Germany public holidays and festivals: dates and closures

Germany's holiday calendar mixes nationwide dates with regional ones. The nine nationwide holidays are New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labour Day (1 May), Ascension Day, Whit Monday, German Unity Day (3 Oct), Christmas Day and Boxing Day (26 Dec).

Beyond those, each state adds its own. Epiphany (6 Jan) applies in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Saxony-Anhalt. International Women's Day (8 Mar) is a holiday in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Corpus Christi is observed in several Catholic regions, and Reformation Day (31 Oct) in the Protestant north and east. All Saints' Day (1 Nov) applies in Catholic states. The Day of Prayer and Repentance (Buß- und Bettag) is a holiday in Saxony only.

Because Easter moves, confirm the exact year before booking. The table shows the typical month and what closes.

Some German festivals shape a whole trip. Oktoberfest in Munich runs from mid-September to the first weekend in October; hotels and trains sell out months ahead and prices spike. Carnival (Karneval or Fasching) peaks in the Rhineland around Rosenmontag in February, with Cologne and Düsseldorf the biggest parades. Christmas markets open in late November and run to 23 or 24 December in most cities; Nuremberg, Dresden, Cologne and Berlin are the best known.

Other dates matter regionally. The Stuttgart Beer Festival (Cannstatter Volksfest) runs late September to early October. Berlin's Carnival of Cultures is in May or June. Hamburg's Hafengeburtstag (harbour birthday) is in May. Wine festivals along the Rhine and Moselle run from late summer into autumn. If a specific festival is the reason for the trip, build the trip around it and book transport first.

On a public holiday, most shops, supermarkets, banks and pharmacies close. Some train-station shops, petrol stations and bakeries open for limited hours. Museums vary: many close, but some major ones stay open, especially in Berlin and Munich. Restaurants and cafés often open, though smaller ones may take the day off.

Sundays follow the same rule as public holidays: most shops are shut. Plan groceries and pharmacy runs for Saturday. If you need a pharmacy on a holiday, look for the Notdienst (emergency service) notice on any pharmacy door, which lists the nearest open one.

Transport runs on a Sunday or holiday timetable: fewer services, especially buses and regional trains. Long-distance ICE trains usually run, but book seats. Driving is allowed, though some city centres have car-free zones on major event days.

If your trip overlaps a major holiday, book accommodation and long-distance trains early. Christmas markets and Oktoberfest are the two periods when prices and demand rise most. Outside those, public holidays mainly mean quieter streets and closed shops, which can be a good day for walking tours, parks and museums that stay open.

Check whether your travel insurance covers trip disruption if a holiday affects your plans. Some restaurants add a small surcharge on public holidays, and many smaller businesses only take cash.

For families, holiday weekends can be busy at attractions; go early. For drivers, expect heavier traffic on the Friday before a long weekend and on the holiday itself.

Use the holiday calendar to decide when to go. If you want Christmas markets, target late November to mid-December and accept cold, dark days. If you want Oktoberfest, book by spring. If you want to avoid crowds, travel in late April, May, September or early October outside festival dates.

For a first trip, the parent Germany guide suggests Berlin and Munich or the Rhine as two bases. Check holiday dates for those cities before you lock in trains, because a regional holiday can close museums you planned to visit.

If you are staying longer or working remotely, public holidays still apply to most offices and services; plan around them for admin tasks like bank appointments or visa paperwork.