The tree is up, the last presents are ready, but suddenly it hits you: The cream for the dessert or the wine for the festive meal is missing. To ensure that Christmas in Munich doesn’t turn into a stressful time for everyone, we should take note of the changes to supermarket opening hours. As December 24, 2025 falls on a working day, Aldi, Lidl, Rewe and co. are open, but the clocks are ticking differently than usual. Here is an overview for your last-minute shopping.
The opening hours of the major chains at a glance
The major retailers usually stick to standardized times to enable their employees to celebrate on time. In Germany, a special rule applies on Christmas Eve: most stores must close by 2:00 pm at the latest. This applies to Aldi, Lidl, Rewe, Edeka, Penny and Kaufland.
Some Rewe stores even open at 6 a.m. so that the rush is not too great. However, as many Edeka and Rewe stores are run by independent traders, opening hours may vary in individual cases. It’s worth taking a quick look at the notice board at your store!
Rescue at the last second: special opening hours
If it’s after 2 p.m., the only places left in major cities are train stations, petrol stations and small kiosks. Special rules apply here for travel supplies, which often extend into the late afternoon or evening. So if you need something after mid-afternoon, you should head to the main or eastern train station. But be careful: the range is usually already thinned out in the evening.
In Munich, the options after 2 p.m. are therefore limited, but available: At Edeka at the Hauptbahnhof and Ostbahnhof, you can still find everything you need for emergencies until late afternoon. The dm stores in the train stations are also open longer if you need drugstore items or baby food.
And to make the holidays really relaxed: Avoid the rush in the morning. It’s usually busiest between 10 a.m. and 12 noon. It’s best to get up early on Christmas Eve and visit the supermarkets at 7am. Once you’ve bought everything you need, all that’s left to do is enjoy the festive season and indulge yourselves!