Americans, read this and weep: Workers in these countries get two to three times as long for their lunch breaks. Here's how the other half lives—and the trade-offs this lifestyle requires.
6 Countries with the Longest Lunch Breaks in the World
Updated on May 30, 2025
Spain: 2 to 3 hours, but shrinking
The siesta is ubiquitous in Spanish culture, so much so that the government once required restaurants to offer an affordable, multicourse meal (called the menú del día) to workers enjoying a long lunch; this was typically followed by a snooze. The tradition of long Spanish lunch breaks arose because of the climate. Workers paused during the hottest time of the day—often around 2 p.m.—then returned to work around 4 or 5 p.m. and continued until sundown. But the Guardian reports that Spain’s long lunch is under siege, as Spaniards push for shorter workdays and more family time, and tourists balk at spending their prime hours sitting and eating, rather than sightseeing.
Greece: 3 hours, sort of
Greece allegedly has some of the longest lunch breaks in the world, clocking in at three hours. But according to travel writer Rebecca Hall, who divides her time between Greece and the U.K., those long breaks don’t apply to the average office workers, who work eight-hour days. “They may take a lunch break or they may just eat at their desks, like much of the Western world,” Hall says. However, because so many Greeks are self-employed small business owners, many still do adhere to the tradition of closing for the hottest hours of the day and reopening when things have cooled off. “It’s not unusual to be able to get a doctor’s appointment at 8 p.m.,” says Hall. “Where else can you do that?”
France: 2 hours
Food is central to French culture, and so are workers’ rights. By law, the French workweek is 35 hours max, with compulsory overtime pay after that. Workers are also guaranteed 35 consecutive hours of rest per week. Many shops and offices, whether in bustling Paris or rural Provence, still shut down between around 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to give employees time to enjoy a proper lunch and maybe a rest. (Still, some offices allow only a one-hour lunch break, typically unpaid.) French schoolkids also get two-hour lunch breaks, though they return to school afterward until at least 4:30 p.m., with high schoolers going as late as 6 p.m.
China: 2 hours, including a nap
Rigid working conditions in China may be a Western stereotype. In fact, the country builds in time for a midday snooze. Most office and government employees, as well as schoolchildren, get a two-hour break, during which they’re encouraged to eat lunch and then take a nap—the latter to improve afternoon productivity. Some workers even bring a pillow and blanket to the office. Both work and school days go until 6 p.m.
Brazil: 1 to 2 hours
Brazilian law mandates that employees working at least four hours a day get a one-hour lunch break. But a two-hour lunch is not uncommon for businesspeople, who may stretch a late morning meeting into a long lunch. As in many places in Europe, stores, especially small businesses, will close from noon to 2:30 p.m. to allow everyone time to lunch and rest. The workday typically lasts until 6 p.m. Lunches are often business affairs, but dinner is traditionally more of a time for families, with meals starting around 7:30 p.m., or later in the summertime.
Italy: 1 to 2 hours
Lunch is a sacred tradition in Italy, and even self-employed Italians (like my husband) will take a full hour for lunch, with some time to dine and then relax before going back to work. The Italian business tradition of closing at 1 p.m. and reopening at 4 p.m. (or later) harkens back to Italy’s agricultural past, says tour operator Cherrye Moore of My Bella Vita Travel. “You had a big meal and then rested during the hottest part of the day, so you could go back out and work in the fields until sundown.” Old habits die hard, and many stores still close for several hours in the afternoon. Moore knows many office workers who will go home for a two-hour lunch and then return to work until 6 p.m. or later.
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Sources:
- Cherrye Moore, owner of My Bella Vita Travel; personal interview, May 21, 2025
- Rebecca Hall, travel writer/author/destination expert presenter; personal interview, May 21, 2025
- Poster Compliance Center: “Breaks and Meals by State”
- U.S. Department of Labor: “Breaks and Meal Periods”
- Intuit Quickbooks: “Are American workers playing ‘ketchup’ with their lunch breaks?”
- The Guardian: “No more two-hour lunch breaks: the slow death of Spain’s menú del día”
- Boundless: “Hours of Work in France”
- INRAE — Guide for International Scientists: “The French school system”
- Travel China Guide: “Business Hours in China”
- Europortage: “Working Time in Brazil”
