Sundays in Cologne

Hello all,

I am getting somewhat horrified looking around at posts about Sunday rules in Germany, which already thoroughly annoys me in Switzerland. Is it the same in Köln? Are you really not allowed to make any noise on Sunday, e.g. washing machine, vacuuming, yardwork, etc. there too? We were lucky enough to move to an apartment complex here in Switzerland which is completely relaxed about this kind of stuff. No one cares when you wash (have done so occasionally at 2:00 AM) and no one cares if you drill on Sundays. What I hate the most about living in Switzerland is this sense of constant rules about how you have to do things -- never experienced this kind of feeling of lack of freedom in the other places I lived, such as the USA, France, Spain, Italy -- so I feel constantly trapped here (yes, I know it's a psychological thing, but don't see it changing anytime soon, since I'm totally against the thinking behind it). It sounds the same in Germany..ack! But as Köln is supposed to be more open, is it different there??? (please, please, please!)

Also, my husband said he saw numerous shops open in Köln till 10 pm even during the week. We both work, have kids, and I for one am thoroughly fed up with the frantic Saturday rush to do everything.

In Switzerland, we also have late shopping hours in big train stations, and they are open on the weekends. Is Germany like this too? We have a big shopping area in the main train station in Zurich...

THANKS!

Hi,

I've now been in Cologne (and Germany) four months. I live in a block of flats.

I've certainly used the washing machine on a Sunday and the neighbours haven't complained. I really cannot see how I'd get everything done otherwise.

The etiquette is not to do DIY on a Sunday or in the evenings. However, our neighbours, when they moved in recently, needed to do some drilling so they cleverly went round the block introducing themselves and apologising in advance for any drilling. No one seemed to mind.

Shopping seems okay. On weekdays Rewe stays open until 10 and some shops in town until 8, so you might be able to do a little shopping in the evenings. On Sundays you'll find some bakeries and kiosks open, plus lots of shops at the main train station, but other places closed.

It is taking me some getting used to, having come from England where shopping, gardening and DIY were the normal chores/pastimes for a Sunday!

Phew...what about Saturdays? What time do stores stay open to? For example that shopping district next to the cathedral, where there is a pedestrian walk (clothing stores, etc.)? And also the grocery stores?

Not too sure - I think probably 8pm for clothing stores. It's only the big grocery stores that stay open until 10 - inc Rewe in town and there is a supermarket called Globus Maxus in Marsdorf (just outside town) that I think is also open until late on Saturday.
It's best to check before you go anywhere though - I recently turned up at a baby shop in Frechen at 4 on a Saturday, only to find it had closed an hour earlier. Aaggghh!
Good luck!

Most of the big shops and chains in the city centre stay open until 8 or 9, even on a Saturday, though that's very recent. Even only 4 or 5 years ago, there was still half-day closing on a Saturday (still is in the town in which I live!).

Most larger supermarkets stay open until 8pm now on Mon to Sat. If you're wondering how to spend Sunday without shopping look in tourist info pages as Köln does have a lot to offer.

The rules about noise etc depend a lot on where you live. If you have your washing machine in the kitchen and there are people living directly below then you are expected to observe them. If you are living in a house then it's worth asking the direct neighbours if they can actually hear your machine when it's running. If they can't, it isn't an issue, nor does it matter when they have gone out for the day.

In my experience most Germans are quite reasonable about this issue if you mention that you have furniture to build and just ask if they mind a bit of noise on Sunday.

In the shopping area you mentioned near the Dom the shops are open until 8pm and some, I don't think all, are open until 10pm on Friday and Saturday. Also there is a shopping centre in Kalk (Köln Arkaden) which has these hours.

Most supermarkets are open til 8pm daily (not Sunday) and some, like my local Kaufland are open until 10pm daily.

As for the noise situation, as other people have said, it depends on what sort of neighbours you have. I don't know whether I have just been lucky, but I have never had any problems with this.