Are shops open on Sundays in Croatia? The 16-Sunday rule, holidays and exceptions

Short answer: mostly no. Since 1 July 2023, shops in Croatia have been closed on Sundays. Each retailer chooses 16 Sundays a year on which it may open. On the 14 public holidays, shops are closed even when the holiday falls on a weekday. Exceptions include shops at petrol stations, train and bus stations, airports, ports, hospitals, hotels, marinas and campsites.

The rules are set out in Article 57 of the Croatian Trade Act (NN 33/2023, in Croatian) (opens in a new tab). The legal information in this article is correct as of 26 October 2026.

All Saints’ Day, Sunday 1 November 2026: the holiday falls on a Sunday, so shops are closed and that Sunday cannot be a working Sunday. Only the exceptions listed below may open. In addition, the government has allowed specialist shops and sales outside shops, such as stalls, to sell flowers, floral arrangements, wreaths, candles, grave lanterns and related items on that day (decision, NN 120/2026, in Croatian (opens in a new tab)). The last day for a big shop before it is Saturday 31 October.

The rule since 1 July 2023#

Article 57 of the Trade Act says:

• Monday to Saturday: the retailer sets its own opening hours, up to 90 hours a week in total.
• Sundays: shops are closed.
• Public holidays: shops are closed. The government may issue a decision requiring certain shops to open on public holidays.
• 16 working Sundays: each retailer may designate 16 Sundays a year as working Sundays. In those weeks it may open 15 hours longer, spread from Monday to Sunday, so up to 105 hours.
• Records: for every working Sunday, the retailer keeps a record of its opening hours for the inspectors.

The law does not require retailers to announce their chosen Sundays in advance. That is why there is no official calendar of open Sundays for all shops.

Croatia’s Constitutional Court declined to open proceedings against these provisions (ruling U-I-3291/2023 and others, NN 21/2024, in Croatian (opens in a new tab)), so the rule remains in force.

Where you can still shop on Sundays and holidays#

The closing rule does not apply to shops located inside, or forming part of:

• petrol stations
• campsites, marinas and hotels
• train and bus stations, airports, ports open to public traffic and river ports; the same goes for sales on board ships, ferries and aircraft
• hospitals
• museums, cultural and religious institutions, and visitor or interpretation centres
• family farms (in Croatian: OPG)
• designated nature protection areas

It also does not apply to:

• farmers selling their own produce from stalls at markets
• occasional sales at fairs and public events
• vending machines
• distance selling, which includes online orders
• newspaper sales at kiosks, which may open on Sundays and holidays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Two things to keep in mind:

• An exception means a shop may open; whether it does is up to the retailer. So check the opening hours of the campsite shop or petrol station.
• The exception only applies if the shop is inside that facility or part of it. A supermarket across the road from a station or port is not automatically exempt.

Bakeries are not listed as an exception. If fresh bread on Sunday matters to you, check with the bakery directly. Every shop must display its opening hours clearly, visibly and legibly on the premises (Article 61, consolidated text on zakon.hr, in Croatian (opens in a new tab)).

A few Croatian words help when reading the sign on the door: radno vrijeme (opening hours), nedjelja (Sunday), blagdan (public holiday), zatvoreno (closed), otvoreno (open) and radna nedjelja (a Sunday on which the shop is open).

Which Sundays do the chains choose?#

Each retailer decides for itself, so the open Sundays differ from chain to chain. Before the Constitutional Court, the government explained why the law allows 16 Sundays: because of tourism, which mostly happens in the summer months, and because people spend more in the run-up to holidays (government’s reasoning in ruling U-I-3291/2023, in Croatian (opens in a new tab)). Croatia’s Ministry of Economy also points to the tourist season (ministry statement, in Croatian (opens in a new tab)). Which Sundays a particular chain has actually chosen, only its own announcement tells you.

When a public holiday falls on a Sunday, that Sunday cannot be a working Sunday and does not count towards the 16 (ministry clarification, in Croatian (opens in a new tab)). In 2026 this applies to Easter Sunday (5 April) and All Saints’ Day (1 November); in 2027 to Easter Sunday (28 March), Statehood Day (30 May), Assumption Day (15 August) and St Stephen’s Day (26 December).

For any particular Sunday, the retailer’s own announcement is what counts: on its website, in the chain’s app or on the shop door. The Supermarket chains page links to the websites of all the chains whose prices we track.

The store opening hours shown in Pinezi come from OpenStreetMap (Data sources) and do not reliably show which Sundays a retailer has chosen.

