As you might have noticed, Easter is a pretty big deal in Spain. As such, there are several public holidays coming up, as well as different regional holidays, and this means some of your local shops and other establishments will be closed, or open with reduced hours.
Easter holidays in Spain in 2026
Technically speaking, Easter 2026 runs from Sunday March 29th (Domingo de Ramos, Palm Sunday) until April 6th (Lunes de Pascua, Easter Monday).
The only public holiday across all Spanish regions this Easter is Good Friday on April 3rd.
Maundy Thursday (April 2nd) is also a holiday in all regions except Catalonia and the Community of Valencia, which will instead have Easter Monday (April 6th) off as a regional holiday.
Some regions - La Rioja, Navarre and the Basque Country - have regional holidays on both Thursday April 2nd and Monday April 6th, giving them a five-day puente, as it's called in Spanish (literally meaning 'bridge').
Supermarkets
As a general rule, if it's a regional or national holiday, supermarkets in the region where you are in Spain will be closed.
It's also worth keeping in mind that most supermarkets generally don't open on Sundays either. It's a good idea to do your grocery shopping at the beginning of this week while shops remain open.
Mercadona
Mercadona will be closed on Maundy Thursday (except in Catalonia and Valencia) and Good Friday. In some regions, even though the Thursday is a public holiday, Mercadona supermarkets will be open until noon. The chain will be open across Spain on Saturday April 4th from 9am to 9:30pm, its usual opening hours. To check your local Mercadona branch, you can use the store finder tool here.
Carrefour
Carrefour doesn't seem to have a clear-cut policy regarding opening and closing on public holidays as it differs between regions. As such, most of its supermarkets will open on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, but some will be closed, depending on the region.
However, its smaller Carrefour Express stores are likely to be open on all days over Easter in Spain. You can check your local here.
Aldi
Aldi supermarkets close on regional and public holidays, so they will not open on Maundy Thursday (except for in Catalonia and the Valencia region) nor on Good Friday. Find your closest Aldi here.
Lidl
Lidl will open some shops on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, but close others, depending on the region. In some areas they may have reduced opening hours until 3pm. You can check whether a particular shop is open and on which days via this link.
Día
Día is a franchise chain, so holiday opening hours vary by store. Its usual opening hours are from 9am to 9pm, although on public holidays some may close at 3pm.
Consum
Consum will close most of its stores on public holidays. In Catalonia, some Consum stores will stay open on Good Friday and Easter Monday, but check the ones nearest to you.
Pharmacies
Whether your closest farmacia will be open over Semana Santa depends on where you live and their own policy. Most pharmacies may open with 'holiday' hours on Maundy Thursday (April 2nd), which is usually 9am-2pm, though it will depend on the individual branch.
In bigger towns and cities there will likely be some open on Good Friday (April 3rd) too.
Are bars and restaurants open over Easter?
Similarly, bars and restaurants decide themselves with regards to opening hours on public holidays.
Your local bar might be closed, but bigger restaurants will likely open. If there Easter processions taking place and plenty of tourists and other potential customers on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, you shouldn't have trouble finding a restaurant to eat at, especially in big cities and touristy spots.
You can expect lots more of them to be open on Saturday April 4th, and on Easter Sunday, it will again depend on the individual decision of the restaurant owners.
Fast food restaurants such as McDonalds and Burger King will likely be open on all days throughout Easter 2026 in Spain.
Are shops open over Easter in Spain?
Again, it's hard to give an across-the-board answer. Your local ferretería (hardware shop) and other small local stores will probably be closed on regional and public holidays, but bigger chains in cities may open for at least some of the day.
Fruterías (green grocers) and locally run corner shops in big cities tend to stay open on public holidays.
Estancos (tobacco stores) will almost certainly be closed, except for perhaps in larger city centres.
In Spain, a number of establishments are exempt from normal commercial opening hours legislation and can therefore decide for themselves whether or not to open on public holidays.
According to the law, they are: "Establishments mainly engaged in the sale of pastries and confectionery, bread, ready meals, newspapers, fuels and combustibles, florists and plants.
Convenience stores and commercial establishments located at border points and stations will most likely to open too.
"Establishments located in areas of great tourist influx" can also choose to stay open.
That basically means that if you're in a major city, the chances are that most shops will be open for at least some of the day.
READ ALSO: Spain's Easter white hoods are a symbol of penance, not right-wing extremism
Comments