Sunday shopping in Ticino: what the cantonal opening law allows
In Ticino shops stay closed on Sundays and official public holidays: that is art. 12 of the cantonal shop opening act of 23 March 2015, in force since 1 January 2020. On weekdays the ceiling is 19:00, on Saturday 18:30, with one late evening until 21:00, as a rule Thursday. Kiosks under 50 m2, fuel stations, shops under 400 m2 in designated tourist localities and shops under 120 m2 in border localities may open anyway. For 2026 three general Sunday openings are authorised: 29 November, 13 and 20 December, from 10:00 to 18:00.
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The rule sits in the cantonal shop opening act of 23 March 2015, listed in the Raccolta delle leggi as RL 945.200. It has only been in force since 1 January 2020, with its regulation of 18 December 2019 (RL 945.210): art. 23 tied that entry into force to the retail collective labour agreement declared generally binding (cc-ti.ch). Art. 1 states the purpose, protecting the quiet of the evening, the night and public holidays. The act therefore prescribes no hours, it sets ceilings.
Last updated: September 2026. Sources: Legge sull'apertura dei negozi of 23 March 2015 (RL 945.200) and its Regolamento of 18 December 2019 (RL 945.210); Ufficio dell'ispettorato del lavoro (UIL) of the Dipartimento delle finanze e dell'economia, pages "Domeniche e giorni festivi" and "Domande frequenti su aperture e orari"; Legge concernente i giorni festivi ufficiali of 15 December 2009; Federcommercio; tio.ch, RSI and Corriere del Ticino of 10 June 2026; Bollettino ufficiale delle leggi 28/2026 and 29/2026; cc-ti.ch. Individual branch hours are deliberately not in this guide: each chain publishes them in its own store finder.
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How late can shops open in Ticino on weekdays?
Art. 8 states that from Monday to Friday, excluding the late-opening day, shops may stay open between 06:00 and 19:00, and on Saturday between 06:00 and 18:30. Art. 9 adds one late-opening day a week, Thursday or another weekday, until 21:00. Nothing goes beyond that, not even voluntarily.
Thursday therefore counts twice in Ticino: it is the long evening, and it is the day the weekly promotions start. Migros, Coop and Denner start their weekly Aktionen on Thursday, Coop since January 2025, Migros and Denner since 5 February 2026; Aldi Suisse and Lidl publish two rounds a week, on Monday and Thursday.
| Day | Maximum permitted window | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Friday, excluding the late-opening day | 06:00 to 19:00 | art. 8 LAN |
| Late-opening day, as a rule Thursday | 06:00 to 21:00 | art. 9 LAN |
| Saturday | 06:00 to 18:30 | art. 8 LAN |
| Sunday and official public holidays | closed, except for the statutory exceptions | art. 12 LAN |
These are ceilings, not promises: a neighbourhood shop may close at 18:30, while large shopping centres tend to use the whole window. The only binding source for your branch is the chain's own store finder. For the country-wide picture, see the guide to Swiss supermarket opening hours.
Why almost everything is shut on Sunday in Ticino
Art. 12 is two lines long: shops remain closed on Sundays and on the official public holidays defined by cantonal legislation. It is not a trading rule but a public-quiet rule, and it binds even the shopkeeper who would like to open anyway. For a visitor the consequence is simple: in Ticino, Sunday is the day you shop for on Saturday. What applies in the rest of the country is covered in the guide to Sunday grocery shopping in Switzerland.
Who may open on Sunday anyway: the list with the square metres
Art. 10 and art. 14 list who may stay open between 06:00 and 22:30, Sundays and public holidays included. Three things decide it: floor area, location and goods.
