On Sunday, July 19, selected Mercadona supermarkets in coastal municipalities of the Comunidad Valenciana will open for limited hours. The measure covers around thirty towns across the provinces of Valencia, Alicante, and Castellón, with stores scheduled to operate from 9:00 to 15:00. This is a seasonal exception to the chain’s usual Sunday closure policy.
Mercadona’s ordinary schedule in most stores is approximately 09:00 to 21:30, Monday through Saturday, although hours can vary by location. During the summer, nearly 300 supermarkets in high-tourism areas are operating extended hours, from 9:00 to 22:00, Monday through Saturday, until August 31. Sunday openings are limited to selected coastal locations, where demand from tourists and seasonal residents rises during the peak months.
In Valencia province, the stores listed for Sunday opening are in Canet d'En Berenguer, Cullera (C/Corbera), Gandía (C/La Goleta), and Oliva (Paseo Gregori Mayans). In Castellón, they are in Benicàssim (Gran Avenida Jaume I), Benicarló (Avenida Papa Luna), Moncofa, Oropesa, and Peñíscola. In Alicante province, the list includes Alicante (Avenida de las Naciones), Altea, Benidorm, Calpe, Denia (Avenida Miguel Hernández and Paseo Saladar), El Campello (Av. Germanias), El Poble Nou de Benitatxell, Finestrat, Guardamar del Segura, Jávea, L'Alfàs del Pi, Villajoyosa (C/Cervantes), Orihuela (Ctra. Dehesa Campoamor and C/ Turmalina), Pilar de la Horadada, San Fulgencio, Santa Pola, and several locations in Torrevieja (Avenida de las Cortes Valencianas, Avenida Rosa Manzón Valero, C/ Antonio Machado, and C/ Tritón).
Sunday trading in Spain operates under a structure in which national rules establish a minimum number of authorized Sundays and public holidays, while autonomous communities set the applicable calendars and local variations may also apply. Tourist areas designated as Zonas de Gran Afluencia Turística (ZGAT) can allow Sunday and holiday opening. Mercadona’s summer openings are a geographically limited exception aimed at meeting higher seasonal demand, not a nationwide change to its general policy of closing on Sundays and public holidays.
Customers are advised to use Mercadona’s online supermarket locator to check a specific store’s opening status and hours before travelling. The chain has 1,598 supermarkets nationwide, although local schedules can vary by store and location.
The arrangement reflects how retailers adapt opening hours to seasonal demand in Spain’s tourism areas. Sunday access can be particularly useful in coastal towns where visitor numbers rise during July and August. Other regional responses to seasonal pressures include the temporary restrictions in Galicia due to extreme heat.
