How many public holidays does Switzerland have?

Only 1 August is a federal public holiday nationwide. Depending on the canton, employees receive between 8 and 15 public holidays per year.

Is Easter Monday or Good Friday a holiday in every Swiss canton?

No. Good Friday is not an official cantonal holiday in Ticino (TI) or Valais (VS), and Easter Monday is not an official cantonal holiday in Valais.

Do public holidays that fall on a weekend get replaced by a weekday off in Switzerland?

No. Under Swiss employment law, if a fixed public holiday (such as 1 August or 25 December) falls on a Saturday or Sunday, employees on fixed monthly salaries do not receive a replacement day off.

Which Swiss cantons have the most public holidays?

Catholic-tradition cantons such as Ticino (TI), Lucerne (LU), Schwyz (SZ), Uri (UR), Zug (ZG) and Fribourg (FR) observe up to 14–15 public holidays per year.

Public holiday explorer

All public holidays for any of the 26 Swiss cantons and any year, with movable Easter feasts calculated.

CantonYear

12 days · Zurich · 2026

Thu 1 JanNew Year's Day
Fri 2 JanBerchtold's Day
Fri 3 AprGood Friday
Sun 5 AprEaster Sunday
Mon 6 AprEaster Monday
Fri 1 MayLabour Day
Thu 14 MayAscension Day
Sun 24 MayWhit Sunday
Mon 25 MayWhit Monday
Sat 1 AugSwiss National Dayfederal
Fri 25 DecChristmas Day
Sat 26 DecSt. Stephen's Day

Direct answer

Switzerland has only one federal public holiday across all 26 cantons: Swiss National Day on 1 August. Under Art. 20a of the Employment Act (ArG), each canton may designate up to 8 additional public holidays treated like Sundays, plus further cantonal or municipal holidays.

Key statutory figures & facts

•Only 1 federal holiday nationwide: 1 August (Swiss National Day)
•New Year (1 Jan), Ascension Day and Christmas (25 Dec) are observed in all 26 cantons
•Good Friday is observed in 24 cantons (all except Ticino and Valais)
•Cantonal holiday counts range from 8 days (e.g. GR) to 15 days (e.g. TI, LU, SZ, ZG)

How it's calculated

Fixed-date holidays are listed per canton.
Easter is computed with the Gregorian (Meeus/Jones/Butcher) algorithm; Good Friday, Ascension, Whit Monday and Corpus Christi follow from it.
Jeûne genevois and Lundi du Jeûne fédéral are derived from the September Sundays.

Assumptions

Only 1 August is a federal public holiday; all others are cantonal.
Some days (such as Sechseläuten and Knabenschiessen in Zurich) are municipal or half-day customs. Confirm with the canton for legal deadlines.

Frequently asked questions

How many public holidays does Switzerland have?: Only 1 August is a federal public holiday nationwide. Depending on the canton, employees receive between 8 and 15 public holidays per year.
Is Easter Monday or Good Friday a holiday in every Swiss canton?: No. Good Friday is not an official cantonal holiday in Ticino (TI) or Valais (VS), and Easter Monday is not an official cantonal holiday in Valais.
Do public holidays that fall on a weekend get replaced by a weekday off in Switzerland?: No. Under Swiss employment law, if a fixed public holiday (such as 1 August or 25 December) falls on a Saturday or Sunday, employees on fixed monthly salaries do not receive a replacement day off.
Which Swiss cantons have the most public holidays?: Catholic-tradition cantons such as Ticino (TI), Lucerne (LU), Schwyz (SZ), Uri (UR), Zug (ZG) and Fribourg (FR) observe up to 14–15 public holidays per year.

Public holidays by canton (2026)

Every canton sets its own holidays. Open a canton for its full 2026 and 2027 list with dates, weekdays and working-day counts.