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The opening and closing times of shops are determined at local level by each
individual municipality in special deliberations, having regard to the general
principles laid down by the national regulations (558/71 and 121/87) and any
regional laws.
Shops are usually open from Monday to Saturday from 08:30/09:00 to
12:30/13:00 and from 15:30/16:00 to 19:30/20:00. However, in the large towns and cities
and in tourist areas many outlets, especially those in shopping centres, and
supermarkets in general are open for longer hours.
Some are open on Sunday
mornings, and others are open in the evenings during the week until 22:00; in
some cases shops are open all day on Sundays.
Different regions have their
weekly closing days on different days in the week. In the big towns and cities,
non-food shops and large stores are open continuously, so that working people
can go shopping during their lunch breaks. Many large stores have a bar or a
lunch-counter inside, where it is possible to have a quick meal.
During the last few years many large shopping centres have been built, usually
located outside the centres, which are subsidiaries of the large international
chains (Lidl, Auchan, etc.) offering, in addition to discounts on food prices,
savings on popular consumer products.
Pharmacies are open during normal shop opening hours, but one pharmacy stays
open 24 hours a day on a rota system within each neighbourhood or each small
town; consult the local papers to find out the rota.
Banks are generally open from 08:30 to 13:30 and from 14:30 to 15:30, from Monday to Friday. In the large towns and cities, and in some tourist
areas, some banks open on Saturdays too. In any case, all banks now have ATMs
for cash withdrawal and for other transactions such as mobile phone recharging
or paying various bills; there are also ATMs in rail stations, shopping centres
and other busy locations.
Restaurants are open, as a rule, in the north from 12 noon to 14:00 and from
19:00 to 21:00, while in the south lunch and dinner are taken later; in
addition, in the large towns and cities and tourist areas it is possible to find
restaurants which are open without a break or which stay open late. Fast food
and pizza restaurant opening hours are significantly longer everywhere.
Public offices are usually open from Monday to Friday in the mornings, and in
recent years increasing numbers have changed their hours to open to the public
in the afternoon. Opening hours vary from one authority to another and from one
region to another. It is advisable to telephone before visiting an office.
Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere.
There are a number of consumer-protection offices to call if the need arises.
Source: European Union
© European Communities, 1995-2006
Reproduction is authorised.
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