Barcelona
- Tourist
Information - Business Hours
The working day
usually begins between 8am and 9am and people break for lunch at
2pm. In the afternoon businesses open from 4pm to 8pm.
Opening
Hours
Banks
Banks are open
from 8am to 2pm during the week and some open 9am - 1pm on Saturdays.
During August banks generally do not open on Saturdays. Provided
you have a compatible bank card you can withdraw cash from ATM (Automatic
Teller Machines) 24 hours a day.
Shops
Almost all shops
still observe the famous siesta and most are open from 9:30am -
2pm and then from 5pm to 8 pm, Monday to Saturday, although some
shops do not close for lunch and others (mainly in the centre) do
not close on Saturday afternoon. On Saturdays many small shops and
Estancos close for the day at 2 pm. The exceptions to these hours
are the major shopping malls, department stores and supermarkets
that stay open from 10am - 9pm and sometimes 10 pm. In the high
season, shops are generally open until well after 10 at night. Afternoons
in the shops tend to be busiest when all those who have finished
work do their shopping.
Pharmacies
Chemists normally
keep shop hours opening from 9:30am - 1:30pm and 4:30 - 8:00 pm.
In larger cities there will always be a certain number that remain
open 24 hours. As in many European countries pharmacies post a listing
in the window of those that are open at night or in the weekends.
You can also find information published in the local press.
Public
Services
Most public
services such as health centres are open Monday to Friday from 9am
- 2 pm.
Sightseeing
Most museums
are open from 9:00am - 7:00pm Tuesday to Saturday, and from 9:00am
- 2:00 pm on Sundays and public holidays. Sunday is the rest day,
although nearly all museums close on Mondays. Museums are closed
on January 1, Good Friday, May 1, and December 25. If you are in
doubt you can always check with the local Tourist Office during
normal office hours.
Restaurants
Breakfast time
is usually from 8 -10am and lunch is served in restaurants from
1pm - 4 pm. Dinner is available from 8:30 - 11 pm. Outside of these
hours you can get delicious snacks (tapas) to eat in smaller restaurants
and some bars.
