Another German controversy – the Sunday rest. For some the only day of the week on which he can do certain work in the house and garden, for the other the only day of the week on which he can relax and rest all day undisturbed.


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Like the normal noon rest in German homes and gardens from 1 – 3 p.m., Sunday in Germany is a day-long day of rest.

Rightly so! There should be nevertheless at least one day in the week, on which noisy road works, Räsenmäher and drilling machines have break all day long and one can relax completely. A petrol lawnmower has the potential to disturb a neighborhood of dozens of gardens.

But which activities exactly are prohibited on Sunday in Germany?

There is a very simple rule of thumb – anything that makes unnecessary noise and could disturb other people around you.

These include:

  • unnecessarily loud music
  • Lawn mowing
  • drilling
  • loud arguing and shouting
  • (motor)sawing in the garden
  • everything else that produces a lot of noise

In addition, there is a kind of traffic-calmed area in many streets for Sundays and holidays and the night rest where you can only drive 30 instead of 50 km / h fast. You should pay attention to this as a tourist!

The corresponding sign will follow shortly!

When am I allowed to drill a hole in the wall or mow the lawn in Germany?

If you’re new to moving here, it should be right there in your lease. If this is not the case, you are with the rule of thumb:

–>Weekdays 7:00 – 13:00 and 15:00 – 20:00<–

in any case in the green area. In health resorts or other sensitive areas such as allotment gardens, there may be even stricter rules, after all, everyone wants to relax there.

The following table visualizes for us once again the different rest periods of the working day.

0 – 7 clock7 – 13 clock13 – 15 clock15 – 20 clock20 – 0 clock
Night restWorking timeLunchtime restWorking timeNight rest

What kind of work and activities are allowed during the rest periods (night rest, midday rest)?

There are no exact specifications or lists here. The magic word is “room volume”. You should be particularly considerate and quiet during this time. Just put yourself in your neighbor’s apartment or garden and ask yourself if what you are about to do would disturb you.


I hope you always keep to the rest times and wish you a harmonious, relaxing stay in Germany!