Most full-time employees in Switzerland have a minimum of four weeks of annual leave. But by combining public holidays with your paid vacation, you can enjoy more days off.
Four weeks is a statuary minimum, though many companies offer their employees more than that; the exact number of days or weeks is outlined in an employment contract or the collective labour agreement.
READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about annual leave in Switzerland
But for the purposes of this article, let’s assume that your annual leave is four weeks – that is, 20 days.
By strategically scheduling your 2026 vacations around certain public holidays, you can successfully expand your time off work.
Your biggest gain would be the Easter holidays
In 2026, Good Friday falls on April 3rd and Easter Monday on April 6th, creating a long Easter weekend.
But by taking two working days off before Good Friday and two days after Easter Monday, you will double your vacation time – eight consecutive days off, instead of just four.
Next: Ascension
This public holiday falls on Thursday, May 14th, 2026.
By taking leave from Monday May 11th to 13th, as well as May 15th, you will get seven consecutive days off.
Another window of opportunity: the Pentecost
Also known as Whit Monday, it falls on May 25th.
If you take leave during the four working days following Whit Monday, you can benefit from nine consecutive days of rest – from May 23rd to June 1st.
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This leaves eight days out of 20 – how can you use them best?
You can add them to before and/or after the The Federal Day of Thanksgiving, Repentance and Prayer ( Eidgenössischer Dank-, Buss- und Bettag in German /Jeûne Federal in French), which falls on Sunday September 20th.
However, Monday, September 21st is a day off, so you can either take the week off, or else use these eight days before the holidays – either way, you will end up with eight days off.
Or, you can split the eight days into two bunches of four, and add them on to other public holidays.
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What about extending the National Day?
Usually, this system works best if public holidays are on a Thursday, Friday, or Monday.
In 2026, August 1st falls on a Sunday.
However, you can, if you wish, use the eight days before or after August 1st to prolong your vacation time.
It is not as ‘productive’, in terms of days gained, as the above possibilities, but whatever works best for you is fine.
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When are public holidays anyway?
In case you are wondering, these are the nationwide public holidays in Switzerland in 2026:
01.01.2026 – Thursday, New Year’s Day
03.04.2026 – Good Friday
06.04.2026 – Easter Monday
14.05.2026 – Thursday, Ascension
25.06.2026 – Monday, Pentecost
01.08.2026 – Sunday, National Day
21.09.2026 – Monday, Thanksgiving Day
25.12.2026 – Friday, Christmas
Click here for a full list of cantonal public holidays
