If you’re new to Germany, you may not have settled into the fact that almost all shops are closed on Sundays. It’s a funny feeling not being able to shop 1/7 days of the week when you come from a country that offers up 24/7 grocery stores and convenience shops. There are also other strange differences I’ve noticed in Germany and of course, the strict rules regarding “quiet hours”.
Luckily for you, not everything is closed on Sundays, you just have to know where to go in order to get the shopping you need to be done. Yes, the bulk of the stores are closed… that means if you were hoping to just shop for the fun of it at a place like Düsseldorf Arcaden or Schadowstrasse, then you’re out of luck. Sorry, my friend.
However, if it’s groceries or small items that you’re looking for, you may like to know that there are a few shops open for your convenience on Sundays in Düsseldorf.
Edeka at the Train Station (Düsseldorf HBF)
Klein, aber fein. This Edeka might be one of the smallest grocery stores you’ve ever been in, but it is indeed a grocery store and you will likely find everything you need here on a Sunday (or any other day of the week for that matter). This Edeka is open around the clock from Monday to Sunday and takes cash, EC-Card, Mastercard, and Visa.
REWE City at the Düsseldorf Airport
You’ll find a good-sized REWE City located in the arrivals section of the Düsseldorf airport and it is open from 5:00 AM until midnight. It’s a great place to grab a few snacks before hopping on your plane (and avoiding expensive airport food once you’ve passed security), but it’s also a key spot to stop on a Sunday if you forgot to do your grocery shopping earlier on in the week.
Convenient Stores (Kiosks, Trinkhalle, etc.)
Many convenient stores around the city stay open on Sundays, but then again, some don’t. You’ll have to do your research or talk a walk around your neighborhood to find out which local kiosks are open on Sundays and exactly what time they close. Some stay open late, and others decide to close up shop a bit earlier on Sundays. While you won’t find everything here, many of the kiosks’ around town often sell a few small grocery items on top of their usual popular items like chocolate, chips, beer, and cigarettes.
Restaurants
Sundays are the perfect excuse not to cook and visit one of the many amazing restaurants in the city. When I’ve forgotten to go grocery shopping on a Friday or Saturday, I often treat myself on Sundays for lunch and/or dinner out. Most restaurants around Düsseldorf are open on Sundays, and if they do close, you’ll notice that many of them close on a Monday, Tuesday or Saturday instead when business isn’t as busy.
If you’re not up for a night out on the town, order in! We have a list of 50 awesome local restaurants offering pick up and delivery services.
Bakeries
If there is one thing German’s couldn’t live without on their Sunday mornings, it’s fresh bread from the bakeries. While most bakeries close at noon on Sundays, they do open up for a few hours in the morning so that you can stock up on fresh bread and pastries for your Sunday brunch with the family.
‘Notdienst’/Emergency Pharmacies
This is definitely an important thing to know. If you require medication on a Sunday, there are a number of pharmacies around the city that volunteer to stay open on one or two Sundays in the month. Many of the pharmacies take turns staying open on Sundays so that there is always at least one open around your district for emergencies. To check which ones are open when you need them, you can visit aponet.de. PS: You can often get your pulse/blood pressure checked at these locations for free as well.
If you need over the counter medication and can wait 1-2 days for delivery, you can also find medication much cheaper online at pharmacy shops like apodiscounter, shop-apotheke, or DocMorris.
The Netherlands!
When in doubt, head to the Netherlands! We’re really not that far from the border, so I often use Sundays as an excuse to drive the 45 minutes over the border and grocery shop at Albert Heijn in Roermond or Venlo. The grocery stores are amazing (quite similar to North America actually) and the food is delicious. While not all shops are open on Sundays in the Netherlands, most are. However, you may notice that many shops close a bit earlier on Sundays in comparison to the rest of the week.
Any other Sunday shopping options you’d add to this list? Let us know in the comments section below so that others can also take advantage of these helpful tips!
