Quiet Sundays and shop opening hours

Newcomers commonly report that:

• Shops are closed on Sundays. The Austrian Economic Chamber's overview of the opening-hours law states that shops generally stay closed on Sundays and public holidays.
• Weekday hours are limited. Shops may open between 6:00 and 21:00 from Monday to Friday and between 6:00 and 18:00 on Saturdays, for at most 72 hours a week, so individual shops' hours vary within that frame.
• Weekends are quieter. Employees are generally entitled to a weekly rest of 36 hours that starts on Saturday at 13:00 and includes Sunday.

• Regulated by law. Opening hours are set by a federal law, which provincial governors can adapt for regional needs, for example longer hours for bakeries, flower shops and fruit and vegetable shops, or later closing for town festivals.
• Exceptions exist. Provincial governors can allow exceptions to the Sunday and holiday closure and later closing for local festivals, and some provinces have special rules, for example for shops in tourism municipalities or at a main railway station.
• Weekly rest at work. The working-time rules protect a weekend rest period for most employees; if someone has to work during it, they are entitled to rest later in the week.

Rules vary by province: Lower Austria, for example, allows shops to open from 5:00 on weekdays. Individual shops decide their hours within the legal frame, so check before you go, and plan ahead for long weekends and holidays when several closed days follow each other.