Quiet hours in Germany: all you need to know

Learn about quiet hours in Germany, the rules and times to keep it chill, and how to enjoy peace and respect your neighbours!

Marle

4 minute read

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Updated on 25 Sep 2024

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Renting

Quiet hours in Germany (also called ruhezeit) are an agreed period of time where neighbourhoods across Germany will follow guidelines to keep noise down and allow residents to have peace and quiet. Understanding when the quiet hours are, and what the guidelines are during Ruhezeit is crucial when you move to Germany. To help you familiarise yourself with quiet hours in Germany and how they work, we'll walk you through when they start and stop, what the guidelines entail and what happens if you break the guidelines.

Quiet hours in Germany during the week and Saturdays are typically between 10 PM and 6 AM. Sundays and public holidays in Germany have quiet hours for the entire day.

However quiet hours are slightly different in Bavaria. Thanks to the Bavarian Beer Garden Ordinance, quiet hours in Bavaria are pushed back by 1 hour. So in short, if you search for homes to rent in Munich or another Bavarian city, remember that quiet hours there are between 11 PM and 7 AM, all because beer is poured until 10:30 PM!

Getting to know what is and isn't allowed during quiet hours is crucial when you live in Germany. Follow the quiet hours rules shows respect for your neighbours and community, so here's a quick overview of what you should and shouldn't do during ruhezeit in Germany.

• Don't let ruhezeit stop you from relaxing in the sun on a summer Sunday, but try to keep conversations in the garden or balcony at a low volume.
• If you're listening to music during quiet hours in Germany, you don't need to restrict yourself to headphones. But make sure the music isn't playing so loud that your neighbours can hear.
• If your hobby involves making quite a bit of noise (like playing the drums or woodworking) it's best to find a different, quieter hobby to keep you entertained during quiet hours.
• Avoid doing any noisy housework or DIY during quiet hours as you can't do noisy work in the house or garden during ruhezeit in Germany.

Unfortunately, Saturdays in Germany are considered working days. Therefore, Saturdays have the same quiet hours as weekdays. But if you're thinking of throwing a party on a Saturday, don't let this deter you!

If you want to have a party during quiet hours in Germany to put a note on your neighbours doors or give them a text to let them know a few days in advance. You could even invite them if you wanted! If they don't already have it, make sure you give them your number so they can let you know if it's too loud.

Having a good relationship with your neighbours is the best way to enjoy yourself without letting quiet hours get in the way of your social life!

Sundays in Germany are truly a day of rest. Germany's Sunday law dictates that German supermarkets are closed on Sundays. While a handful of other businesses like restaurants, museums, galleries and cafés will usually remain open on a Sunday, most German supermarkets will not.

Make sure you do your grocery shopping before Sunday, as only "emergency supermarkets" at main stations will be open on Sunday.

Remember that Sundays have quiet hours all day long, so make sure to keep the noise down on a Sunday.

Am I allowed to vacuum on Sunday?

Even though quiet hours are a German rule, you can still live life comfortably around them. You can still clean your apartment on a Sunday, you can vacuum, you can hammer a nail into a wall, you do whatever tasks you need to— just be quick with the noisier tasks!

As a rule of thumb, try not to make excessive noise for any longer than 20 minutes if you can. Most vacuums you buy today are pretty quiet anyway, but if you think it's gonna be loud, don't vacuum for too long!

Can I do my laundry on Sunday?

Doing your laundry on a Sunday is fine once the noise level isn't too disruptive. If you think you've got a noisy washing machine or dryer, it's worth checking in with your neighbours to see if they can hear it. If they can't you can do laundry all day. If they can hear it, it's best to do your laundry any other day of the week.

If you have a good relationship with your neighbour, you can always run it past them and agree on set hours to allow for a bit more noise on a Sunday.

Don't worry, of course, you can still do your everyday routines during quiet hours in Germany. You can flush the toilet, take a bath or shower at night as usual.

Quiet hours in Germany are in place to allow people to relax at the weekend and rest up for the week ahead. They're not intended to be repressive or controlling, but respectful to your neighbours and community. If you choose to ignore the quiet hours, you may create an issue with your neighbours. If you continuously ignore quiet hours and make a lot of noise, you risk receiving a sanction or warning from your landlord, or even having the police called if the noise is too much.

In general, it's best to respect the rules of your German neighbourhood and keep in mind that quiet hours help you to relax and rest too.

Now that you're familiar with how quiet hours work in Germany, you're ready to become a part of German society and make friends in your community!

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