🌉 Germany Bridge Days (Brückentage) Calculator

A Bruckentag (bridge day) is a single working day that sits between a public holiday and a weekend. By taking just that one day as vacation (Urlaub), you "bridge" the gap and turn a one-day holiday into a four-day weekend. German workers are famous for using bridge days strategically, because the country's many public holidays create frequent opportunities.

For example, if a holiday falls on a Thursday, the following Friday is a bridge day: take Friday off and you get Saturday through Tuesday (or Thursday through Sunday) as a continuous break for the price of a single vacation day. This calculator finds every such opportunity for your chosen year and state.

The calculator first works out all public holidays for the year and state (including the Easter-based movable holidays), then checks the working day before and after each holiday:

• If a holiday falls on a Tuesday, the preceding Monday is a bridge day.
• If a holiday falls on a Thursday, the following Friday is a bridge day.
• A holiday on Monday or Friday already touches the weekend, so it needs no bridge.
• A holiday on Wednesday, or two holidays back-to-back, creates no single-day bridge.

Rule summary:

Examples for 2026 (Berlin):

1. Enter the year you want to plan.
2. Select the federal state.
3. Click Calculate Bridge Days.
4. Review the list of bridge days and the holiday each one connects to.
5. Mark those single days in your vacation planner.

What exactly is a Brückentag in Germany?

A Bruckentag is a working day that lies between a public holiday and a weekend. Taking it as a single vacation day connects the holiday to the weekend, giving you a four-day break for the cost of one day off.

How do you find bridge days for a year?

You look at each public holiday and check the working day next to it. A Tuesday holiday makes the Monday a bridge day; a Thursday holiday makes the Friday a bridge day. Holidays on Monday or Friday already touch the weekend and need no bridge.

Are bridge days the same in every German state?

No. Because regional holidays differ by state, the set of bridge days differs too. A Corpus Christi bridge day exists in Catholic states like Bavaria but not in Berlin, which instead has a Women's Day bridge opportunity.

Do bridge days apply to schoolchildren?

Not directly. Pupils follow school holidays (Schulferien), set by each state, which usually overlap or extend across bridge days. The bridge-day strategy mainly benefits employees with flexible vacation planning.

Is taking a bridge day paid leave?

It counts against your normal vacation (Urlaub) entitlement - you are taking a paid day off, but it uses one of your annual leave days. The public holiday itself is separate paid time off by law.

This tool is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Consult a qualified financial professional for advice specific to your situation.

Submit bridge-day leave early - popular bridge days get booked up fast, especially around Ascension and Corpus Christi. If you can take two days, a Wednesday holiday becomes a five-day break. Remember that bridge days apply to employees; schoolchildren are affected by school holidays (Schulferien), which follow a separate state schedule and often swallow bridge days entirely. Self-employed people gain the break but not paid leave.