The year 2022 is slowly coming to an end and it is time to start planning your holidays for 2023. So that you can make the best use of your vacation and use as few vacation days as possible to have as much free time as possible, you can find an overview of the 2023 bridging days here.
2022 turned out to be a nasty year when it came to bridge days. This year, for example, a number of public holidays, on which most German employees were free, fell on a weekend. These include, for example, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. In 2023 the situation looks more relaxed. If you plan your vacation properly, you can take proper breaks between the individual work weeks thanks to bridging days 2023 and the clever use of vacation days.
Bridge days 2023: Make the best use of public holidays
“Bridge days” are working days that fall between public holidays and the weekend. For example, if Thursday is a public holiday, Friday would be an ideal day to take a vacation on this bridging day and such just four days being able to stay away from work at a time. While some public holidays are generally valid in Germany, other days off are only valid in individual federal states. In the following table you will find an overview of the bridge days for optimal holiday planning. Here you will find a detailed overview of upcoming dates on which it would be most worthwhile to apply for leave.
With us you will also find out when Easter is.
| Holiday | date | Period | Vacation days / days off in a row | Valid in |
| New Year | Sunday 01 January | January 2nd to 6th | 5/9 | Nationwide (4 days in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Saxony-Anhalt, since January 6th is a public holiday there) |
| International Women’s Day | Wednesday March 8th | March 6 & 7 + March 8 & 9 | 4 / 9 | Berlin, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania |
| Good Friday | Friday April 7th | April 3-6 & April 11-14 | 8 / 16 | nationwide |
| easter monday | Monday April 10th | April 3-6 & April 11-14 | 8 / 16 | nationwide |
| may day | Monday May 1st | May 2nd to 5th | 4 / 9 | nationwide |
| Ascension of Christ | Thursday, May 18th | Thursday May 19th | 1/4 | nationwide |
| Whit Monday | Monday, May 29th | May 30th to June 2nd | 4 / 9 | nationwide |
| Corpus Christi | Thursday June 8th | Friday June 9th | 1/2 | Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Schleswig-Holstein, Saarland |
| Assumption Day | Tuesday 15 August | Monday 14 August | 1/2 | Bavaria, Saarland |
| World Children’s Day | Wednesday September 20th | September 18, 19 & 21, 22 | 4 / 9 | Thuringia |
| Day of German unity | Tuesday October 3rd | Monday October 2nd | 1/4 | nationwide |
| Reformation Day | Tuesday 31 October | Monday, October 30th | 1/4 | Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia |
| all saints day | Wednesday November 1st | 30th, 31st October & 2nd, 3rd November | 4 / 9 | Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland |
| Day of Prayer and Repentance | Wednesday 22 November | 23 & 24 November | 2 / 5 | Saxony |
| Christmas | Monday, December 25th (Christmas Day) | December 27th to 30th | 4/10 | nationwide |
Bridge days 2023: tips for the next holiday application
With the right planning, you can relax for several days at a time without having to take up too much of your annual vacation. If the list is too theoretical for you, a few apps will help you get the most out of it. For example, iPhone users access the “German Holidays & Holidays” app. The application offers a clear design and lists holidays for the respective federal state in individual sections. In addition, a calendar is integrated that shows all bridge days. The app is of course free of charge.
Owners of an Android smartphone, on the other hand, can go to the “Bridge days, public holidays and vacation days” app to grab. The Android app shows all bridge days, public holidays and vacation days in a federal state. It may not look quite as pretty as the iPhone app, for example, but it serves its purpose. It is also free. If you wish, you can download the paid version for 99 cents in order to hide the advertising.
In addition, there are of course a large number of other apps in the “App Store” and in the “Google Play Store” that help with vacation planning with bridging days. We also show you when the clock changes.