It is the day after Ostern (Easter) when this post goes up, so still a holiday in most European countries. As I am on vacation in Spain, I was pleased I wouldn’t have to take Friday or Monday as vacation days as they are public holidays throughout Germany. That isn’t always the case: the first little quirk I’ll cover in this post.

Number of Public Holidays in Germany Differ Between States

Even as an American with over 10+ years under my belt in Berlin, I still scramble understanding which days are officially off. This is partially because there are no nationwide public holidays in Germany. Each federal-state gets to decide which days are public holidays, meaning more traditionally religious Bavaria gets 13, Baden-Württemberg and Saarland land on their feet with 12, while Hamburg and Bremen get a measly 10. Berlin used to be on that bottom list but its recent embrace of International Women’s Day on March 8th has given it the fair number of 11 public holidays.

Poster for Women’s Day from 1914 that was banned by the Second Reich By Karl Maria Stadler

Lose the Holiday if It Falls on a Weekend

Much more annoying than the number of days is when you miss out on a holiday when it falls on a weekend. To add insult to Corona injury, 2020 and 2021 were particularly poor with multiple holidays falling on the weekend. In usually less holiday-minded countries like the USA or UK, they take the civilized position that when a public holiday falls on a weekend, the government allocates a day off in the week.

I’ve talked to German friends and colleagues about this first-world problem and they have simply sighed and shrugged, agreeing it is unfortunate but accepting their fate. There have been several pushes in the government to change this – as recently as last year – so maybe Germans will update to a more modern standard. Maybe.

One positive for holidays that fall awkwardly is the Brückentag (bridge day). This is when a working day falls between two work free days like if a public holiday is on a Thursday, then the Friday would be a Brückentag. May in Germany, with Erster Mai and Christi Himmelfahrt, often sports a Brückentag. While you still have to take a holiday for the working day, shrewd Germans plan their travel to take advantage of these long weekends. It can be quite competitive with the Germans racing to take these days off before their colleagues and some workplaces hold a bridge day lottery.

Easter is a Major Holiday

Coming back to Easter specific holiday info, as a non-religious person in fairly neutral Berlin, I was surprised how big Easter is in Germany. In my family I would rank Easter as a tier two holiday, certainly not as important as Weihnachten (Christmas) or a personal favorite, Halloween.

But most Germans go hard for the chocolate bunnies and easter eggs. Sure, I still see posts for hedonistic Berliners checking the opening times at the Kit Kat Club for Easter weekend, but you also see families gathering in restaurants, trees decorated with brightly colored eggs, and the tell-tale flowers of tulips, pussy willows, and Osterglocken. It’s big for seemingly everybody.

Chocolate Easter bunnies – gold

This is also reflected in the amount of Osterferien (Easter holiday time). Schools offer a full two weeks off for Easter which seems almost excessive after a week for Winterferien (winter break) and however much time was allowed over Christmas to New Years Eve (usually somewhere around a week).

Which brings me to my next point…

Plane/Travel Prices Go Way Up for Easter 

This isn’t unique to Easter. Now that I have a school-aged child I am tied to the German system of only taking vacation when my child is off school. German states rotate so the whole country isn’t vacationing at once, but it still means there is a significant rise in travel prices during the vacation break. Even leaving Thursday night versus a Friday can offer a savings of hundreds of euros, but better not chance it without a letter from the school. I’ve heard stories of police waiting at the airport for thrifty parents without approved leave which is absolutely vicious.

Also, with Berlin’s inadequate airport planning these travel days can be chaotic at best. I only heard a few harrowing tales of long lines at check-in and security at BER this Easter, but Christmas holidays were a nightmare. My family arrived for an international flight at 3 in the morning, waited in check-in for over an hour, then had to drag two grouchy children through a very full family-specific security line. While it is hit-or-miss, I think I will always try to avoid travelling on the first day of vacation to avoid the madness. We travelled on the Monday after break began on Friday evening and it went. very smoothly.

Shopping Shuts Down for Longer than You Think

In Germany both the Friday before and Monday after Easter are public holidays. Happily accepted! But every year I see foreigners bemoaning that they didn’t realize grocery stores would be closed Friday, Sunday, and Monday. Shop accordingly, or be prepared for the masses to show up in a blind buying panic on Saturday.

Hort Becomes Kiddie Jail

For children not being whisked away to somewhere foreign against their will (which sometimes feels the case when travelling with kids), the KiTa system stays roughly the same but Hort (after-school care) becomes a bit of a wasteland. Parents at both KiTa and school need to inform their child minders when they are sending the child to school and can expect groups to be combined as general attendance decreases. The kids that are left at Hort do not have regular classes, but more of a prolonged recesses which sounds great to many adults, but my daughter hated the never-ending, meandering days when we stayed put for Herbstferien (fall break).

Colleagues Encourage You To Completely Take Time Off 

The last quirk of vacation planning I’ll cover here is how seriously vacation is taken by Germans. The work-life balance is one of the things I like best about life in Germany. People work hard when they are at the office (or working from home), but once they are off – they are done. Fierabend on Friday evenings and  vacation days are spent firmly offline.

My work is very flexible and I am still straddling this line of being an American in Germany. During my current, glorious 10-day trip to Andalusia I have worked part-time on several days making sure my 1-man department keeps humming.  Concerned colleagues have checked in with me, asking “Aren’t you on vacation?!”. I love the flexibility of putting in a half day while I am away as my kids eat their breakfast or nap, but recognize this is a different approach to the German Way. Maybe I will try it their way next vacation. Again, I say maybe.