Work
Business hours
Offices are generally open from 9am to 5pm weekdays, and banks from 9.30am to 4.30pm. Shops generally stay open until 5.30pm or 6pm and most open all day on Saturday. An increasing number of shops also open on Sunday, from 11am to 4pm. Late-night shopping (to 8pm) is usually on Thursday or Friday.
Cafés tend to be open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday, while restaurants generally open from noon to 2pm and also 6pm to 10pm. Pubs and bars usually open at around 11am and close at 11pm (10.30pm on Sunday). Many pubs in larger towns have late licences and stay open until 2am from Thursday to Saturday.
Many businesses in small and country towns have a weekly early-closing day – it’s different in each region of the country, but is usually Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday afternoon – though not all shops honour it. Early-closing is more common in winter.
If someone tells you a place (eg a shop, café or restaurant) opens daily, they almost always mean ‘daily except Sunday’.
See also Post and Tourist Information.
Advertisement
Advertisement
