Which supermarkets in Germany are open on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

Those who come to live in Germany tend to eventually master the art of stocking up on food and drink well ahead of public holidays: It involves a bit of planning ahead, especially for holidays like Christmas that may include a special feast or entertaining family or friends.

Newcomers to the country, however, find themselves in a tight spot if they haven't learned to think that far ahead yet. 

If you've left your holiday grocery shopping until the 23rd or 24th, you'll likely find crowded shops and supermarkets -- potentially with empty spaces on the shelves and a frenzy of last-minute shoppers in the way.

Making matters worse is that grocery stores tend to close early on Christmas Eve, with most closing as early as 2 pm.

So what happens if you have to work on the morning of the 24th yourself? Or for those who forgot that Stollen they meant to buy or that bag of kale for their Christmas dinner? Here are the shops that stay open late on the night before Christmas, as well as some that are open on the holiday itself.

What's open Christmas Eve?

Unlike the 25th and 26th, December 24th is not an official public holiday in Germany, but Christmas Eve is traditionally the main festive celebration day for Germans.

So while many supermarkets do open on Christmas Eve, most of them maintain special holiday hours; closing early to allow workers to gather with family and friends for their evening meal. 

Retail chains such as Aldi Nord, Aldi Süd, Budni, DM, Edeka, Globus, Hit, Kaufland, Lidl, Müller, Netto Marken-Discount, Netto Supermarkt, Penny, Real, Rewe, Rossmann, Tegut and Wasgau have their own policies for opening hours on Christmas Eve.

In general you can expect that most shops will close at 2pm, although some may shut a little earlier. 

For wholesalers such as Metro, the closing time is usually at noon on December 24th.

READ ALSO: What's open and what’s closed in Germany over Christmas this year?

Where can I shop later on Christmas Eve?

There are, however some shops that stay open later on Christmas Eve.

According to Focus Online, the following shops maintain later hours this year:

• Tegut in the Frankfurt Airport district (from 6am to 10pm),
• Edeka Ernst at Munich Central Station (from 7am to 11pm),
• Edeka Jäger at Stuttgart Airport (open 24 hours),
• Edeka - Lars Tamme at Hamburg Airport (until 10pm).
• Various supermarkets in Berlin train stations (until 10pm)

Germany's shop closing rules, which require supermarkets and most shops to be closed on Sundays and public holidays, are excepted in major transit hubs like airports and train stations. So if you don't live close to one of the above stores, you might check if a store at the nearest major train station is open -- but you'd be advised to check online or call ahead before heading there if in doubt.

REVEALED: Where to buy groceries on a Sunday in Germany

Besides the supermarkets, you might find what you need at a bakery or butchery, both of which are generally open on Christmas Eve. But here too, opening hours will likely be reduced. As a rule, sales will run from 7am to a maximum of 2pm. In some cases, branches may close as early as noon or even earlier if orders have been collected or goods are sold out.

For last-minute items, you can try your luck gas stations and small kiosks, as well as other shops in train stations or at airports. 

Is anything open on Christmas Day?

Christmas Day is a public holiday, as is Boxing Day on the 27th (more often called the 2nd day of Christmas in Germany), so you should expect that supermarkets and most businesses will remain closed.

Again, however, some exceptions may apply particularly among the grocery stores and discount retailers located in central train stations or at airports.

These include the shops mentioned in the bullet points above.

In Berlin, Rossmann stores at Berlin's Central Station and at Alexanderplatz are set to open, according to information on Google Maps, as well as DM at Sudkreuz station. Penny in Ostbahnhof and Denns BioMarkt at Ostkreuz also have opening hours on Christmas Day.

A good rule of thumb for those in Berlin is to check shops at the bigger stations that serve as transfer points, such as: Gesundbrunnen, Friedrichstrasse, Potsdamer Platz, Lichtenberg and Zoologischer Garden, as well as those named above.

What about restaurants?

Alternatively, if you don't have luck finding groceries, or can't be bothered making the trek, you could always dine out instead.

Some restaurants do close for the holiday, but many stay open to catch the extra holiday business, from humble neighbourhood Döner kiosks all the way up to fine dining establishments.

Again, it's worth calling ahead when in doubt here, also because booking a reservation may be required on the busy holiday evenings.