Whether it's eating times, business hours, being waited on, or even the length of the day, here are some things you should know about Spanish timing.
It isn’t common to be eating meals at “typical” times, in fact it’s quite common to not eat lunch until at least 2 p.m., and most time you won’t eat dinner until after 8 p.m. But don’t fret! Go for some drinks and tapas at any local area to hold you over until its mealtime.
Business hours are WAY different. There is typically a break in the middle of the day where you should plan on having to search a bit before finding an open store or restaurant. From about 2 p.m.- 4 p.m. many businesses are closed for “siesta.”
When going anywhere, whether it be for food, tapas, or even just drinks, you can expect to be there for a while. Many guests relax and hang out for a while, and the servers will not bring you the check unless you ask.
Did you know that Spain is in the wrong time zone? Spain’s Generalissimo Francisco Franco moved Spain’s time zone up an hour to be aligned with Nazi Germany after meeting with Adolf Hitler in the 1940’s. Now with sunrise at 6:45 a.m. and sunset at 9:30 p.m. Spain averages about 15 hours of sunlight a day.
Another fun thing to know is, if you plan on visiting Spain in August, you might want to check that things are open! August is essentially a month long Sunday here in Spain, meaning that many restaurants and bars may be closed. This is a time where many businesses will take off 3 weeks for vacation! While you may be able to still grab tapas or drinks in August, it may take a bit longer to find the place to do so.
Spain truly is a one of a kind place and if you're thinking about coming here, do it.
Check out our other Spain travel tips here.