German Public Holidays [2026 & 2026 Table] - Live In Germany

Germany has 9 nationwide public holidays (Feiertage, meaning legally recognised days off work) in 2026, with individual states adding between 1 and 5 more depending on their religious and regional traditions. That gap matters more than most newcomers expect. In 2023, I nearly booked a contractor to come to our place in Wolfsburg on Reformation Day, only to discover at the last minute that Lower Saxony actually observes it. He wouldn’t be coming anywhere.

Germany’s public holiday system is layered by design. The federal government sets a baseline of national holidays, but the Bundesländer are federal states that each have their own parliament and legislation, and they each legislate their own additional days under state law. Bavaria gets the most, with 13 public holidays in 2026. Berlin gets the fewest at 10. If you’re working, traveling, or running errands, knowing which holidays apply to your specific state is genuinely useful information.

According to Destatis, Germany’s federal statistical office, roughly 60% of public holidays in 2026 fall on weekdays, which directly affects working hours, shop opening times, and public transport schedules across the country. Whether you’re looking up german public holidays 2025 to plan ahead, or trying to confirm 2026 german public holidays before booking leave, this guide covers every Feiertag by state with a full table.

Types of German Public Holidays

Germany divides its public holidays into a few distinct categories, and understanding the difference matters more than you’d think. This is especially true when planning time off across state lines.

Gesetzliche Feiertage (National Public Holidays)

Nine public holidays apply across all sixteen federal states. These include New Year’s Day, German Unity Day (Tag der Deutschen Einheit, literally “Day of German Unity”) on 3 October, and both Christmas days on 25 and 26 December.

Regionale Feiertage (Regional Public Holidays)

Individual states set their own additional holidays. According to Destatis, Bavaria leads with 13 public holidays in 2026, while most other states observe between 10 and 12. Baden-Württemberg public holidays 2026 include Epiphany (Heilige Drei Könige, 6 January) and Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam, the Thursday after Trinity Sunday), which workers in Wolfsburg simply don’t get.

Inoffizielle Feiertage (Unofficial Observances)

Some days feel like holidays without being legally recognised. Carnival Monday (Rosenmontag, the Monday before Ash Wednesday), Christmas Eve (Heiligabend, 24 December), and Saint Nicholas Day (Nikolaus, 6 December) fall into this category. Shops may close early, schools sometimes finish at noon, and the atmosphere shifts noticeably.

Germany has 9 national public holidays (gesetzliche Feiertage, meaning holidays set by federal law) that apply in every federal state, plus up to 13 additional regional holidays depending on where you live. That gap matters more than most newcomers expect. When I arrived in Wolfsburg in 2022 and started planning time off, I quickly realised that a colleague in Munich was working with a noticeably different calendar than I was. Bavaria stacks regional holidays in a way that Lower Saxony simply doesn’t.

The total number of public holidays you get in 2026 ranges from 9 in states like Hamburg and Bremen to as many as 17 in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. According to Destatis, Germany observes fewer statutory holidays than many of its EU neighbours, which makes every single one worth planning around. For expats, understanding this federal patchwork is what separates a well-planned leave schedule from a wasted vacation day. The national dates alone won’t give you the full picture.

This guide covers every German public holiday for 2025 and 2026, broken down by state, including Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, and all 16 Bundesländer. You’ll find the official dates, the religious or historical background behind each one, and a complete state-by-state comparison table.

School Holidays in Germany

School holidays in Germany are set at the state (Bundesland) level, not federally, which means Schulferien (school vacation periods, distinct from public holidays) vary significantly depending on where you live. A family in Bayern will have different summer holidays than one in Niedersachsen, and that staggering is actually intentional. The Kultusministerkonferenz (Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education, the body that coordinates school policy across all 16 states) coordinates the dates across states to spread out holiday travel and reduce motorway congestion nationwide.

Most states observe five to six distinct vacation blocks each year: winter break, Easter holidays, Pfingstferien (Whitsun break, typically one week around Pentecost), summer holidays, autumn break, and Christmas holidays. Summer holidays are the longest, typically running six weeks, though the exact dates rotate across states on a multi-year cycle. According to the Kultusministerkonferenz, the 2026 school holiday schedule has already been published and approved for all 16 federal states.

If you have kids in school or simply want to avoid peak travel prices, checking your specific state’s Schulferien calendar before booking anything is genuinely one of the most practical things you can do.

Public Holidays in Germany Vary from State to State

How many public holidays does Germany have in 2026? The answer depends entirely on which state you live in. Germany has no single national authority deciding which days everyone gets off. Each of the 16 federal states (Bundesländer) sets its own official public holidays, layered on top of the nine nationwide ones. The result is a surprisingly wide gap depending on where you live.

Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, and Saarland come out on top with 12 public holidays each in 2026. Hamburg and Bremen sit at the other end with just 10. That two-day difference might not sound like much, but it adds up fast when you’re planning annual leave.

Here’s how every state stacks up in 2026:

So if a colleague in Munich seems to disappear more often than you do, there’s a structural reason for it.

German Public Holidays 2023 and 2024: Full Table by State

The table below covers every public holiday (gesetzlicher Feiertag, a legally protected day off under German law) across Germany for both 2023 and 2024, including which federal states observe each one. A few holidays apply nationwide, while others are tied to specific states, so the state column matters more than most people realise.

One thing worth knowing: Germany has 9 nationwide public holidays and up to 13 in states like Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, according to the federal government’s official holiday framework. According to Destatis, a worker in Bavaria benefits from up to four more legally protected days off per year than a colleague doing the same job in Hamburg. If you live in Wolfsburg or anywhere in Lower Saxony, you get Reformation Day on top of the national set, but not Corpus Christi or All Saints’ Day. State-level differences genuinely affect how many days off you actually get each year, so it pays to check your specific Bundesland.

What is the Most Important Holiday in Germany?

There is no single answer. Germany’s public holidays carry different weight depending on where you live and what you believe. For Catholics concentrated in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam) and All Saints’ Day (Allerheiligen) are deeply meaningful. For Protestants in Saxony or Brandenburg, Reformation Day carries real cultural gravity. Tag der Deutschen Einheit (German Unity Day) on 3 October is the one holiday that belongs to everyone equally, regardless of state or religion. It is the only nationwide public holiday not rooted in Christianity, and according to the Federal Government of Germany, it marks the 1990 reunification that reshaped the entire country.

In practice, Christmas tends to win the popular vote. Germans take the Weihnachtszeit (Christmas season, roughly from the start of Advent through 26 December) seriously, and the combination of 25 and 26 December as consecutive public holidays makes it the longest guaranteed pause in the German calendar year.

My honest take: if you want to understand Germany through its holidays, start with Unity Day and Christmas. Between them, you get both the country’s history and its heart.