Belgium Travel Guide

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.