Germany Long Weekends in 2026: 8 Breaks, 6 Nationwide

Germany's 2026 holiday calendar is unusually kind to anyone who likes a long weekend. The year produces 8 long weekends, and six of them are nationwide — no matter which Bundesland you work in. The two headline breaks are natural four-dayers: Easter (Good Friday to Easter Monday) and the Christmas run. Three more become four-dayers with a single bridge day. Here is the complete list with exact dates.

The 6 nationwide long weekends in 2026

These apply in all 16 states. Four of the six require no annual leave at all.

Long weekend	Dates	Holiday
New Year's (4 days with bridge)	Jan 1-4, 2026	New Year's Day (Jan 1 Thu)
Easter (4 days, no leave)	Apr 3-6, 2026	Good Friday + Easter Monday
Labour Day	May 1-3, 2026	Labour Day (May 1 Fri)
Ascension Day (4 days with bridge)	May 14-17, 2026	Ascension Day (May 14 Thu)
Whit Monday	May 23-25, 2026	Whit Monday (May 25 Mon)
Christmas	Dec 25-27, 2026	Christmas Day (Dec 25 Fri)

The pattern is distinctive: 2026 front-loads German breaks into spring. April and May alone carry four of the six nationwide long weekends, making late spring the best season for domestic travel, camping, and city trips.

Easter 2026: the best no-leave break of the year

Good Friday falls on Friday Apr 3, 2026, and Easter Monday follows on Apr 6. That produces a natural Apr 3-6 four-day weekend — the single longest nationwide break of the year with zero annual leave. It is the ideal window for a short-haul flight, a Berlin-to-Bavaria rail trip, or the first proper spring getaway.

The classic German bridge days

Germany rewards careful planners with three bridge opportunities in 2026, each turning a weekday holiday into a four-day break by taking one adjacent Friday:

• New Year's, Jan 1-4: Jan 1 is Thursday; take Friday Jan 2 off.
• Ascension Day, May 14-17: Ascension is always a Thursday in Germany. Take Friday May 15 off and you own the whole weekend — a beloved Brückentag tradition.
• Corpus Christi, Jun 4-7: Thursday Jun 4 in Catholic-majority states; take Friday Jun 5 off for another four-dayer (regional).

The 2 regional long weekends

Two additional long weekends appear only in states that observe extra holidays:

• Epiphany, Jan 3-6 (2026): Epiphany falls on Tuesday Jan 6 in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Saxony-Anhalt. Take Monday Jan 5 off and you get a Jan 3-6 four-day break — the perfect post-holiday recovery window.
• Corpus Christi, Jun 4-7: Observed in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and parts of Thuringia; the Thursday holiday plus a Friday bridge yields four days.

If you live in Bavaria, 2026 is a bumper year: you get Epiphany, Corpus Christi and All Saints' Day (Nov 1, Sunday — no long weekend) on top of the nationwide list. Check the Germany 2026 calendar for your state.

What about German Unity Day?

The one disappointment in 2026 is German Unity Day, which falls on Saturday Oct 3. The holiday lands on the weekend itself, so it does not create a three-day break. Plan any October travel around other dates.

Best months and booking advice

April and May are the standout months: four nationwide long weekends in six weeks, including the no-leave Easter four-dayer. Book the Ascension window early — it is a popular long weekend across Germany, and prices for the Alps and Baltic coast spike. Christmas (Dec 25-27) is a short, low-key run; if you want a longer winter break, combine it with the two public holidays around New Year's in early 2027.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do all German states have the same long weekends? No. Six long weekends are nationwide in 2026, but Epiphany and Corpus Christi only apply in certain states, and a few states add Reformation Day (Oct 31, Saturday in 2026) or All Saints' Day.

Is Whit Monday a long weekend in 2026? Yes. Whit Monday falls on Monday May 25, 2026, giving a natural May 23-25 three-day weekend in every state.

How many vacation days should I save for bridges in 2026? Three bridge days — Jan 2, May 15, and (in Catholic states) Jun 5 — unlock three four-day weekends. If you use all three, you convert them into 9 rest days using only 3 vacation days.