Get extra holiday with these bridging days

A short holiday is the perfect break from the daily work routine, does not cost as much as a whole week's holiday and can still bring just as much relaxation. Therefore, it's no wonder that people particularly like to use bridging days for a short holiday.

Those who apply for holidays sensibly can really relax thanks to the bridging days in 2023. After last year's disappointments, this year's public holidays (apart from New Year's Day) are absolutely flawless and allow you to take long holidays without using too many of your days off.

New Year – The disappointment at the beginning of the year

• When is New Year 2023? Sunday, 1​​​ January 2023
• Where is New Year's Day a public holiday? All federal states

1 January 2023 continues the streak of bad luck around Christmas 2022. There is no opportunity for a bridging day here, but read on, it gets better – we promise.

Epiphany – 16 days of Christmas holidays

• When is Epiphany 2023? Friday, 6 January 2023
• Where is Epiphany a public holiday? Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Saxony-Anhalt

With four of your statutory holidays, you can take nine days off from 31 December 2022 to 8 January 2023. Since Epiphany is on a Friday this year, you can look forward to a long weekend even without a holiday.

You can also take a long Christmas holiday from 24 December 2022 to 8 January 2023. That is 16 days of holiday, for which you only have to spend eight days of your statutory holiday.

International Women's Day – Now also in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

• When is International Women's Day 2023? Wednesday, 8 March 2023
• Where is International Women's Day a public holiday? Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

International Women's Day has been a public holiday in Berlin since 2019, and this year Mecklenburg-Vorpommern joined in. With only two days of your statutory holiday, you can take five days off before or after International Women's Day. With four of your statutory holidays, you can even take nine days off from 4 to 12 March.

Easter – Take 16 days off with eight days statutory holiday

• When is Easter 2023? Friday, 7 - Monday, 10 April 2023
• Where is Easter a public holiday? All federal states

Easter brings with it three public holidays every year. With four of your statutory holidays, you get ten days off from 1 to 10 April. With eight of them, you even get 16 days off from 1 April to 16 April.

Labour Day – At least one long weekend

• When is Labour Day 2023? Monday, 1 May 2023
• Where is Labour Day a public holiday? All federal states

In 2023, 1 May is on a Monday, which means that the long weekend is already guaranteed. With four extra days of your statutory holiday, you can enjoy nine days off from 29 April to 7 May.

Ascension Day – Four-day short break in early summer

• When is Ascension Day 2023? Thursday, 18 May 2023
• Where is Ascension Day a public holiday? All federal states

Ascension Day is one of the most popular public holidays because it is always on a Thursday. With just one day statutory holiday, you can enjoy a four-day-long weekend from 18 to 21 May. With three more days statutory holiday, you can have nine days off in a row, from 15 to 21 May.

Whitsun – Take a holiday for up to 12 days in a row

• When is Whitsun 2023? Sunday 28 and Monday 29 May 2023
• Where is Whitsun a public holiday? All federal states

Whitsun takes place every year exactly 49 days after Easter Sunday. This year, too, it's worth investing four days of statutory holiday on Whitsun. With them, you can enjoy nine days off from 27 May to 4 June. In combination with Ascension Day (18 May 2023), you can even get twelve days off from 18 to 29 May. Only six days statutory holiday are needed for this.

Corpus Christi – Extended weekend over four days

• When is Corpus Christi 2023? Thursday, 8 June 2023
• Where is Corpus Christi a public holiday? North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, parts of Saxony and Thuringia

Corpus Christi is a public holiday in some federal states. With only one day of statutory holiday, you can take four days off from 8 to 11 June. In these federal states, however, the Whitsun holiday can also be extended: With eight days statutory holiday, you take a whopping 16 days off from 27 May to 11 June.

Assumption – Four-day holiday in Bavaria and Saarland

• When is Assumption Day 2023? Tuesday, 15 August 2023
• Where is the Assumption Day a public holiday? Bavaria, Saarland

Assumption Day is on a Tuesday in 2023. With just one day statutory holiday, you can enjoy a four-day-long weekend in Bavaria and Saarland from 12 to 15 August. Alternatively, with four statutory holidays off, you can enjoy a nine-day holiday from 12 to 20 August.

World Children's Day – So far only in Thuringia

• When is World Children's Day 2023? Wednesday, 20 September 2023
• Where is World Children's Day a public holiday? Thuringia

World Children's Day has been around since 1954, but it is only a public holiday in Thuringia – and only since 2019. With two days' holiday, you can enjoy a long weekend before or after the holiday in Thuringia. With four days of statutory holiday, you can enjoy nine days' holiday from 16 to 24 September.

German Unity Day – Nine days autumn holiday

• When is German Unity Day 2023? Tuesday, 3 October 2023
• Where is the Day of German Unity a public holiday? All federal states

German Unity Day also is on a Tuesday, which means that with one day's statutory holiday you can again enjoy a long weekend, this time from 30 September to 3 October. With three additional days of statutory holiday, you have nine days for a nice autumn holiday from 30 September to 8 October.

Reformation Day – Long weekend or short holiday

• When is Reformation Day 2023? Tuesday, 31 October 2023
• Where is Reformation Day a public holiday? Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia

Reformation Day has been a public holiday for the five Eastern German states since 1990, and since 2018 it has also been a public holiday for all northern German states. Once again, the holiday is on a Tuesday (is that a streak?) and you can look forward to a long weekend from 28 to 31 October with another days' statutory holiday. With four statutory holidays, you can even have nine days off from 28 October to 5 November.

All Saints' Day – Nine or five days' holiday

• When is All Saints' Day 2023? Wednesday, 1 November 2023
• Where is All Saints' Day a public holiday? Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland

All Saints' Day falls is on a Wednesday in 2023 and enables residents of Catholic states to take another nine-day autumn holiday from 28 October to 5 November with only four days' statutory leave. Alternatively, with two days of statutory holiday, a five-day long weekend will be possible.

Day of Prayer and Repentance – Enjoy five to nine days off at a stretch

• When is the Day of Prayer and Repentance 2023? Wednesday, 22 November 2023
• Where is the Day of Prayer and Repentance a public holiday? Saxony

With four days of statutory leave, you can take nine days off from 18 to 26 November. Alternatively, you can enjoy an extended weekend with two days of statutory holiday off.

Christmas – Three days off for ten days off

• When is Christmas 2023? Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 December 2023
• Where is Christmas a public holiday? All federal states

Especially during Advent, the Hanseatic city is worth a visit because Hamburg really dresses up and puts aside its Hanseatic reserve. This year, the holidays are absolutely flawless, so you can do all your shopping on 23 December and still have two days off after Christmas Eve. With only days statutory leave, you can take a full ten days off from 23 December 2023 to 1 January 2024.

New Year – Celebrate New Year's Eve without remorse

• When is New Year 2024? Monday, 1 January 2024
• Where is New Year's Day a public holiday? All federal states

New Year's Day grants you the tenth day during your Christmas holiday – or an extended weekend for a New Year's Eve celebration that doesn't end with a hangover in the office on 1 January.