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November 1st is a public holiday across all of Spain’s 17 regions.
It’s All Saints’ Day, or El Día de Todos los Santos in Spanish, the day Spanish families go to the cemetery to mourn their deceased loved ones.
This year November 1st falls on a Friday, so most people won’t work and schools will be closed.
READ ALSO: How Spain celebrates All Saints’ Day
When it comes to public holidays in Spain, there’s usually not a blanket decision regarding which stores stay open and which close.
But as a general rule, big cities and popular tourist areas tend to have more shops open, whereas in smaller cities and towns more businesses close.
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It also depends on the type of store, as small shops and businesses are far more likely to have a rest day on a public holiday, whereas the big household names such as El Corte Inglés, Ikea and Leroy Merlin may well open.
So for example, some shopping malls and supermarkets will be open in cities like Málaga and Barcelona, but not so in Toledo or Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Again we must stress that this depends on your location, so it’s important to double check unless you want to avoid disappointment.
On-call pharmacies (farmacias de guardia in Spanish) will be open, as will petrol stations and some bars and restaurants, but definitely not all of them.
What most people tend to care about is whether their local supermarket shop is open, or whether they’ll have to do grocery shopping the day before to stock up.
Here’s a breakdown of Spain’s main supermarkets and their opening times on November 1st 2024:
Mercadona: Although Spain’s most popular supermarket chain usually closes its stores on public holidays, some in the big cities will be open on November 1st until 3pm, while in smaller cities and towns they’re likely to close. Check your closest Mercadona’s opening hours here.
El Corte Inglés: In big cities such as Madrid, Valencia or Seville, Spain’s most famous department stores will open from 11am to 10pm. Check the opening hours for your Corte Inglés here.
Supercor: El Corte Ingles’ small city supermarkets are a sure bet when everything else is closed. The vast majority will be open on November 1st from 9am until 10pm.
Lidl: The German supermarket chain will open many of its branches from 10am till 10pm. Check your local Lid’s opening hours here.
Aldi: Just like Lidl, Aldi will open some of its supermarkets from 10am until 10pm. Check here.
Carrefour: The smaller city Carrefour Market and Carrefour Express are much more likely to be open than the bigger Carrefour supermarkets.