| Category | Floor-area limit | Window on Sundays and holidays | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Takeaway food, hot and cold | none | 06:00 to 22:30 | art. 10 and 14 LAN |
| Kiosks | under 50 m2 | 06:00 to 22:30 | art. 10 and 14 LAN |
| Fuel stations and campsite shops | none | 06:00 to 22:30 | art. 10 and 14 LAN |
| Sports and cultural complexes | under 50 m2 | 06:00 to 22:30 | art. 10 and 14 LAN |
| Designated tourist localities, pharmacies excluded | under 400 m2 | 06:00 to 22:30 | art. 10 and 14 LAN |
| Border localities, goods for travellers | under 120 m2 | 06:00 to 22:30 | art. 10 and 14 LAN |
| Motorway service areas | under 120 m2 | 06:00 to 22:30 | art. 14 LAN |
| Bakeries, pastry shops, ice cream parlours, florists, art galleries | none | 06:00 to 18:00 | art. 14 para. 2 LAN |
| Specialty shops in border communes, with authorisation | none | 10:00 to 18:00 | art. 8 RLAN |
| International-tourism shopping centres, with authorisation | none | 11:00 to 19:00 | art. 8 RLAN |
Two details surprise people. Pharmacies are exempt from the 400 m2 ceiling in tourist localities and face no time limit when on emergency duty. And alcohol runs on its own rules: no distilled drinks after the closing time of art. 8, after 21:00 on the late-opening day, or after 18:00 on public holidays. A kiosk open until 22:30 still cannot sell you a spirit.
The authorised Sundays: which ones apply in Ticino in 2026
Art. 13 has two paragraphs, and they are often confused. Para. 1 allows opening from 10:00 to 19:00 as of right on weekday holidays not equated to Sunday and on the Sundays before Christmas, after the Immaculate Conception. Para. 2 additionally lets the Department authorise general Sunday opening on at most four Sundays a year, with no link to the Immaculate Conception: that is where 29 November comes from. For 2026 three Sundays are authorised, 29 November and 13 and 20 December, from 10:00 to 18:00, by a collective permit covering all retail in the canton and needing no individual application (Foglio ufficiale of 24 February 2026, UIL, "Domande frequenti su aperture e orari").
The number four also comes from federal law: under the Labour Act no authorisation is needed to employ shop staff on four Sundays a year, and Sunday work gives a right to a wage supplement and to compensatory rest.
In the weeks before those Sundays prices still move on Thursday. Rappn shows the current offers of the seven chains, free and without an account, so the authorised Sunday goes on buying rather than on comparing.
What changes on 1 October 2026
The cantonal parliament amended art. 13 on the evening of Wednesday 10 June 2026 (tio.ch and Corriere del Ticino, 10 June 2026). The ceiling of four Sundays a year stays, but when fixing them the canton must now take regional and local differences into account, together with the requests of retail trade associations. In practice, the same Sundays no longer have to apply from Chiasso to Airolo. For employees the limit of four Sundays worked per year remains (RSI, 10 June 2026).
The amendment enters into force on 1 October 2026 (Bollettino ufficiale delle leggi 28/2026), together with an executive decree of 26 August 2026 designating the localities allowed to open generally on Sundays (RL 945.230, Bollettino ufficiale 29/2026). It is that decree, not the act, that says which communes are on the list.
At federal level the movement runs the other way: in June 2026 the Council of States rejected raising extraordinary Sunday openings from four to twelve a year (Corriere del Ticino, 10 June 2026).
Ticino's public holidays, and the five when shops may open
The Legge concernente i giorni festivi ufficiali nel Cantone Ticino of 15 December 2009 lists, besides Sundays: 1 January, Epiphany (6 January), St Joseph (19 March), Easter Monday, 1 May, Ascension, Whit Monday, Corpus Christi, Saints Peter and Paul (29 June), 1 August, Assumption (15 August), All Saints (1 November), Immaculate Conception (8 December), Christmas (25 December) and St Stephen's Day (26 December). Fifteen days in all, and several fall on weekdays.
Here is the part almost nobody knows: on weekday holidays not equated to Sunday, 1 May excepted, general opening from 10:00 to 19:00 is allowed (UIL, "Domeniche e giorni festivi"). Federcommercio names five: St Joseph, Whit Monday, Corpus Christi, Saints Peter and Paul, Immaculate Conception. In 2026 the Immaculate Conception falls on a Tuesday, 8 December (tio.ch, 31 December 2025).
