How Public Holidays Work in Switzerland
Swiss National Day (1 August) is the only federal holiday; the other 7 listed here are observed in nearly every canton. A holiday that falls on a weekend is not moved.
Holidays are set by the cantons. Berchtoldstag (2 Jan) is common in German-speaking cantons, Catholic cantons add Epiphany, Corpus Christi, Assumption, All Saints' Day and Immaculate Conception, and Geneva has Jeûne genevois. Good Friday is not a holiday in Ticino and parts of Valais.
All Switzerland Holidays in 2019
| Date | Holiday | About |
|---|---|---|
| Tue, Jan 1 | New Year's DayNeujahr | First day of the year, observed in every canton. |
| Fri, Apr 19 | Good FridayKarfreitag | The Friday before Easter; a holiday everywhere except Ticino and parts of Valais. |
| Mon, Apr 22 | Easter MondayOstermontag | The Monday after Easter Sunday. |
| Thu, May 30 | Ascension DayAuffahrt | Always a Thursday, 39 days after Easter; many people bridge to a four-day weekend. |
| Mon, Jun 10 | Whit MondayPfingstmontag | The Monday after Pentecost, 50 days after Easter. |
| Thu, Aug 1 | Swiss National DayBundesfeiertag | Commemorates the 1291 Federal Charter, with bonfires, fireworks and speeches; a federal holiday since 1994. |
| Wed, Dec 25 | Christmas DayWeihnachten | Gifts are traditionally exchanged the evening before. |
| Thu, Dec 26 | St Stephen's DayStephanstag | The day after Christmas, observed in most cantons. |
Click a date to see it on the monthly calendar.
Long Weekends in 2019
- New Year's Day bridge day: take Mon, Dec 31 offDec 29 – Jan 1 · 4 days
- Good Friday & Easter Monday Apr 19 – Apr 22 · 4 days
- Ascension Day bridge day: take Fri, May 31 offMay 30 – Jun 2 · 4 days
- Whit Monday Jun 8 – Jun 10 · 3 days
- Swiss National Day bridge day: take Fri, Aug 2 offAug 1 – Aug 4 · 4 days
- Christmas Day & St Stephen's Day bridge day: take Fri, Dec 27 offDec 25 – Dec 29 · 5 days
With 4 vacation days on the bridge days above you get 17 days off in total.
Plan 2019 Around These Holidays
Add your vacation and bridge days to a calendar, then export it as a printable PDF. For the full year at a glance see the 2019 calendar.
Open Calendar Builder