Tips for holiday planning
Work-free public holidays at the University of Bern are:
| 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | 1 January | 1 January |
| Saint Berchtold | 2 January | 2 January |
| Good Friday | 18 April | 3 April |
| Easter Monday | 21 April | 6 April |
| Ascension Day | 29 May | 14 May |
| Whit Monday | 9 June | 25 May |
| Swiss National Holiday | 1 August | 1 August |
| Christmas Eve | 24 December (afternoon) | 24 December (afternoon) |
| Christmas | 25 December | 25 December |
| St. Stephens's Day | 26 December | 26 December |
| New Year's Eve | 31 December (afternoon) | 31 December (afternoon) |
Tips for holiday planning
- If a public holiday falls on a non-working day (e.g. Saturday or Sunday), you are not entitled to compensation.
- On the day before a holiday, shops close in the late afternoon. If you want to avoid long waiting lines (especially in grocery stores), you should go shopping early.
- As on Sundays, all shops and many restaurants are closed on public holidays. Some shops at Bern railway station and some petrol stations remain open, albeit with shorter hours.
- The days around Easter, Ascension Day and Pentecost are popular holiday periods for employees. In Bern, July is one of the most popular holiday months for families. Many institutes at the university are not fully occupied during this time.
- The afternoons of the 24th and 31st of December are also holidays at the University of Bern.
- Between 24th December and 2nd January (between Christmas and New Year) many offices at the University of Bern are not fully occupied or remain closed.
Some public holidays may vary in other cantons e.g. due to regional customs or religious reasons.
Special terms and conditions:
For detailed questions regarding attendance hours or holiday entitlement, please contact the personnel officer at your institute or read the online information give by the Human Resource section (uni-intern).