Tourist and border localities: who decides which ones they are
A shop does not decide whether it sits in a tourist locality, the cantonal government does, by executive decree. Art. 6 RLAN requires a commune to meet at least four of seven criteria, among them annual overnight stays, accommodation establishments and the share of second homes. The summer season runs from 1 March to 31 October, the winter season from 1 December to 28 February, the latter additionally requiring a facility for typical winter leisure.
For border localities, goods and floor area decide. Under 120 m2 and with an assortment aimed at travellers, a shop may open from 06:00 to 22:30. With departmental authorisation, some specialty shops there may open from 10:00 to 18:00 on Sundays and holidays, and international-tourism shopping centres from 11:00 to 19:00 (art. 8 RLAN). In Chiasso, Ponte Tresa or Brissago the right question is whether your commune is on the list of the decree in force.
Which supermarket is open right now in Ticino? It depends on the commune
The same chain can be shut on Sunday in Bellinzona and open twenty minutes away in a tourist locality, because the second branch sits under 400 m2 and the first does not. That is why there is no list of open shops here: it would be wrong the day the next decree lands. What is here is the rule for reading any such list.
Your branch's hours are published by the chain in its store finder, and that is where they have to be checked. Rappn adds the other half: what is worth putting in the basket before the shop closes. The comparison covers all current offers from seven chains, Migros, Coop, Aldi Suisse, Lidl, Denner, Aligro and Otto's, across all 26 cantons, with the unit price next to the pack price. See also grocery prices in Ticino and grocery shopping in Lugano.
Next step: open the current offers on Wednesday evening, filter to Ticino and write the list before Thursday starts the new promotion week. Then check your branch's hours in the chain's store finder, and put 29 November, 13 and 20 December 2026 in your calendar. Rappn is free, needs no account, and is paid by no retailer.
Sources checked: .
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Frequently Asked Questions
Are supermarkets open on Sunday in Ticino?
As a rule no. Art. 12 of the cantonal shop opening act of 23 March 2015 says shops remain closed on Sundays and official public holidays. Only the exceptions written into the act may open: kiosks under 50 m2, fuel stations, shops under 400 m2 in designated tourist localities, shops under 120 m2 in border localities. On top of that come at most four general Sunday openings a year, and three are authorised for 2026.
How late do shops stay open in Ticino on weekdays?
Monday to Friday, excluding the late-opening day, until 19:00, and on Saturday until 18:30 (art. 8). One late-opening evening a week is allowed until 21:00, every Thursday or another weekday (art. 9). Those are ceilings: the actual hours of your branch are published by the chain in its own store finder.
Which Sundays are shops allowed to open in Ticino in 2026?
The Department authorised three for 2026: Sunday 29 November, Sunday 13 December and Sunday 20 December, from 10:00 to 18:00. The permit is collective and covers all retail in the canton, so no shop needs its own application; it was published in the Foglio ufficiale of 24 February 2026 (Ufficio dell'ispettorato del lavoro, "Domande frequenti su aperture e orari"). The act caps the number at four a year.
What changes on 1 October 2026?
The cantonal parliament amended art. 13 on the evening of Wednesday 10 June 2026: the ceiling of four Sundays stays, but regional and local differences and the requests of retail trade associations must now be taken into account (tio.ch, RSI and Corriere del Ticino, 10 June 2026). The amendment enters into force on 1 October 2026, together with a new executive decree of 26 August 2026 designating the localities concerned. For employees the limit of four Sundays worked a year is unchanged.
Which public holidays does Ticino have, and can you shop on them?
The act on official public holidays of 15 December 2009 lists fifteen, among them St Joseph, Corpus Christi, Saints Peter and Paul and the Immaculate Conception. On weekday holidays that are not equated to Sunday, 1 May excepted, general opening from 10:00 to 19:00 is allowed. Federcommercio names five such days; in 2026 the Immaculate Conception falls on Tuesday 8 December.
Can I buy alcohol at a kiosk late in the evening or on Sunday?
Not always. Distilled alcoholic drinks may not be sold after the closing time of art. 8, after 21:00 on the late-opening day, or after 18:00 on Sundays and public holidays. A kiosk can therefore be open until 22:30 and still not sell you a spirit.