German holidays 2024 & 2025

Germany has a relatively generous number of public holidays (gesetzliche Feiertage). Like Sundays, these days are designated by law as days of rest, meaning that banks and shops are often closed. Public holidays are usually counted separately to paid holiday leave, although you should check your work contract to make sure.

Types of German holidays

Holidays in Germany can be divided into three categories:

German public holidays

There are nine public holidays that are observed in all 16 federal states in Germany, including New Year's Day, German Unity Day and Christmas Day.

German regional holidays

Although the federal government has the power to declare national holidays, control over public holidays rests primarily with the individual states. For this reason, some federal states observe holidays that are not recognised elsewhere. The state with the most public holidays is Bavaria, where you can count on 13 rest days per year. The other federal states have between 10 and 12 days per year. 

Other holidays in Germany

In addition to officially-recognised public holidays, there are several unofficial holidays, such as St Nicholas’ Day (Nikolaus) on December 5, Carnival Monday (Rosenmontag) and Christmas Eve.  

School holidays in Germany

Schools in Germany have between five and six holiday periods per year, including Easter, summer and Christmas holidays as well as breaks in the autumn and spring. School holidays in Germany differ according to federal state.

Find out more about the German school holiday system.

German holidays 2024

German holidays 2025