Max free days
12 days
taking every bridge
Vacation days needed
2
for the full plan
Bridge opportunities
2
weekday holidays you can extend
Best single bridge
4× return
free days per vacation day
Your personal bridge-day plan
How many vacation days can you spend on bridge days this year? Move the slider — we pick the most efficient combination for you.
8 free days
from 1 vacation days
Every vacation day buys you 8 days off
Take these days off
- Take Friday, January 2 off for a 4-day weekend (January 1 – January 4).Take off: 1 d
- Natural long weekend (April 3 – April 6) — no vacation days needed.Free — no vacation day needed
Every bridge-day opportunity in 2026
Each weekday public holiday in Berlin that can be extended into a longer break. Sorted by efficiency — the best value first.
- Natural long weekend (April 3 – April 6) — no vacation days needed.Free
- Take Friday, January 2 off for a 4-day weekend (January 1 – January 4).4 days
- Take Friday, May 15 off for a 4-day weekend (May 14 – May 17).4 days
Bridge days ranked by efficiency
New Year's Day: 4 days / 1. Ascension Day: 4 days / 1
New Year's Day4×
Ascension Day4×
·
Berlin: free-day potential 2026–2030
2026: 12 days. 2027: 8 days. 2028: 21 days. 2029: 30 days. 2030: 30 days
·
How Berlin compares (2026)
Saxony: 17 days. Baden-Wurttemberg: 16 days. Bavaria: 16 days. Hesse: 16 days. North Rhine-Westphalia: 16 days. Rhineland-Palatinate: 16 days. Saarland: 16 days. Berlin: 12 days. Brandenburg: 12 days. Bremen: 12 days. Hamburg: 12 days. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: 12 days. Lower Saxony: 12 days. Saxony-Anhalt: 12 days. Schleswig-Holstein: 12 days. Thuringia: 12 days
Saxony17
Baden-Wurttemberg16
Bavaria16
Hesse16
North Rhine-Westphalia16
Rhineland-Palatinate16
Saarland16
Berlin12
Brandenburg12
Bremen12
Hamburg12
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania12
Lower Saxony12
Saxony-Anhalt12
Schleswig-Holstein12
Thuringia12
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Public holidays in Berlin, 2026
Berlin observes 10 statutory public holidays in 2026.
New Year's DayThursday, January 1
International Women's DaySunday, March 8
Good FridayFriday, April 3
Easter MondayMonday, April 6
Labor DayFriday, May 1
Ascension DayThursday, May 14
Whit MondayMonday, May 25
German Unity DaySaturday, October 3
Christmas DayFriday, December 25
Boxing DaySaturday, December 26
Line up with the school holidays
Travelling with kids? Combine these bridge days with the 2026 Schulferien in Berlin to stretch a family trip without burning extra vacation days.
See Berlin school holidaysHow the planner works
We rank every bridge by its return — free days unlocked per vacation day spent — then fill your budget from the top, skipping any holiday already used and any overlapping break.
Free long weekends first
Holiday chains like Good Friday → Easter Monday already give you four days off for zero vacation days. Those are always in your plan.
Best value next
A Tuesday or Thursday holiday turns one vacation day into a four-day weekend (a 4× return). Wednesday holidays can become a five-day break with two days off.
No double-booking
Each public holiday contributes at most one bridge, and the breaks we pick never overlap — so your numbers always add up.
Frequently asked questions
How many free days can I get in Berlin in 2026?
Taking every bridge day, you can reach 12 consecutive free days in Berlin for the cost of 2 vacation days — plus any free long weekends that cost nothing.
Do I have to take all the bridge days?
No. Use the slider in the planner above to set how many vacation days you want to spend, and we show the most efficient subset for that budget.
What is the single best bridge in 2026?
The most efficient bridge returns 4 free days for each vacation day spent. It is highlighted at the top of the efficiency ranking.
Are these the public holidays for all of Berlin?
Yes — the plan uses the statutory public holidays observed across Berlin. A few municipalities have extra local holidays (e.g. Augsburg) that are not included.
Can I plan another year or another state?
Absolutely. Use the cross-links below to jump to Berlin in another year, or to the same year in a different Bundesland.
Berlin in other years
Compare other Bundesländer (2026)
Sources & method
Public-holiday dates are computed from the statutory rules per Bundesland; Easter-derived dates use the Gregorian Computus.
Plan the rest of your year
Count the exact length of any break or line up the school holidays.
All bridge-day planners