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.
Holidays in Germany can be divided into three categories:
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.
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.
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.
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 sprig. School holidays in Germany differ according to federal state.
Find out more about the German school holiday system.
| German holidays 2025 | Date | Federal state |
|---|---|---|
| New Years’ Day (Neujahr) |
January 1 | All |
| Ephiphany (Heilige Drei Könige) |
January 6 | Baden-Württemberg Bavaria Saxony-Anhalt |
| Women's Day (Frauentag) |
March 8 | Berlin Mecklenberg-Vorpommern |
| Good Friday (Karfreitag) |
April 18 | All |
| Easter Sunday (Ostersonntag) |
April 20 | Brandenburg |
| Easter Monday (Ostermontag) |
April 21 | All |
| Labour Day (Tag der Arbeit) |
May 1 | All |
| Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt) |
May 29 | All |
| Whitsunday (Pfingstsonntag) |
June 8 | Brandenburg |
| Whitmonday (Pfingstmontag) |
June 9 | All |
| Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam) |
June 19 | Baden-Württemberg Bavaria Hesse North Rhine-Westphalia Rhineland-Palatinate Saarland |
| Assumption Day (Mariä Himmelfahrt) |
August 15 | Bavaria Saarland |
| World Children's Day (Weltkindertag) |
September 20 | Thuringia |
| German Unification Day (Tag der Deutschen Einheit) |
October 3 | All |
| Reformation Day (Reformationstag) |
October 31 | Brandenburg Bremen Hamburg Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Lower Saxony Saxony Saxony-Anhalt Schleswig-Holstein Thuringia |
| All Saints’ Day (Allerheiligen) |
November 1 | Baden-Württemberg Bavaria North Rhine-Westphalia Rhineland-Palatinate Saarland |
| Day of Repentance & Prayer (Buß- und Bettag) |
November 22 | Saxony |
| Christmas Day (Erster Weihnachtstag) |
December 25 | All |
| Boxing Day (Zweiter Weihnachtstag) |
December 26 | All |
| German holidays 2026 | Date | Federal state |
|---|---|---|
| New Years’ Day (Neujahr) |
January 1 | All |
| Ephiphany (Heilige Drei Könige) |
January 6 | Baden-Württemberg Bavaria Saxony-Anhalt |
| Women's Day (Frauentag) |
March 8 | Berlin Mecklenberg-Vorpommern |
| Good Friday (Karfreitag) |
April 3 | All |
| Easter Sunday (Ostersonntag) |
April 5 | Brandenburg |
| Easter Monday (Ostermontag) |
April 6 | All |
| Labour Day (Tag der Arbeit) |
May 1 | All |
| Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt) |
May 14 | All |
| Whitsunday (Pfingstsonntag) |
May 24 | Brandenburg |
| Whitmonday (Pfingstmontag) |
May 25 | All |
| Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam) |
June 4 | Baden-Württemberg Bavaria Hesse North Rhine-Westphalia Rhineland-Palatinate Saarland |
| Assumption Day (Mariä Himmelfahrt) |
August 15 | Bavaria Saarland |
| World Children's Day (Weltkindertag) |
September 20 | Thuringia |
| German Unification Day (Tag der Deutschen Einheit) |
October 3 | All |
| Reformation Day (Reformationstag) |
October 31 | Brandenburg Bremen Hamburg Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Lower Saxony Saxony Saxony-Anhalt Schleswig-Holstein Thuringia |
| All Saints’ Day (Allerheiligen) |
November 1 | Baden-Württemberg Bavaria North Rhine-Westphalia Rhineland-Palatinate Saarland |
| Day of Repentance & Prayer (Buß- und Bettag) |
November 18 | Saxony |
| Christmas Day (Erster Weihnachtstag) |
December 25 | All |
| Boxing Day (Zweiter Weihnachtstag) |
December 26 | All |