Why do stores in Spain close at 2pm?

Shops and businesses are often closed from 14:00 to 17:00 during the siesta in Spain. Restaurants and cafés often close a little later for their ... Shops normally close at 2pm, because that´s when we have lunch, and re-open at around 4pm, staying open until 8 or 9pm.



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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.

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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”.

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During World War II, Franco moved Spain's time zone ahead one hour to Central European Time in solidarity with Nazi Germany. Because of this, the sun also tends to set pretty late in Spain, which is part of the reason dinner (and nightlife) tends to start so late.

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In Spain, breakfast occurs between the hours of 8 am to 11 am. It's important to know that some here do not even eat breakfast, as lunch in Spain is typically the largest meal of the day and most locals want to have their appetite for the midday break. In these cases, many will just have coffee or tea.

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Tipping in Spain works differently: The customer actually has the option to not leave any tip at all. However, restaurants expect a 10% tip on each bill—although it's not a formal rule, and that percentage is much lower than tipping practices in other countries.

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Set your clock to Spanish time Logically, when people go out at night, they don't leave the house til after midnight. It is completely normal to be out til 5 or 6, or even til the sun comes up. So prepare accordingly. Take a siesta during the day and have a late-afternoon coffee if you are planning a night out.

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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.

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Lunch -- The most important meal of the day in Spain, lunch is comparable to the farm-style midday dinner in the United States. It usually includes three or four courses, beginning with a choice of soup or several dishes of hors d'oeuvres called entremeses.

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It's very common in Spain to see gatherings of people enjoying a drink and chatting and laughing together in the bars from about 10 in the evening, and then on until the small hours of the morning.

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