Shops and premises – Work hours – Canary Islands

Shops and premises – Work hours – Canary Islands

Shops and other service premises (outside of restaurants) are usually open Monday through Saturday from. 9.00-14.00 i 17.00-20.00. Supermarkets are open six days a week from. 9.00-21.00. Restaurants open when meals are served, that is, between. 13.00-15.00 i 20.00-24.00. Pubs and discos usually open their doors approx. 20.00, (the latter do not fill up earlier than Fr. 23.00). In smaller towns, pubs and discos are usually only open from Thursday to Saturday. Of course, slightly different rules apply to resorts, where some shops and all restaurants are open all the time. Small shops run by Indians and Chinese operate seven days a week to 23.00. In non-touristic places, you can do almost nothing during siesta and on Sundays.

Banks and government offices work from Monday to Friday to 14.00. Post offices are open from Monday to Friday from. 8.30-14.00, and on Saturdays to 13.00. The main branches in large cities are open during the week from. 8.30-20.30.

Working hours vary according to the season. Some museums and tourist information offices work shorter hours per year (VII-1X), and longer in winter (X-VII), because that's when the tourist season in the Canary Islands is at its peak.

Shopping

First, the Canary Islands are no longer a duty free zone. Lower prices on some products (imported alcohol, cigarettes, perfumes and basic electronic equipment) arise from this, that you don't pay VAT. However, when shopping at the resorts of this, which will not be paid to the state, will pay the sellers, who taking advantage of the naivety of tourists, they inflate prices. If you want to make larger purchases, there are a few rules to remember: first – the smaller the island, the more expensive; Secondly – better avoid buying anything in small shops run by Indians (they often sell fakes), and third – prices in resorts and in the duty free zone at the airport are very overpriced.

Alcohol and electronics Some products can be bought really cheaper, but you need to know where. In Gran Canaria and Tenerife, it is worth visiting a shopping center for electronics and perfumes (preferably in Las Palmas and Santa Cruz, where the Media Markt chain stores have recently opened). Alcohol can be bought cheaper even in resorts, however, you have to look for an ordinary supermarket.

Local products Undoubtedly, it is best to bring it from the Canary Islands, which cannot be purchased elsewhere. They will be a tasty souvenir: palm honey (palm honey), mojos (typical Canarian sauces, which can be purchased in a jar or as a mixture of herbs), rum honey (honey rum) or a bottle of good wine. Many people decide to buy cigars produced on the island. As for handicrafts, the official centros de artesania are operating (often at museums or in the historic part of cities), where you can buy hand-woven baskets, ceramics or embroidered napkins. Prices in the centers are usually high, however, they provide a guarantee, that you buy an original product and support local artists (there are already famous anecdotes about it, as in the port of Las Palmas, several containers of Chinese pottery decorated with traditional Canarian patterns were seized).

Fairs In the Canary Islands, the tradition of colorful fairs continues (jumble sale), which are usually held on Saturdays and Sundays in the morning, although there are also markets on Thursdays and Fridays. You can buy absolutely anything at the market: from handicrafts, by vegetables and fruits, Peruvian and African ornaments and Chinese products.