Christmas & New Year Public Holidays in Europe 2026–2027
Every one of the 27 European countries we track gets Christmas Day and New Year's Day off — that much is universal. Beyond that it varies: 20 countries also get 26 December off nationally, but France has no national holiday that day at all.Poland, Romania and Slovakia get the most this season — 5 national holidays each between 24 December 2026 and 6 January 2027.
One surprise: not a single one of the 27 countries makes New Year's Eve an official public holiday— including Denmark and Sweden, where it's common by custom but not required by law. The only regional exception anywhere is Geneva, Switzerland.
Key Numbers
27/27
Get Christmas Day off
universal
0/27
Have official NYE holiday
not one country
5
Most in this window
Poland, Romania, Slovakia
2
Fewest in this window
Belgium, France, Malta, Portugal, Switzerland
11
Get Epiphany nationally
out of 27
Every Country, Christmas Eve to Epiphany
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Poland5 national
Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, Epiphany
Romania5 national
Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, Day after New Year's Day (2 Jan), Epiphany
Slovakia5 national
Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, Epiphany
Austria4 national
Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, Epiphany
Croatia4 national
Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, Epiphany
Cyprus4 national
Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, Epiphany
Christmas Eve is listed by CySEC but not by the Central Bank of Cyprus — contested, so not counted
Czech Republic4 national
Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day
Estonia4 national
Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day
Finland4 national
Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, Epiphany
Christmas Eve is a day off in practice through collective agreements, not by statute
Greece4 national
Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, Epiphany
Italy4 national
Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, Epiphany
Slovenia4 national
Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, New Year's Day (2 Jan)
26 December is Independence and Unity Day in Slovenia
Sweden4 national
Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, Epiphany
Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are days off in practice but are not in Lag (1989:253)
Denmark3 national
Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day
Christmas Eve is a day off for almost everyone by collective agreement, but it is not statutory
Germany3 national
Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day
+ Epiphany regionally (Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Saxony-Anhalt)
Hungary3 national
Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day
Ireland3 national
Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day
Luxembourg3 national
Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day
Netherlands3 national
Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day
Norway3 national
Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day
Spain3 national
Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Epiphany
+ Boxing Day regionally (Catalonia and others)
United Kingdom3 national
Christmas Day, Boxing Day (28 Dec), New Year's Day
Boxing Day is observed on 28 December when 26 December falls at a weekend, so it is not counted on the 26th above
Belgium2 national
Christmas Day, New Year's Day
France2 national
Christmas Day, New Year's Day
Alsace-Moselle (Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, Moselle) is a historical exception with Boxing Day off locally
Malta2 national
Christmas Day, New Year's Day
no Boxing Day, no Epiphany and no Christmas Eve — Malta’s December holidays are the Immaculate Conception (8 Dec) and Republic Day (13 Dec) instead
Portugal2 national
Christmas Day, New Year's Day
+ Boxing Day regionally
Switzerland2 national
Christmas Day, New Year's Day
+ Boxing Day, Epiphany and Restoration Day (31 Dec) regionally, by canton
Turn this season into a longer break
Christmas Day and New Year's Day both fall on a Friday in the 2026/27 season in most countries — check your country's bridge day page to see how few leave days it takes to cover the whole week.
Month by month: public holidays in December 2026 and January 2027.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 26 December a public holiday across Europe?
In 20 of the 27 European countries we track, yes — as a national public holiday. The UK observes Boxing Day too, but in 2026 the 26th is a Saturday so the bank holiday moves to Monday 28 December, which is why the UK is not counted on the 26th itself. Spain, Switzerland and Portugal recognise it only regionally. France and Malta have no 26 December holiday at all — in France the Alsace-Moselle region is a historical local exception, while Malta has none anywhere.
Is New Year's Eve (31 December) an official public holiday in Europe?
No — not in any of the 27 countries we track, including Denmark and Sweden, where it is common for employees to get the day off by custom or collective agreement but it is not a statutory public holiday. The one regional exception is Geneva, Switzerland, which observes Restoration Day on 31 December.
How many public holidays do you get over Christmas and New Year in Europe?
Every one of the 27 countries gets at least 2: Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, both universal. Most get 3 or 4 once Boxing Day is included. Poland, Romania and Slovakia get the most in this window — 5 each. Belgium, France, Malta, Portugal and Switzerland get the fewest, with 2. Denmark, Sweden and Finland also have Christmas Eve off in practice, but it is not statutory there, so it is not counted.
Which European country has the most public holidays over Christmas and New Year?
Poland, Romania and Slovakia are tied with 5 national public holidays between 24 December 2026 and 6 January 2027. Note this counts holidays, not days off — some fall at the weekend.
Does every European country treat Epiphany (6 January) as a holiday?
No. Only 11 of the 27 countries make it a national public holiday (Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden). Germany and Switzerland recognise it only in specific regions, and the remaining 16 countries do not observe it as a public holiday at all.
Explore full holiday calendars
Data source: Official government publications — see our data sources page. National holidays only in the count above; regional exceptions are noted per country. · Report an error