm on Saturday. As the germans call it 'Feierabend'.

But as Hans already said, this isn't the law anymore. Stores can stay open till 20.00/8pm or later (even on Saturdays).

Most supermarkets are open all day on Saturday (at least till 17.00/18.00 or 5/6pm). Most other chain-stores and tourist-stores also. Especially in larger towns.

Most shops are closed on Sundays. But there are exceptions. For instance when there is a fair in town, or a big local party. Sometimes shops are then open from 12.00-17.00 (12pm-5pm). But don't count on it!

In small towns, stores will likely close early on a Saturday and except for main train stations and some shops in some tourist towns, everything will be closed on a Sunday.

To answer my own question, in Rothenburg, many of the stores were open after 5 on Saturday and Sunday. The stores catering to tourists (you know, cuckoo clocks and beer steins) were open. The "real" stores were closed.

missypie:

Nightwatchman tour tix:

I do not remember anyway to get Tix in advance. We just showed up and paid before he started the tour.

He has some great deal going with that tour. Maybe I could offer a 'Gangster Tour" of New Jersey! :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq-cl...eature=related

Yeah, that was someone else's question. You just show up at 8. It's an honor system to pay the guy.

Are you trying to buy souvenirs etc or basic groceries?

Petrol stations can (and in my day, most certainly did) sell groceries - which are defined to include industrial quantities of beer to take away -on Sundays. So are convenience sores at airpots and railway stations

We were just in Rothenberg last week.
We were told to go to the town square at 8:00pm and pay after the tour.. This would never happen in America. Very trusting..
It was very interesting. Weleft in the middle of the tour because it was raining and cold. There were at least 50 people even with the bad weather the tour attracted many.
There is also a 9:30 tour in German that gets even more people..
The guy who does the tour is very good and theatrical...
if anyone is interested. it's definitely worth it. natjgc