Every German bridge-day window in 2026 at a glance: which vacation days to request, how many consecutive days off you gain, and which federal states each holiday applies in.
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2026 is a strong bridge-day year in Germany: New Year's Day falls on a Thursday, Labour Day and Christmas Day on Fridays, and Ascension Day and Corpus Christi on their usual Thursdays. The two biggest windows are Easter (April 3–12) and the turn of the year (December 25 – January 3, 2027): 4 vacation days buy 10 consecutive days off in each. Combining Christmas and New Year turns 8 vacation days into 16 free days. On top come the classic 4-day weekends at Ascension (May 15) and Corpus Christi (June 5) for a single vacation day each. Some 2026 holidays fall on weekends and offer no bridge: German Unity Day (Saturday), Reformation Day (Saturday), All Saints' Day (Sunday), and Boxing Day (Saturday).
| Occasion | Vacation days to request | Days off in a row | Window | Applies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Year | 1 (Fri, Jan 2) | 4 | Thu, Jan 1 – Sun, Jan 4 | Nationwide |
| Epiphany | 1 (Mon, Jan 5) | 4 | Sat, Jan 3 – Tue, Jan 6 | BW, BY, ST |
| Easter | 4 (Tue, Apr 7, Wed, Apr 8, Thu, Apr 9, Fri, Apr 10) | 10 | Fri, Apr 3 – Sun, Apr 12 | Nationwide |
| Labour Day | 4 (Mon, Apr 27, Tue, Apr 28, Wed, Apr 29, Thu, Apr 30) | 9 | Sat, Apr 25 – Sun, May 3 | Nationwide |
| Ascension Day | 1 (Fri, May 15) | 4 | Thu, May 14 – Sun, May 17 | Nationwide |
| Whitsun | 4 (Tue, May 26, Wed, May 27, Thu, May 28, Fri, May 29) | 9 | Sat, May 23 – Sun, May 31 | Nationwide |
| Corpus Christi | 1 (Fri, Jun 5) | 4 | Thu, Jun 4 – Sun, Jun 7 | BW, BY, HE, NW, RP, SL |
| Day of Repentance | 2 (Mon, Nov 16, Tue, Nov 17) | 5 | Sat, Nov 14 – Wed, Nov 18 | SN |
| Christmas | 4 (Mon, Dec 21, Tue, Dec 22, Wed, Dec 23, Thu, Dec 24) | 9 | Sat, Dec 19 – Sun, Dec 27 | Nationwide |
| New Year 2027 | 4 (Mon, Dec 28, Tue, Dec 29, Wed, Dec 30, Thu, Dec 31) | 10 | Fri, Dec 25 – Sun, Jan 3 | Nationwide |
Source: federal-state public holiday acts (Feiertagsgesetze); movable feasts derived from Easter Sunday (April 5, 2026). No guarantee of completeness.
Bridge days are working days between a public holiday and the weekend. One vacation day bridges the gap and buys a long weekend. The classic example is the Friday after Ascension Day.
Easter: requesting April 7–10 (4 days) makes April 3–12 free: 10 consecutive days. The year-end window (December 28–31) is equally strong.
No. Nine holidays are nationwide; Corpus Christi, Epiphany, All Saints' Day, Reformation Day and others apply only in certain states. The state pages below show the bridges valid in each.
No: bridge days are normal working days and must be requested as vacation. Because everyone wants the same days, request early and use a tool that checks team coverage.