Reviewed annual edition 2026

Vacation Planning Guide for Switzerland

Three checks create clarity before you compare and request vacation days.

Open planner Year overview
Reviewed 2026 edition

Reviewed vacation windows for 2026

Each Swiss scenario identifies nationwide or cantonal scope and separates public holidays from approved holidays from work.

1 January 2026 - 4 January 2026

New Year: the canton decides 2 January

The window runs from Thursday 1 January through Sunday 4 January 2026. New Year's Day applies in every canton. The general calculation treats Friday 2 January as leave and produces four free days from one leave day.

Important: The actual leave requirement depends on the canton and Berchtold's Day. In several cantons 2 January is a holiday or day off, but treatment is not uniform. Check the canton, municipality, employment terms and workplace before recording it as leave or automatically free.

Leave days
1
Free days
4
Request
2 January 2026
3 April 2026 - 6 April 2026

Easter: four days only where both holidays apply

The potential Easter window runs from Friday 3 April through Monday 6 April 2026. No leave days are needed only when both Good Friday and Easter Monday are days off under the rules at the place of work. They then combine with Saturday and Easter Sunday into a four-day block.

Important: The four-day block exists only where both cantonal holidays apply. Ticino and Valais do not treat Good Friday as a canton-wide statutory holiday, while Neuchâtel does not treat Easter Monday as a canton-wide holiday. If either day is missing, leave or another form of time off is required.

Leave days
0
Free days
4
Request
No leave dates in the conditional calculation
14 May 2026 - 17 May 2026

Ascension: nationwide Thursday plus Friday

Ascension falls on Thursday 14 May 2026 and applies in every canton. Taking Friday 15 May as leave extends the break through Sunday 17 May. The nationwide Thursday plus Friday leave creates exactly four free days.

Important: Friday is not a nationwide holiday and remains a working day without approved leave, overtime compensation or a workplace rule. Even on a nationwide holiday, shifts, transport and opening hours can differ, so personal time off must be confirmed separately.

Leave days
1
Free days
4
Request
15 May 2026
Practical rule

Overview before request

New Year, Easter and Ascension form compact four-day windows in 2026, but their leave cost is not identical in every canton. At New Year, the status of 2 January is decisive; at Easter, both Good Friday and Easter Monday must apply. Ascension is nationwide, while the following Friday remains a working day. The calculation assumes a Monday-to-Friday week; shifts, workplace holidays and collective agreements may differ.

Regional rules

Check the place where the rule applies

Holiday rules differ by canton and sometimes by district or municipality. The place of work and the rule applying there matter more than a nationwide calendar colour. Check Berchtold's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Corpus Christi and St Stephen's Day in the specific canton. Workplace practice or a collective agreement may add days off, but does not change the underlying cantonal status.

School calendars

School breaks follow their own calendar

School breaks are organised by canton and often also by municipality or individual school. Sports, spring, summer, autumn and Christmas breaks therefore do not begin at the same time in every canton. Families should compare the scenario with the relevant canton, municipality and school. A cantonal holiday does not automatically mean a school break elsewhere or guaranteed childcare at the workplace.

No-gain date

A holiday can still be useful without improving leave efficiency

Swiss National Day provides no additional free weekday in 2026 because it falls on Saturday, 1 August. A standard Monday-to-Friday schedule therefore gains no bridge day. Taking Friday or Monday off uses ordinary leave, and no cantonal substitute entitlement should be assumed without a specific legal basis.

Planning route

From overview to a usable vacation plan

The Swiss decision path is federal or cantonal scope, workplace holiday approval and then the relevant local school calendar.

  1. 1. Orient

    Start with the full year

    Begin with the nationwide Federal Day, then check canton scope because other holidays and school calendars can remain cantonal or local.

    Open overview
  2. 2. Localize

    Choose the relevant region

    Choose the canton where the rule applies, then confirm the municipality or school when its holiday calendar is locally organised.

    Check region
  3. 3. Compare

    Turn dates into leave efficiency

    Compare working days only after federal or cantonal scope is clear; the employment arrangement still controls holidays from work.

    Open planner
  4. 4. Coordinate

    Check school breaks and calendar weeks

    Families should check the EDK and local school range; cross-canton teams can coordinate the approved block by ISO week.

    Use calendar weeks
  5. 5. Keep

    Save the decision where it is used

    A subscription should retain the canton and year; create a fresh export when cantonal scope or its source changes.

    Open calendar subscription
Keep it portable

Export when the dates are settled

Export only after canton and approved work holidays are settled, especially when the file will be shared across cantons.

Open export
Data basis

Official-source-backed planning context

The guide uses the same source basis as the tools: statutory holiday rules, regional scope, school-break calendars and practical planning views for Switzerland.

Labour Act Art. 20a Cantonal holiday overview EDK school-holiday lists How we maintain this data