Yes, in Spain, it is common for businesses and shops to close for a few hours during lunchtime. This practice is known as "siesta." Traditionally, the siesta break allowed people to rest and escape the hottest part of the day, especially in regions with a warm Mediterranean climate.
Office workers might leave to take a lunch or run errands between 2 and 4 p.m. Small shops and businesses might close down at about the same time. And then restaurants will close once the lunch rush is done, reopening in time for dinner, which starts late in Spain (around 9 p.m. at the earliest).
Why do shops and markets in Spain close at 2 00 pm?
Siesta. When in Spain, the main meal is lunch, so it is common that many local shops and small businesses will be closed. That doesn't really mean that we are all taking a “siesta” (nap). Nonetheless, you should expect, especially in small towns, local businesses will be closed: From 1 or 2 pm to 4 or 5 pm.
The norm is for shops to open continuously from 10:00 to 21:00. At times, they close between 14:00 and 17:00, especially in summer. Theatre productions, concerts and shows tend to start between 20:00 and 21:00. In summer, performance start times can be later, even as late as 22:00 or 23:00.
Our professor told us right when we got there that usually, anywhere from 4-8PM, shops and restaurants would close for “siesta” so that the workers could go home and see their family, rest or even nap.
Are shops close between 2pm and 5pm except for large in Spain?
A big surprise for many foreigners is the long afternoon siesta, when most small shops close from 2pm until 5pm. Apart from department stores and many large supermarkets, there is no such thing as afternoon shopping in Spain.
According to BBC, this is because Spanish General Francisco Franco moved Spain's clocks one hour ahead in 1940, so that the country would be in sync with Nazi Germany. The Spaniards, however, didn't adjust their daily schedules to the new time zone.
Spaniards take their holidays very seriously. That's why when a date falls on a working day, say Tuesday, most workers would take a day off on Monday too. And some businesses decide to simply stay closed on those days.
Spain has a standard working week of 40 hours, which is typically spread over five days. The maximum number of working hours per week is 48, and any hours worked above this must be paid as overtime.
The good news is that there is no established tipping culture or minimum in Spain. While it is possible to tip, it's not expected and it isn't considered rude not to leave a tip. However, most businesses will accept a tip if you'd like to leave one.
Others assume it's a legacy of Spain's Catholic culture, and that everyone's at mass, but that's become less and less true in recent decades, and the reality is that Spain's Sunday trading laws are often the reason behind the closures, depending on where you are. Sunday trading laws are not unique to Spain.
The typical Spanish work day begins at 9am and ends around 8 pm with a 2 to 3h lunch break (the vast majority of workers go home for lunch and enjoy a large meal with their family and rest for a while). Prime-time television doesn't start until 10:30pm. Most people do not go to bed until midnight.
The Spanish siestas likely started after Spanish field workers started taking breaks around the middle of the day to come in out of the sun. During their siestas, they would escape the heat at the hottest time of the day and give themselves time to eat lunch and hang out with their families away from the elements.
“Being 60 minutes behind the correct time zone means the sun rises later and sets later, bestowing Spain with gloriously long summer evenings and 10pm sunsets. Those who run Spain's tourist resorts believe that more sunlight is a large draw for visitors.”
Punctuality is not highly important in Spain. People can arrive half an hour late to a social function with no questions raised. If someone turns up late and apologises, people are likely to respond with something like “no pasa nada” – meaning “It's not that important”.
Lunch is the mid-day meal, or la comida as it is called in Spain, and it is the largest meal of the day. It usually comes with multiple courses, eaten between 1:30 and 3:30 pm.
Public Holidays or Red Days happen throughout the year, it was traditional to mark these days on a calendar in Red hence they are widely known in Spain as a Red Day.
Spain has a standard working week of 40 hours, which is typically spread over five days. The maximum number of working hours per week is 48, and any hours worked above this must be paid as overtime.
Desayuno: El desayuno is the first meal of the day and is the meal that most often gets skipped. Breakfast in Spain is fairly light for adults, consisting of coffee and toast or a biscuit, if it's eaten it at all.
Almost 60% of Spaniards never have a siesta, while just 18% will sometimes have a midday nap, according to a recent survey. In fact, the Spanish spend far more time working than many of their counterparts in Europe.
Sangría. Sangría is Spain's national drink, so of course it belongs on this list! Spain is famous for it's wine, which is the base of this drink. Lots of fresh fruit and a bit of sugar and cinnamon give this drink a sweet taste that you'll fall in love with at first sip.
