When it comes to shopping in the city, there is something that you might be wondering: are shops open in Barcelona on a Sunday? Since we have different schedules compared to the United States, this post will probably help you to set the best time to do the groceries.
Big supermarket chains
There is a difference between the supermarket chains in the United States and Spain regarding their opening hours. Here in Spain they are not open 24h. Supermarket big chains have the same schedule as the other stores, in general.
24h shops
What we do have is little markets which are open 24h. You will easily recognize this little shops, where you probably end up buying some ingredient or food you forgot when you did the groceries. These are also shops open on Sunday in Barcelona, 24/7.
Clothing stores
What about fashion stores? Are these shops open in Barcelona on a Sunday? Fashion stores, but also stores in general, are open from Monday to Saturday. They usually open from 10am to 9pm, but it depends also if it is Winter or Summer time, since they use to close a little earlier, around 8-8.30pm during Winter.
Malls
Malls in Barcelona are not open on Sunday, which is one of the main differences I would highlight between the opening hours between the US and Spain. I remember going with my friends to the Southgate Mall in Missoula on Sundays. Or just by myself biking.
You can’t do that in Barcelona, since the stores in the malls are not open on Sunday. They open from Monday to Saturday following the usual schedule: from 9am to 9pm. But the area with restaurants and cinema is open until a couple of hours later. These are the most popular malls in Barcelona:
- La Maquinista
- Diagonal Mar
- Las Arenas
- L’Illa Diagonal
- Glòries
- El Triangle
But there is one exception among them: Maremagnum is the only shopping mall open in Barcelona on Sunday.
Pharmacies
The pharmacy store system is different regarding the one in the United States. Pharmacies are not a special section within the supermarket. I remember how awkward was to me at first seeing my roommates buying, for example, ibuprofens at Target or Walmart. Here in Spain we buy our medicines in pharmacies, as specific stores, which can’t be found in big supermarket chains. All they have is a “parafarmacia” section where you can buy cosmetics commercialized by the pharmaceutical industry. But you can’t buy medicines in there.
Shopping in Barcelona on Sunday
In general, supermarkets, malls and shops are not open in Barcelona on a Sunday. But there are some exceptions.
Malls
Among the malls open on Sunday in Barcelona are:
- Ànec Blau: this mall located in Castelldefels is open also on Sundays.
- Maremagnum: as we pointed out, Maremagnum also opens on Sunday.
Local Markets
There are some local markets on the street which are held on Sunday:
- Sant Antoni Sunday Market: one of the most iconic markets in Barcelona, focused on culture (books, comic, music…). It also offers special pieces for collectors (stamps or coins).
- Palo Alto market: a market which opens the first weekend of the month. You will find homemade jewelry, emergent artists, live music and food from all over the world bring it ti you through customized food trucks.
Local bookstores
This is relatively new. Some libraries have started to open also on Sunday, to cover that need of reading something on our day off. Llibreria Calders or Llibreria Taifa are two examples of bookstores which have extended these opening hours.
And what about Christmas? Are shops open in Barcelona on a Sunday? Also, during Christmas malls and shops are open some Sundays, as well as during specific festivities such as the first Sunday of the sales period.
If you are planning to move to Barcelona, we hope this post about the shopping hours in Barcelona might help you to know better the rhythm of the city.
