Overall 2022 has not been the best year for both national and state public holidays in Germany, with several falling on the weekend. Even the upcoming Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are, respectively, on a Saturday and Sunday.
But employees can rejoice in 2023: with the exception of New Year’s Day, which falls on a Sunday, most public holidays in Germany take place during the week.
And because several fall on a Thursday or Tuesday, people in Germany have the chance to take more bridge daysor bridge days, so that one vacation day can make a four-day weekend.
Or in some cases, when public holidays fall on a Monday and Friday, for example, employees can take three days off of work in order to have nine work-free days.
READ ALSO: Vacation days in Germany: What to know about your rights as an employee
The German travel website travelcircus found that employees with an average of 25 vacation days can squeeze out up to 61 days of vacation using bridge days.
Off to a good start in the New Year
New Year’s Day 2023 falls on a Sunday, but if you live in the right state, you can look forward to nine days off with four vacation days. You will benefit if you live in Bavaria, Saxony-Anhalt or Baden-Württemberg – as there is a day off in these states on January 6th, for the Epiphany – also called Three Kings Day.
READ ALSO: Three Kings Day: What you should know about Germany’s public holiday in three states
Employees can apply for vacation from January 2nd to 5th – provided, of course, that you work a regular five-day week from Monday to Friday. If you have taken too little vacation during 2022, then you may be able to carry the remaining vacation with you into the next year.
Typically, German employers allow employees to carry five days over into the next year.
Extra time over Easter
Want to take half of April off, but just use up eight vacation days? Simply submit a request from April 3rd to 6th (as Easter Friday falls on the 7th), and then again April 11th-14th following Easter Monday on April 10th.
Many May holidays
For the first time in two years, Labour Day – on Monday, May 1st – again falls on a weekday in 2023.
With four vacation days, you can enjoy nine work-free days at the beginning of the month.
If you are holding out for nicer weather, you can save up those days for Ascension Day (or Ascension of Christ in German) on May 18th or Whit Monday on May 29th. With four vacation days you’ll take advantage of nine days off at the end of May, or with six vacation days you can extend that to 12 whole days.
Tourists admire the view in Saxon Switzerland, one of Germany’s top tourist attractions. picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Sebastian Kahnert
Extra long weekend in June
If you live in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate or Saarland, you can take a long weekend off with one vacation day. The reason? Corpus Christi (or Corpus Christi in German) on June 6th. Workers from other states will have to make do without public holidays in June.
READ ALSO: Fronleichnam: What you should know about the public holiday
In July, Germany as a whole is short of public holidays, and on August 15th, people from Saarland and Bavaria each get a day off.
Those who live in Augsburg can look forward to a free day – August 8th is the Peace Festival, which is a holiday only in Augsburg.
Two long weekends in October
German Unity Day falls on Tuesday, October 3rd, so if you take Monday off, you’ll have a long weekend.
The same possibility is offered at the end of October. Reformation Day – which is celebrated in about half of Germany on October 31st – also falls on a Tuesday, so you could take a long weekend off there as well.
Ample holiday time over Christmas 2023
Christmas Day and Boxing Day in 2023 fall on a Monday and a Tuesday, which means that with three vacation days you can experience ten whole days off.
And the next year will be off to an even better start: New Year’s Day 2024 falls also falls on a Monday.
What are Germany’s public holidays in 2023?
New Year’s Day (national): Sunday, January 1st
Three Kings Day (Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, and Saxony-Anhalt): Friday, January 6th
International Women’s Day (Berlin): Wednesday, March 8th
Easter Friday (national): April 7th
Easter Monday (national): April 10th
Labour Day (national): Monday, May 1st
Ascension Day/Christi Himmelfahrt (national): Thursday, May 18th
Whit Monday (national): Monday, May 29th
Corpus Christi/Corpus Christi (Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony and Thuringia): June 8th
Assumption Day/Assumption Day (Bavaria and Saarland): Tuesday, August 15
World Children’s Day/Weltkindertag (Thuringia): Wednesday, November 20th
Day of German Unity (national): Tuesday, October 3rd
Reformation Day (Brandenburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia): Tuesday, October 31st
All Saints Day (Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland): Wednesday, November 1st
Day of Prayer and Repentance (Saxony): Wednesday, November 22nd
Christmas Day (national): Monday, December 25th
Second Day of Christmas (national): Tuesday, December 26th