The year 2026 is just around the corner and with it the chance to get a lot of free time out of just a few days of vacation with clever planning. If you use the bridging days cleverly, you can more than double your vacation – provided you plan well in advance and know the best periods.
The best bridging day options for 2026
Even if 2026 is not one of the busiest years, it still offers attractive opportunities for relaxing breaks. The location of the holidays makes it possible to gain significantly more free time in one go with strategically placed vacation days.
Easter as a highlight in spring
The period around Easter is particularly worthwhile. Good Friday falls on April 3rd, Easter Monday on April 6th. Anyone who invests eight days of vacation here can look forward to 16 consecutive days off – from March 28th to April 12th. This period is perfect for an extended spring vacation in warmer regions.
The friendly May
In 2026, May will be particularly generous with public holidays. Labor Day brings a long weekend on Friday, May 1st. Things get even more interesting with the combination of Ascension Day (May 14th) and Whit Monday (May 25th). With just nine days of vacation you can secure 17 days off in a row. If you plan even more ambitiously, you can even get over three weeks of free time in May by cleverly adding additional vacation days.
Make the most of the beginning and end of the year
New Year as a door opener: The start of 2026 also offers interesting options. New Year’s Day falls on a Thursday, which allows for a four-day weekend with just one day of vacation. For employees in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Saxony-Anhalt, there is also the Epiphany holiday on January 6th, which falls on a Tuesday. With two strategically set vacation days, you can achieve six days off at the beginning of the year.
Christmas and New Year’s Eve
At the end of the year there is once again an attractive bridging day constellation. In 2026, Christmas Day will be on a Friday. Anyone who takes time off from December 19th to January 3rd only needs eight days of vacation for a total of 16 days off. This option is particularly suitable for anyone who wants to spend the holidays relaxing with family and friends without being stressed by work.
What you need to consider when planning your vacation
Submit the application in good time: Bridge days are naturally popular with colleagues. It is therefore advisable to start planning your vacation early and submit the application promptly. A timely dialogue with superiors and the team can avoid unpleasant discussions and increases the chances of getting the desired days approved.
Know the legal situation
Bridge days are not automatically days off – regular vacation days must be requested. The employer can generally refuse this for operational reasons, for example if certain industries are busy at these times. In retail, for example, a Friday after a public holiday can be particularly busy. As the labor law specialist Volker Görzel explained to n-tv, employees have the statutory holiday entitlement on their side, unless urgent operational concerns contradict this. When there are competing holiday wishes, social aspects such as school-age children are taken into account.
Keep an eye on regional differences
Not all federal states have the same public holidays. Corpus Christi on June 4th, for example, is only a public holiday in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. This Thursday offers the opportunity for a four-day weekend in these federal states with a bridge day on Friday. With the day of repentance and prayer on November 18th, Saxony has an additional Wednesday as a public holiday that can be used for a break lasting several days.
Through clever planning and early arrangements, you can get the most out of the available vacation days in 2026, despite the rather unfavorable holiday situation. With the right bridging days, the standard vacation quota can be turned into significantly longer recovery time.
D. Maier / editorial team finanzen.net