The sacred rest on Sundays is just that, sacred, but for some time now the large supermarkets have been fighting to skip it, to the detriment of small businesses, which cannot compete against such long opening hours. The middle ground is offered, for the moment, by the agreement reached in 2022 between traders and the City Council that allows shopping centers and shopping streets to open some holidays of the year.
These Sundays are in addition to the 10 public holidays a year and the days around Christmas when stores can open.
This 2025 the agreement will be applied for the fourth time, and will start this weekend, from which traders will be able to open almost every public holiday until December 31.
Which centers can open?
The centers or shopping streets in Barcelona that can open are those included in the tourist zone drawn by the agreement.
The zone includes the following spaces:
-
Ciutat Vella: El Raval, el Gòtic, Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i la Ribera and la Barceloneta.
-
Eixample: La Nova Esquerra de l’Eixample, l’Antiga Esquerra de l’Eixample, la Dreta de l’Eixample, La Sagrada Família, Fort Pienc and Sant Antoni.
-
Sants-Montjuïc: Sants, Hostafrancs, Poble-sec and Font de la Guatlla.
-
Les Corts and Sarrià-Sant Gervasi: Les Corts, Sant Gervasi-Galvany and specific areas of Putxet and Farró.
-
Gràcia: La Vila de Gràcia, Camp d’en Grassot, Gràcia Nova, Vallcarca i els Penitents and part of the Salut neighborhood.
-
Sant Martí and Horta-Guinardó: Vila Olímpica del Poblenou, Poblenou, Parc and Llacuna de Poblenou (some areas), Diagonal Mar, Fòrum Marítim del Poblenou and part of Baix Guinardó.
When are shopping centers open?
The permitted opening hours are from 12:00 noon to 8:00 p.m. from May 18.
The specific dates are as follows:
-
May: Sundays 18 and 25
-
June: Sundays 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 and 24 June (Sant Joan)
-
July: Sundays 6, 13, 20 and 27
-
August: Sundays 3, 10, 17, 17, 24, 31 and 15 August (Assumption of the Virgin Mary)
-
September: Sundays September 7, 14 and 11 (National Day of Catalonia)
Which shopping centers are open on Sundays?
The list may vary depending on the stores and shopping centers, but the following shopping centers will be open on Sundays on the dates indicated.
-
Maremagnum (Port Vell): the only one that opens every Sunday of the year.
-
Diagonal Mar (Sant Martí)
-
Las Arenas (Plaça Espanya)
-
Glòries (22@ area)
-
La Maquinista (Sant Andreu)
-
El Corte Inglés de Plaça Catalunya