Public holidays in 2026 and 2027#

On these days, shops are closed, apart from the exceptions listed above. The holidays are set by the Act on Public Holidays, Remembrance Days and Non-Working Days (NN 110/2019, in Croatian) (opens in a new tab). The 2025 amendment (NN 72/2025, in Croatian (opens in a new tab)) added a remembrance day, which is not a day off, and left the list of holidays unchanged.

Easter Sunday, Easter Monday and Corpus Christi move every year; all other holidays have fixed dates.

In the middle of summer: 5 August and 15 August fall right in the holiday season. If you are staying in an apartment, on a campsite or on a boat, buy your groceries the day before. In 2027, 15 August is a Sunday, so that Sunday cannot be a working Sunday.

When shops are closed several days in a row#

• 25 to 27 December 2026: Christmas Day is a Friday and St Stephen’s Day a Saturday; Sunday 27 December is only open at retailers that picked it as a working Sunday. The last safe day for a big shop is Thursday 24 December.
• 28 and 29 March 2027: Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. The last day to shop is Saturday 27 March.
• 1 and 2 May 2027: Labour Day is a Saturday; Sunday 2 May is only open at retailers that picked it as a working Sunday. The last safe day to shop is Friday 30 April.
• 31 October and 1 November 2027: Sunday 31 October is only open at retailers that picked it as a working Sunday, and All Saints’ Day falls on a Monday. The last safe day to shop is Saturday 30 October.
• 25 and 26 December 2027: Christmas Day is a Saturday and St Stephen’s Day a Sunday. The last day to shop is Friday 24 December.

Is anything changing soon?#

As of 26 October 2026, the Sunday and holiday rules stay the same. The Trade Act was last amended in June 2026.

• Trade Act amendments (NN 59/2026, in Croatian (opens in a new tab), in force since 17 June 2026) do not change Article 57. They cover alcohol and energy drinks: energy drinks may not be sold to anyone under 18, and anyone buying alcohol or energy drinks online must prove their age through the Croatian e-Građani system.
• Alcohol in the evening: the new Article 57b allows towns and municipalities to restrict the sale of alcoholic drinks in shops between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. If you cannot buy beer or wine somewhere in the evening, a local decision like this may be the reason.
• Family businesses: on 25 September 2026, parliament passed the amendments to the Crafts Act (NN 114/2026, in Croatian (opens in a new tab)), which introduce the family craft business from 1 January 2027. They leave the Sunday rule as it is, so Article 57 of the Trade Act also applies to family-run shops. Small traders had asked for an exemption during the consultation; in the report attached to the bill (P.Z. 302, in Croatian) (opens in a new tab), the ministry replied that Sunday trading is governed by the Trade Act.

If the rules change, we will update this article.

How to get groceries when it is Sunday#

1. Do your big shop on Saturday. Use search to compare prices across the supermarket chains and check the current deals. For some basic products, price caps apply.
2. Check the retailer’s announcement if you need a specific chain. You will find the chains’ websites on the Supermarket chains page.
3. For a quick top-up, try a petrol station shop or the shop at your campsite, marina, port or station.
4. At a market, farmers may sell their own produce on Sundays too, if the market is open.
5. Look at the door: every shop must display its opening hours.

In the Pinezi app for Android and iPhone you can build a shopping list and see where your whole basket costs least, so the Saturday shop takes one or two stops.

FAQ#

Are Lidl, Konzum, Kaufland and Spar open on Sundays?#

As a rule, only on Sundays the retailer has designated as working Sundays. The law allows 16 of them a year, and retailers do not have to announce them in advance. Check the chain’s website or the notice at the shop.

Is there a list of open Sundays for 2026?#

There is no official list. Each retailer picks its own 16 working Sundays and does not have to publish them in advance. For a particular chain, check its website, its app or the notice at the shop.

Why are shops in Croatia closed on Sundays?#

Article 57 of the Trade Act has required it since 1 July 2023. The Constitutional Court named, among other things, the protection of workers’ rights and a better quality of their private and family life as the legitimate aim of the rule.

Are shops open on public holidays in Croatia?#

No. Shops are closed on public holidays, even when the holiday falls on a weekday. The exceptions are the same as on Sundays: petrol stations, stations, ports, airports, hospitals, hotels, marinas, campsites and the other places listed above. For a particular holiday, the government can allow further outlets by decision, as it did for flowers, wreaths and candles on All Saints’ Day 2026.

Is the campsite or marina shop open on Sundays?#

It may open on Sundays and public holidays, as long as it is located inside the campsite or marina.

Can I buy groceries at a petrol station on a Sunday?#

Yes, petrol station shops are exempt from the Sunday closing rule. The actual opening hours depend on the station.

Can I order groceries online on a Sunday?#

Yes. Distance selling is not covered by the Sunday rule. When the order arrives depends on the retailer.