Weather, Spanish timetables and money

Weather

Zaragoza has a mild semi-arid climate, that means that it rains very rarely and the temperatures are a bit extreme, it’s hot in summer, reaching  up to 44.5 °C and cold in winter because of its famous wind, which even has a name, the “cierzo”. Don’t underestimate it and bring a good coat!

Spanish timetables

As we have some more sunlight hours than the rest of Europe our timetables are a bit different to the other countries of the Continent.

People usually start their job at 8-9 a.m., they have a break of 2 hours for lunch around 2 p.m. and they finish their work between 6-7 p.m.

Shops usually open from Monday to Saturday, the timetable is from 10 to 13.30 and 17.00 to 20.30. Supermarkets and malls are opened almost the whole day , from 9.00-10.00 a.m. to 21.00-22.00.

Your timetable at the university can start at 8.30 and finish at 20.30, it depends on the group and the subject.

And what about meals? The most common thing is to have lunch around 14.00 and dinner at 21.00 or later. Don’t worry if you think you will be starving till that time because restaurants and University canteens can usually offer you the lunch from 13.00.

Money

The currency used in Spain is the Euro.

As there are few money exchange offices in Zaragoza, if you need to exchange money the best option is to go to a bank. Banks are usually opened from 8.00 a.m to 14.00.