Scandinavia and Canada
In countries such as Norway, Finland and Sweden, only state-owned retail chains such as Vinmonopolet, Alko and Systembolaget can sell alcohol. Furthermore, Swedish Systembolaget stores are open from 10 am to 6 pm on weekdays and from 10 am to 3 pm on Saturdays, Sundays is the day off. Iceland is a land of vinbudin stores that follow quirky hours. Some open at 11am, others at 4pm, and even opening just for an hour each day!
But alcohol can also be bought at night in Scandinavian countries, like Russia. It’s true that prices can be expensive in Iceland, but you should know for example that a pint of beer in a bar there will cost you at least 500 rubles and a glass of wine will cost about 800 rubles.
Canada’s alcohol sales are set up similarly to Scandinavia – in Canada, the state holds a monopoly on retail sales, but provincial authorities are in charge of all sales. So, in Quebec, the SAQ network operates, and in Nova Scotia, the NSLC. All stores are open during different times, but they all close on weekends. Alcohol is also heavily regulated in Mongolia, Senegal and Cuba, for example.
On the other hand, in Canada, with the exception of Alberta, regional governments have a monopoly over the retail trade. To provide a convenient shopping experience for their customers, each province will have a retail distributor of NSLC in Nova Scotia, SAQ in Quebec and Liquor Marts in Manitoba. The first location is open only on week times during this time frame: 09:00 – 17:00. The third establishment is also open on weekdays and opens earlier than the first one: 08:00 – 16:30. But NSLC is open from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on Monday to Wednesday, and from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm on Thursday to Saturday.
Muslim countries
In Saudi Arabia, alcohol is prohibited by law. Production, importation and consumption of alcohol are not allowed in the country. Alcohol is also banned – in fact, products that might even contain a tiny bit of alcohol (hello again, candies with cognac) are illegal too. Similar restrictions apply in Saudi Arabia. If you plan to visit the country, make sure not to bring alcohol with you.
Europe
Alcohol is usually legal across most European countries. In France and Germany, vendors are not allowed to sell alcohol at gas stations between 6 pm and 10 am. In Italy, they have a difficult to comprehend system of buying alcohol: from 3 pm to 6 pm, alcohol cannot be bought even in bars and clubs.
You can buy drinks at any time of the day. But at night it can be difficult to find convenience stores – Russians are used to them, but there are few in Europe. Most shops will close by 10pm at the latest, but you can go to the bar to find alcohol.
Of the European countries, only the Baltic states seem too different from the rest of Europe. There is a ban on retail sales of alcohol, including beer, from 22 pm to 8 am. You can buy alcohol in bars and restaurants at this time. In 2018, Lithuania passed a new law on alcohol sales. Starting from 10 AM, shops can only sell alcohol until 8 PM and on Sundays – until 3 pm. This is likely due to the Lithuanian government’s policies, which encourage alcohol consumption. Lithuania has officially been given this title in the past, and people are still drinking at an excessive rate.
USA
A single alcohol sale scheme for the United States couldn’t be drawn up even approximately. As each state over here regulates these things independently, there is a huge variation in the rules. For example, in Arizona, Texas, Kansas and New York you can buy spirits only at a specialty store called Liquor store which are closed at night. In states like Oklahoma the situation is similar with Beer. You can buy alcohol in supermarkets at any time in California, but the drinks are not on sale from 2am to 6am. Not to mention, in many states it’s illegal to sell alcohol on Sundays. And depending on where you are, it can also be illegal to sell products during certain elections or holidays. In one way, the US and Russia laws are very similar.
Alcohol sale restrictions are a worldwide practice. And this even applies to countries with a strong tradition of wine drinking. For example, in Portugal liquor stores are open from 09:00 to 19:00 with a two-hour lunch break.
In Germany, alcohol is not sold at petrol stations from 10:00 to 18:00, and in Catalonia hotels are fined for free alcoholic drinks during happy hours.
Bans are in effect in some cities in Italy. The Roman authorities recently issued strict restrictions that not only limit the sale of alcohol in the evening, but also it’s consumption. And they did it in front of a lot of tourists, not at all fearing a decrease in tourist traffic. Drinking alcohol in public is not allowed from 22:00 to 07:00. No alcohol can be bought in supermarkets after 10 pm; and from 2 am onwards it is not possible to buy it in bars and clubs.
In many developed countries, there is a state monopoly on the alcohol trade. For example, in Sweden, alcoholic beverages can only be purchased at Systembolaget stores from 10:00 to 19:00 on weekdays and until 15:00 on Saturdays. Due to high taxes, all products are expensive.
The same rules apply in Norway where only Vinmonopolet is permitted to sell alcohol in stores. Shops are open 8am – 6pm weekdays and until 2pm on Saturdays. And, as we alluded to before, their number is quite low. For instance, in Oslo- a city with a population of over 600 thousand people- there are only 27 stores and 267 throughout the country in general. A variety of countries in Europe, particularly in Eastern Europe, produce spirits.
Right, 411 state-owned Alko stores are open in Finland from 09:00 to 20:00 every day including Saturdays. Some stores are also open on Sunday until 18:00 while others have shorter opening time until 16:00. In a small town, there might not be any places to buy alcohol. Alcohol is delivered to customers on a pre-arranged schedule, usually at some designated location in the town. Customers can only buy not more than 2 litres of alcohol at once, which is an important decision taken by the govt.
Some countries only have government stores for selling alcohol, including beer. For example, you can find that in Iceland, Mongolia, Cuba and Senegal.
Some countries in the world have introduced complete bans on alcohol. We are talking about states proclaiming Islam. These are Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Iran, Somalia, Kuwait, Mali, Iraq, Bangladesh and some others. However, for non-Muslim tourists there are some concessions because they are allowed to drink alcoholic beverages in hotels, restaurants, bars and nightclubs which are mainly situated in the tourist region. Many countries have strict laws when it comes to drinking in public, and being drunk is punishable by a significant fine and deportation in Kuwait.