| In Belgium, the weekend fades painlessly into the week with some
shops staying closed till late on Monday morning, even in major cities.
Nonetheless, normal shopping hours are Monday through Saturday 9/10am to
6pm or 7pm, with most supermarkets staying open on Fridays till 8pm or
9pm and many smaller places shutting down a little earlier on Saturday.
In the big cities, a smattering of convenience stores ( magasins de nuit
/ avondwinkels ) stay open either all night or until around 1 or 2am
every day including Sundays, and some souvenir shops open late or on
Sunday. At the other extreme, some shops close for the half-day on
Wednesday or Thursday afternoon, though this tradition has died out in
all but the smaller towns and villages. Most museums are open Tues-Sat
10am-4/5pm, and often on Sunday. Outside the April-Sept period, many
sightseeing places close unless they're of prime touristic importance.
Shops, banks and many museums are closed on the following public
holidays : Jan 1; Easter Monday; May 1; Ascension (around mid-May); Whit
Monday; Assumption (mid-Aug); Nov 1; Nov 11; Dec 25. In addition, the
Belgium national day is July 21.
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