Opening Hours / Holidays

Holidays are regulated by labour law and are legally equivalent to Sundays. August 1. is the national holiday and an official holiday in the entire country. In addition, every canton may define eight other official holidays. In Canton Aargau the holidays are defined by the districts. Every district has nine official holidays, five of which are the same throughout the entire canton. The five holidays are the following: New Year's Day (January 1st.), Good Friday (Friday before Easter), Ascension Day (Thursday, 40 days after Easter Sunday), the national holiday (August 1st), Christmas (December 25th).

Shop hours vary according to canton. Canton Aargau does not have an official regulation of shop hours. Theoretically shops may open and close at any given time Mondays through Saturdays. On Saturdays most shops close earlier than during the week. On Sundays most shops are closed, with the exception of shops in railway stations which are usually open 7 days a week, open earlier and close later than regular shops.

The cantonal public services are, in general, open Mondays through Fridays from 8.00 to 12.00 and from 14.00 to 17.00. Several services reopen at 13.30 in the afternoon or can be reached by telephone outside of regular office hours. Office hours for community public services vary greatly. Particularly small communities may have limited opening hours. Finding out in advance what the opening hours are, by telephone or internet, is recommended.