Sunday in Berlin: What Is Open (and What Is Not)

On Sundays in Germany, almost all shops are closed. Trading laws are strict, and Berlin is no exception: supermarkets, chemists and most retail shops are shut on Sundays. If you experience this for the first time, you may well find yourself standing in front of a locked door. But Berlin would not be Berlin if there were not plenty of alternatives and loopholes to be found.

What Is Open as Normal on Sundays

The good news: restaurants, cafés, bars, museums, cinemas and theatres are all open as normal on Sundays. Sunday is actually a particularly good day for brunch — many cafés offer special Sunday menus. In Kreuzberg and Neukölln, Sunday brunch is practically an institution.

Spätis (Berlin's corner kiosks) are open all the time, Sundays included. Here you can get drinks, snacks, cigarettes, ice cream and the most essential everyday items. There is, however, a legal grey area: officially, Spätis are not supposed to open on Sundays, but in practice almost all of them do. Berlin tends to turn a blind eye.

Bakeries are permitted to open on Sundays for a few hours, usually from 7 until 12 or 14:00. Fresh bread rolls and cake on a Sunday morning are therefore no problem at all.

Supermarkets on Sunday: The Station Exception

The most important exception to Sunday trading laws: shops inside railway stations are permitted to open on Sundays. Berliners make regular use of this. The best options are:

Hauptbahnhof: REWE, dm Drogeriemarkt and various smaller shops. The widest selection on a Sunday. Opening hours are usually 8:00–22:00.
Friedrichstraße (S-Bahnhof): REWE To Go with a decent range. Smaller than the Hauptbahnhof, but sufficient for the essentials.
Ostbahnhof: REWE and further shops. Easily reached from Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg.
Südkreuz: REWE, convenient for anyone staying south of the S-Bahn ring.
Zoologischer Garten: REWE and various food outlets. The best option for the western side of the city.

Prices in station supermarkets are identical to those in ordinary branches. The range is slightly smaller, but perfectly adequate for a regular shop. Tip: come in the morning — it gets busy in the afternoon.

Petrol Stations: The Emergency Plan

If even the nearest station is too far away: petrol stations are open around the clock and sell food, drinks and toiletries alongside fuel. The selection is limited and prices are higher than in a supermarket, but in a pinch they do the job.

In Kreuzberg and Neukölln you will also find Turkish and Arabic grocery shops that are sometimes open on Sundays. The legal situation is ambiguous, but the selection of fresh fruit, vegetables and bread is excellent.

Flea Markets: Berlin's Sunday Tradition

Berlin's best flea markets are held on Sundays. This is no coincidence — when the shops are closed, Berliners head to the markets.

Mauerpark-Flohmarkt

Berlin's most famous and largest flea market. Thousands of visitors — tourists and locals alike — come every week. You will find vintage clothing, vinyl records, furniture, jewellery and everything in between. The karaoke session in the amphitheatre is legendary. The Mauerpark gets crowded, especially in good weather. Arriving early (from 10:00) is well worth it.

Boxhagener Platz

Smaller and more relaxed than the Mauerpark. The 'Boxi' is Friedrichshain's flea market: a good selection, fair prices, and a beer in one of the surrounding bars afterwards. On Saturdays, the same square hosts a weekly market.

RAW-Gelände

On the site of the former Reichsbahnausbesserungswerk, a small but excellent flea market takes place on Sundays. The combination of industrial backdrop and stalls selling vintage clothing and handmade goods has its own distinct charm.

Nowkoelln Flowmarkt

At the Maybachufer in Neukölln, right along the Landwehrkanal, the Flowmarkt takes place every other Sunday. The focus is on design, art and crafts — less bric-a-brac than at other markets.

Museums and Culture on Sundays

Sunday is an excellent day for museums. All major museums are open, and many offer special guided tours on Sundays. A few recommendations:

Museumsinsel: Pergamonmuseum, Neues Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie. The museum pass (32 €) is worth it from the second museum onwards.
Hamburger Bahnhof: Berlin's most important museum for contemporary art. Well visited on Sundays, but rarely overcrowded.
Jüdisches Museum: Striking architecture by Daniel Libeskind and a deeply moving permanent exhibition.
Berlinische Galerie: Modern art, photography and architecture. Free admission on the first Monday of each month, but well worth a visit on Sundays too.

Sunday Walks: Where Berlin Is at Its Most Beautiful

On Sundays, the city belongs to those on foot. A few routes worth taking:

Landwehrkanal: From Kottbusser Tor along the canal towards the Tiergarten. Stop for a coffee at Concierge Coffee on the Paul-Lincke-Ufer along the way.
Tiergarten: Berlin's largest inner-city park. You can walk for hours without retracing your steps.
Tempelhofer Feld: The former runway of Tempelhof Airport is today a vast park. On Sundays, families cycle here, kite surfers make the most of the wind, and people barbecue on the grass.
Spree-Ufer: From the Oberbaumbrücke towards Treptower Park. Past the East Side Gallery, then along the water to the Sowjetisches Ehrenmal.

The Perfect Sunday in Berlin

In the morning, pop to the local bakery and pick up some bread rolls and croissants. Then have a leisurely breakfast in your holiday apartment. Around midday, head to a flea market; in the afternoon, visit a museum or take a walk along the canal. In the evening, go out for dinner — all restaurants are open. And for anything you have forgotten, there is always the Späti.

Sunday in Berlin is not a drawback — it is an opportunity. The city becomes quieter, the parks fill up, and you get to experience Berlin the way Berliners themselves live it. Simply slow down and enjoy the day.