The day of the week a trip begins matters more in smaller places than in cities. A Sunday arrival routinely produces problems that the same itinerary starting on a Tuesday would not.
Transport thins out on the same day
Regional bus and rail services frequently run reduced Sunday timetables, and on rural coastal routes the service may not run at all.
Connections that work perfectly on a weekday can leave a several-hour gap on a Sunday, and the last departure of the day is often much earlier.
This affects the airport transfer most sharply, since a flight arriving in the evening can land after the last connecting service has gone.
Shops and services close on a local pattern
In many countries Sunday closing remains widespread outside tourist centres, covering supermarkets, pharmacies and the small shops a new arrival needs.
Self-catering arrivals are the most affected, since a property with an empty kitchen and no open shop nearby means the first evening is spent eating out by necessity.
Restaurant closing days compound this, because Sunday evening and Monday are the most common days for kitchens in small towns to take their break.
Anything requiring an office has to wait
Rental collection points at small locations, tourist offices, banks, ferry ticket desks and local activity operators frequently keep weekday hours or close entirely.
A problem that arises on arrival, such as a booking error or a missing reservation, cannot be resolved until an office reopens.
Where a permit, pass or ticket must be collected in person, the timing of the arrival can cost a full day of the trip.
Check-in congestion runs the other way
Sunday is a common changeover day for weekly rentals, which means arrival and departure traffic concentrate on the same afternoon.
Roads into resort areas, ferry crossings and car rental desks are all at their busiest, and early check-in is least likely to be available.
In some regions Saturday holds this role instead, and finding out which day a destination uses is a five-minute question worth asking.
How to plan around it
Arriving on a weekday afternoon avoids most of this, and where the flight schedule forces a weekend arrival the first night is best spent near the airport.
Carrying enough food for one evening removes the main practical problem for self-catering trips, and it is a small amount of luggage for a large amount of certainty.
Checking the local closing conventions for the specific destination is more reliable than assuming, since the pattern varies widely between countries and even between regions.