What you need to know about shopping in Germany

Shopping Information for Munich: VAT, opening hours, duty free and more

When are the opening hours in Munich? Where to shop on Sundays? Here you get the most important shopping informations

Sendlinger Straße
Katy Spichal

Opening hours for shops in Munich

Opening hours vary according to where the store is located and the type of shop. In general, shops are open from Monday to Saturday. Smaller shops, such as bakeries, open very early in the morning and may close a bit earlier, especially on Saturdays.

All shops except petrol stations and bakeries are closed on Sundays. In general, the following opening times apply, although it is up to every individual shopkeeper how long they want to keep their shop open.

  • Department stores: Mon - Sat 10am - 8pm
  • Supermarkets: Mon - Sat 8am - 8pm
  • Bakeries: Mon - Sat 7am - 6pm, Sun 7am - 12pm

Grocery stores, butchers, small shops, etc. have individual opening hours which, by and large, correspond to the following scheme. Please note that this is only an estimation and that you should check with the individual shop.

Petrol stations are allowed to be open 24/7.

VAT in Germany

Please note that tax refund and duty free shopping are only for non-EU citizens going back to a non-EU country. If you are coming to Munich from another EU country or are going to another EU country after your stay in Germany, you will not have to declare anything.

Depending on what you buy, Mehrwertsteuer (abbreviation: MwSt.), meaning Value Added Tax, can be either 7% or 19%. This tax is always included in the price you pay and appears on the bill and receipt, respecitively.

If you are a non-EU citizen and buy something that you're going to take outside the European Union, you can claim a tax refund once you're back home.

Duty free and travellers' allowances for Germany

Duty-free sale of alcohol and tobacco products to people travelling within the European Union was abolished in 1999. A few alcoholic beverages are still offered in airport shops at lower prices, but not duty-free.

Tax-free purchases are still possible; see above at "VAT" for more detail.

If you are coming from a non-EU country, the following restrictions on quantities and value apply for entry to Germany:

  • 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillios or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco or a proportionate combination of these goods
  • 1 litre of a beverage with more than 22% of alcohol or 2 litres of an alcoholic beverage with up to 22% of alcohol and 4 litres of sparkling wine and 16 litres of beer
  • other goods with a value of up to €300.00, for children under 15 years of age up to 175.00 € and up to € 430.00 when you travel by plane or by boat.

Tobacco products and alcohol may only be imported by persons of 17 years or over; coffee only by persons of 15 years or over. Wine exceeding the limit of alcohol percentage will be taxed by 16%.

You might be interested in