Shopping

In the shops of Rhineland-Palatinate you will find almost everything you could wish for. The weekly farmer’s markets and local stores, as well as the bigger outlets and shopping centres provide great shopping opportunities.

The farmer’s markets are set up at fixed locations, usually once or twice a week. There you can buy regional products, some of which might be slightly more expensive than in the supermarkets. However, in the supermarkets they do not offer to bag your groceries for you. You can buy paper or plastic bags at the checkout, but it is advisable to bring a bag from home.

Another particularity of Germany is the so-called “Pfandsystem”. A system regulating the return value of recyclable glass and plastic bottles. A deposit is charged at the purchase of almost every bottled beverage. The deposit can be recollected when returning the empty bottles at a supermarket.

The most used payment methods in Germany are cash, EC or Girocard (debit card), or credit card. Moreover, you will find that debit or credit card payments are often only accepted above a certain amount, whilst the possibility to pay by credit card is generally not widely spread either. Therefore, it is recommended to always carry some cash with you. We recommend that you visit our Money and banking section where you can find useful information on these topics.

Opening hours

• Large shops, especially in the city centres: Monday to Saturday from 10-8pm. Some supermarkets do not close until 10 or midnight
• Smaller shops outside the city: Mondays to Fridays usually until 6 pm, on Saturdays until 2 or 4 pm.
• Outside these opening hours, shops in train stations as well as petrol stations and very small convenience stores, the "kiosks", are open. Some of them offer the most essential groceries and beverages around the clock - even on Sundays and holidays.

Up to four times a year and in tourist areas even more frequently, many cities hold “open for business Sundays”. On such days, customers can visit the many shops that are exceptionally opening and often enjoy live music and cabaret in the city centres.

Public holidays

In Germany there are various public holidays, that are often also days off work. Some public holidays are specific to each federal state, which means, for instance, January 6 is a public holiday in Baden-Württemberg, whereas this day is a normal working day for the people in Rhineland-Palatinate. Most holidays are of Christian or national origin.