The reason lies in France's enshrined labour code, the Code du Travail, which was first published in 1910. The Code du Travail used to say that it was illegal for anyone to work more that six days a week and that workers should have 35 consecutive hours of rest.
Most establishments are open Monday through Saturday, and many places close over lunchtime. Sunday openings are rare and strictly regulated.
Where to eat on a Monday. Paris's overworked restaurateurs need their day of rest like the rest of us. The only problem is that on our day of rest many of us like to eat out – which is why a large number of the city's restaurants opt to close shop on Mondays instead.
Have you ever noticed that many neighborhood restaurants, both large and small, are closed on Mondays? According to Mental Floss, the reason for this common restaurant practice is almost purely financial: Traditionally, Monday is the slowest day of the week.
In Paris, most small, owner-operated restaurants are closed two days a week so the small team can take a weekend off. Now those two days are usually Sunday and Monday, but may also be Monday and Tuesday or even, almost unfathomably, Saturday and Sunday.
The majority of shops are open all day from 9am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday. Some smaller shops may close over lunchtime between midday and 2pm, or all day on Monday. Sunday and public holidays are the usual closing days, although there are some exceptions ...
Normal shopping hours and closing times
The standard shopping day in France, from Monday to Saturday, starts at 9 a.m. and finishes at 7 p.m.
Mondays in Italy
You're usually fine on churches and shops, but most museums and many restaurants are closed entirely. (By law, most restaurants are forced to close at least one day a week—though, increasingly, many are finding loopholes to get around this—and the vast majority pick Monday.)
Italians spend all their weekends in having fun, going out to restaurants and pubs to start a new week on Monday so basically is the busiest day of the week. This encourages the business owners to give their weekly days off on Monday as it would be the least in walk-ins and revenues.
Most studies and reports from other restaurant owners say that the slowest restaurant days are Mondays and Tuesdays. The social suggestion is, then, that most people are feeling too tired and are suffering from post-weekend blues to consider going out to eat on Monday and Tuesday nights.
Many museums, monuments and other tourist attractions regularly close one day a week. While planning your sightseeing in Paris, keep in mind that many museums are closed on Mondays or Tuesdays. Versailles, the Musée d'Orsay, Musée Carnavalet and the Musée Rodin, to mention just a few are closed on Mondays.
If a national holiday in France falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is usually given as a holiday. If a national holiday in France falls on a Saturday, however, no extra day is given during the week.
Small restaurants are usually run and staffed by families. They don't have the staff to allow days off without shutting the restaurant. For owner operator businesses its normal to shut on a slow weekday, Monday and Tuesday are traditionally the slowest days for restaurants.
because the vast majority of French people has finished lunch at around 13:00 or 13:30, so nobody is going to eat at a restaurant in the afternoon and therefore restaurants are likely closed. There will be a few places in big cities that may be open, or fast food places.
Upon entering a shop – When you first walk in, scan the shop to see if you can spot the proprietor. When you do, immediately smile and greet him or her with a pleasant “Bonjour Monsieur/Madame,” and also nod to include in your greeting any other customers that may be in the store within earshot.
In Italy siesta is known as riposo. Shops are closed midday for three hours or so, that way Italians get to go home, rest, and be with family. Riposo to Italians means enjoying a home cooked meal and spending time with family. Nothing beats the summer heat than laughter and being in the company of the people you love.
Rome, the capital city of Italy, is known as the home of the Colosseum and has many ruins scattered across the city. You may have noticed already, but a lot of stores and businesses do close on a Sunday in Rome. But the main shopping streets, clothing stores and department stores stay open on Sundays.
Business Hours -- Standard hours for shops are 9am to 12:30pm and 3 to 7:30pm Monday to Saturday. In winter, shops are closed on Monday morning, while in summer it's usually Saturday afternoon.
They're open! Contrary to popular belief, most historic sites are open on Mondays. But, museums are the exception. Most of them, such as the Borghese Gallery, close their doors on the first day of the week.
All of the state-run Florence museums, including the world famous Uffizi Gallery and Accademia museum, are closed on Mondays. Their hours are Tuesday to Sunday from 8:15 am to 6:50 pm. The museums are also closed on December 25th, January 1st, and May 1st.
Most stores in Rome are open Monday through Saturday, from 9 am to 1 pm - 1:30 pm and from 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm. The shops on the main high streets do not close at lunchtime and usually close a little later. On the main shopping and business streets, clothing stores and department stores open on Sundays.
No, the Eiffel Tower is open on Tuesdays, just as it is every other day of the week. The Eiffel Tower is open all year. You can find our opening times here.
The week starts on Monday, not Sunday!
If you're from the United States, the UK, Canada and a few other countries, you're probably used to seeing calendars that start the week on Sunday. However, in France and the rest of Europe, which uses the ISO 8601 standard, the first day of the week begins on Monday.
The tap water in Paris is very closely monitored for quality assurance, both by the water supply company Eau de Paris and independent health authorities, to ensure its quality. This means that tap water in Paris is legal to drink per French, European, and World Health Organization standards.