What is open on Christmas Day abroad in Europe and Asia?

The short version

• Stock up by midday on 24 December in Germany, Czechia and Hungary.

• Plan 25 December transport ahead in the UK: walk, taxi or stay put.

• Expect museums closed on 24 to 26 December in many European capitals.

• In Japan, Thailand, Morocco and Turkey, Christmas is a working day. South Korea is the exception in East Asia: 25 December is a public holiday there, but shops open.

• Watch 1 January in Japan, where many shops and almost all museums close for several days.

• Exempt almost everywhere: pharmacies on duty, petrol stations, airport and main-station shops, and hotel restaurants.

Germany

24 December (Heiligabend) is not a public holiday, but under the shop-hours rules stores may open only until 14:00 when it falls on a weekday; in 2026 it is a Thursday. Some supermarket chains close earlier, about 13:30, in Baden-Württemberg and Hessen. Most Christmas markets are already finished; Munich's Christkindlmarkt is open on the 24th until early afternoon (dates in our German markets guide).

25 and 26 December are both public holidays: supermarkets and shops are closed. Station and airport shops and petrol stations usually stay open longer. Restaurants that open on the 25th and 26th are often booked out for Christmas lunch, so reserve. Trains run on a holiday timetable rather than stopping. Base yourself near a big station if you need food on the 25th; see where to stay in Munich and our Munich guide.

Czech Republic and Hungary

Czechia: under the 2016 retail sales hours act, stores with more than 200 m² of sales floor must close at noon on 24 December and stay closed on 25 and 26 December, with fines of up to CZK 1 million. Small shops under 200 m², pharmacies, petrol stations and airport and station shops are exempt, so a corner potraviny may be open. Prague's main markets keep going (to 6 January 2027, per our Prague markets guide), which makes Prague easier than most cities over the holiday. See our Prague guide.

Hungary: in 2025, Tesco and Auchan closed at noon on 24 December and Aldi ran 07:00 to noon, while Lidl, Penny and Rossmann were closed all day; malls such as Allee and Árkád opened 10:00 to 14:00 on 24 and 31 December. 25 and 26 December are public holidays and most retail is shut, apart from petrol stations, duty pharmacies, and businesses at stations and the airport. Check the 2026 chain hours in late December, and see our Budapest guide and Budapest markets guide for what stays open.

England and the UK

Shops and pubs open on Christmas Eve, and the real gap is Christmas Day transport. In 2025, TfL said there would be no service across most of its network on 25 December; the exceptions were taxis and private hire, Santander Cycles, coaches and Dial-a-Ride. No National Rail trains run on Christmas Day, and only some operators run on Boxing Day. TfL normally publishes the 2026 plan in late autumn, so check before booking a hotel far from where you want to be.

Museums: the British Museum closes on 24, 25 and 26 December, and the Wallace Collection does the same; many other London museums close on the 25th and 26th. Boxing Day is a public holiday with big sales. The Congestion Charge was suspended from Christmas Day to 1 January in 2025. Our London guide and Oyster vs contactless guide help with the rest of the trip, and New Year arrangements are in our London NYE guide.

Japan and South Korea

Japan: 25 December is not a public holiday, so shops, museums and trains run normally. The closures come at New Year: many workplaces close from about 29 December to 3 January, many independent shops and some department stores close on 1 January, and museums, gardens and castles often close for several days. Konbini, shrines, temples and many chain restaurants stay open, and the Bank of Japan's calendar shows it closed 31 December to 3 January (ATMs at convenience stores keep working; our Japan cash guide covers which). Plan sightseeing around this using our Tokyo guide.

South Korea: 25 December is a national holiday, so offices and government services close, but shops and restaurants stay open. In 2026 it falls on a Friday, giving Koreans a three-day weekend, so expect busy cafés and malls rather than closures. 1 January is also a public holiday; the big shutdown is Seollal (see our Seollal 2027 guide).

Thailand, Morocco and Turkey

Thailand: Christmas is not on the Thai public-holiday list summarised by the Singapore Embassy in Bangkok for 2026. Markets, temples and transport run as normal, and hotels and malls decorate heavily. New Year's Eve (31 December) and New Year's Day are public holidays in 2026. We were in Chiang Mai from 22 to 28 December 2022: see our Chiang Mai guide and Bangkok guide.

Morocco and Turkey: neither lists 25 December as a public holiday, and both observe 1 January. Souks, mosques (outside prayer times), museums and restaurants work normally on Christmas Day. See our Marrakech guide and Istanbul and Cappadocia in winter.

For other Asian holidays that close things (Tet, Seollal, Nyepi), use our 2027 Asia festival calendar.

How to plan around the closures

Book Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals before you travel: in Germany, Czechia and Hungary, the restaurants that do open fill with families. Buy breakfast supplies for the 25th and 26th by noon on the 24th. Withdraw cash before the 24th in Morocco and Hungary, where small places prefer it.

If transport is part of your plan, travel on the 23rd or the 27th instead of the holidays. More general advice is in our holiday travel tips, and for picking a city to be in, see best places to spend Christmas abroad.

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