Opening hours over Easter: Where you can shop in Carinthia

Opening hours over Easter: Where you can shop in Carinthia

The coming weekend brings a public holiday on Monday in Austria, resulting in two consecutive days of closure for shops. Holy Saturday in particular has different opening times in Carinthia and most shops throughout Austria are open until 6 p.m. This is confirmed by large retail chains such as Billa, SPAR and Lidl. On Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, however, many supermarkets, including Lidl and Hofer, close their shops.

An important aspect is that SPAR and Billa only remain open at special locations, such as transport hubs, e.g. train stations and airports, as well as in SPAR express petrol station shops. Rewe Group has also clarified that only special markets will be open on public holidays, with some only opening on Easter Sunday and others opening on both days.

Regulations for holiday openings

In Austria there are strict regulations regarding the opening times of supermarkets on Sundays and public holidays. In general, opening is not permitted on these days, but there are special exceptions. The most common exception concerns supermarkets, which are considered “travel provisions”. These may be open, particularly at train stations and airports, to serve travelers and tourists. Shops are also allowed to open on Sundays and public holidays in tourist zones.

On the Hauptbahnhofcity website you will find extensive FAQs about opening times on Sundays and public holidays in Austria, which provide information about the legal requirements for opening. An example of a special branch is the Billa Corso in Herrnhuterhaus in Vienna, whose opening is made possible due to an attached restaurant. However, it is important to note that certain parts of the range must be sealed off on Sunday, based on a 2021 court ruling.

Opening times in the federal states

In several Austrian states, including Vorarlberg, Tyrol, Salzburg, Carinthia, Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Burgenland and Styria, there are supermarket branches that are open on Sundays and public holidays, often in train stations or areas accessible to tourists. It should be noted that Easter Monday and Whit Monday have different dates as moving holidays, while Christmas Eve, although not a public holiday, results in earlier closing times as shops usually close at around 1pm.

Overall, the regulations show that despite the holiday restrictions, some supermarkets can remain open under certain conditions to meet consumer needs. Information about specific opening times can be found at Cosmo and Hauptbahnhofcity.