Maximum holiday joy in 2026: How to use holidays cleverly!

Maximum holiday joy in 2026: How to use holidays cleverly!

Vacation planning for 2026 is already in full swing. Employees in Germany have numerous options for optimally combining their public holidays and vacation days. How ZWP Online reports, there will be various opportunities to enjoy extended vacation periods in the coming year.

A central holiday is New Year's Day on January 1, 2026, which falls on a Thursday. Employees can enjoy four days off with just one additional day of vacation from January 1st to 4th, 2026. In some federal states such as Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Saxony-Anhalt it is possible to extend the days off with a second day of vacation until the Three Wise Men on January 6th. In addition, New Year's Day can be optimally combined with the Christmas 2025 holidays, so that you have 11 days off in a row with just four days of vacation.

Easter and May Day offer long weekends

The Easter weekend, which includes Good Friday on April 3rd and Easter Monday on April 6th, allows for ten days of freedom with just four days of vacation. More precisely, employees with 8 days of vacation can even take 16 days off in a row. May Day on May 1st, which is a Friday, also provides an opportunity for a long weekend without the need for vacation days, while four days vacation allows for a total of nine days off.

Speaking of long weekends: Ascension Day falls on a Thursday on May 14, 2026, which invites employees to take a vacation day on Friday, May 15, as a bridge day. In combination with Whit Monday on May 25th, you can have up to 17 days off with a total of nine days of vacation.

Special holidays and vacation requests

Another important holiday is Corpus Christi on June 4, 2026, which only allows a bridge day in certain federal states such as Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. In November, workers expect the day of repentance and prayer on November 18th. If this falls on a Wednesday, up to five days can be taken off with two days of vacation; with four days of vacation you even get nine days.

There are also attractive options available during the Christmas season. Christmas Day on December 25, 2026 is a Friday. Here, employees with four days of vacation can take ten days off until New Year's Day 2027. Furthermore, with clever planning, an additional four days of vacation can be used during the week before Christmas to also have a whole week off.

However, it should be noted that some public holidays are not recognized as public holidays nationwide. For example, German Unity Day, December 26th, and other relevant holidays such as International Women's Day fall on a weekend, which can make vacation planning difficult. Therefore recommend ZDF today early consultations with colleagues to optimize the use of bridging days.

On average, full-time employees in Germany are entitled to at least 20 days of vacation, and many even receive up to 30 days. With careful planning and the combination of public holidays with vacation days, a significant extension of the vacation time can be achieved. Employers may only reject requests for bridging days for operational reasons.