Hours of Operation

Most retail businesses are open weekdays 10-7 and Saturday until 2; most are closed Sunday. Some businesses and shops in regional cities and towns close for lunch between 1 and 3 or 4, though this is becoming less common. Supermarkets often stay open until 10 or 11 pm, as do large malls.

Most banks are open weekdays 9-2. Casas de cambio are open weekdays 9-7 and weekends 9-3 for currency exchange.

Gas stations in major cities and along the Pan-American Highway tend to stay open 24 hours. Others follow regular business hours.

Most tourist attractions are open during normal business hours during the week and for at least the morning on Saturday and Sunday. Most museums are closed Monday.

Holidays

New Year's Day (January 1), Good Friday (April), Labor Day (May 1), Day of Naval Glories, or the Battle of Iquique (May 21), Corpus Christi (June), Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul (June), Feast of the Vírgen de Carmen (July 16), Assumption of the Virgin Mary (August 15), Independence Day (September 18), Army Day (September 19), Discovery of the Americas or Columbus Day (October 12), Day of the Evangelic and Protestant Churches (October 31), All Saints Day (November 1), Immaculate Conception (December 8), and Christmas (December 25).

Many shops and services are open on most of these days, but transportation is always heavily booked up on and around the holidays. The two most important dates in the Chilean calendar are September 18 and New Year's Day. On these days shops close and public transportation is reduced to the bare minimum or is nonexistent. Trying to book a ticket around these dates will be impossible unless you do it well in advance.