What time is it in Spain?

Regarding time zones, the whole peninsula and the Balearic Islands are in the Greenwich Meridian (GMT+1), plus one hour in winter or two hours in summer. The Canary Islands time zone is the Greenwich Meridian plus one hour in summer, which means that the islands are always one hour behind the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. To save energy, in Spain the hour changes in summer and winter. The last weekend of October the hour goes back an hour (from 3 am to 2 am), and the last weekend in March the time goes forward (from 2 am to 3 am).

What time do shops open?

The most common shop opening hours are Monday to Saturday from 9.30 am to 1.30 pm and 4.30 pm to 8 pm.
Large shopping centres have open from 10 am to 9 or 10 pm. Some large shopping centres also open a few Sundays a year.
On the coast, in high season, shops stay open until past 10 pm.

Chemists are usually open from 9.30 am to 1.30 pm and from 4.30 pm to 8 pm, although in large cities some chemists stay open 24 hours a day. There are normally chemists on duty, with a sign in the window and the newspapers, for night hours and weekends.

What is a normal timetable in Spain?

    * The normal time for breakfast is 8 to 10 am.
    * Lunch, in restaurants, is usually served from 1 to 3.30 pm.
    * Dinner is served from 8.30 to 11 pm.

Many places serve food all day, like bars or cafeterias, in many of them you can have tapas, assorted dishes, sandwiches and portions of food.

Cinemas also have flexible hours, starting from 4.30 – 5 pm, with films showing until about 10 pm, although large cities also have late night films.
Theatres normally offer a single film that starts at about 8 pm.
Nightlife in Spain has a special meaning, especially Thursdays to Sundays. Pubs, clubs and discos are usually open until 3 or 4 am, and in large cities there are many places that stay open until dawn.

What bank holidays are there in Spain?

There are several dates on the Spanish calendar that are established as bank holidays, either national, regional or local.

In 2009 the following days are national bank holidays in Spain:

    * 1 January, New Year’s Day.
    * 6 January, Epiphany.
    * 21 March, Good Friday.
    * 1 May, Labour Day.
    * 15 August, the Assumption.
    * 12 October, Our Lady of the Pilar.
    * 1 November, All Saints’ Day.
    * 6 December, Constitution Day.
    * 8 December, Immaculate Conception Day.
    * 25 December, Christmas Day.