It's difficult to be specific about opening hours in Belize but in general most shops are open 8am-noon and 1-8pm. The lunch hour - noon to 1pm - is almost universally observed and it's hopeless trying to get anything done then. Some shops and businesses work a half-day on Saturday, and everything is liable to close early on Friday. Banks (generally Mon-Thurs 8am-2.30pm, Fri 8am-4.30pm) and government offices are only open Monday to Friday. Watch out for Sundays, when everybody takes it easy; shops, and sometimes restaurants, are closed, and fewer bus services and internal flights operate. Archeological sites, however, are open every day.

We've listed the main public holidays , when virtually everything will be closed. In Belize it's only in the outlying areas, such as around San Ignacio and Corozal, and in the Maya villages of the south, that you'll find traditional village fiestas . Elsewhere, national celebrations are the main excuse for a day-long party, and the rhythms of the Caribbean dominate the proceedings. But here you'll feel less of an outsider and will be welcome to dance and drink with the locals. Traditional dance is still practised by two ethnic groups in Belize: the Maya and the Garífuna. The best time to see Garífuna dances is November 19, Garífuna Settlement Day, in either Dangriga or Hopkins. Maya dances are still performed at fiestas in the south and west, and in many ways resemble their counterparts in Guatemala. Dance is very much a part of Creole culture and all national celebrations are marked by open-air dances.