Easter Monday

6 April 2026 Public holiday End of Easter holidays Emmaus walk & Easter food

Easter Monday is a public holiday across Austria and automatically extends Easter weekend. For everyday planning, the key points are holiday rest, closed shops, Easter school holidays, return traffic and the traditions around Emmaus walks and Easter food. Here you can find the most important information on holiday rest, opening hours, bridge days and the best-known Easter customs.

Plan Easter leave Check opening hours
Easter holidays, shopping and return travel

At a glance

Easter Monday falls on Monday, 6 April 2026 this year. It is a nationwide public holiday and forms the work-free closing day of Easter weekend.

Date
6 April 2026
Falls on Monday this year.
Status
Nationwide public holiday
Easter Monday is listed in section 7 of the Austrian Rest Period Act and applies across Austria.
School
Easter holidays
In 2026, Austria's Easter school holidays end on Easter Monday.
Free block
3 fixed days
Saturday to Monday automatically form a long weekend for many employees.

Easter Monday is one of the clearest holidays in the Austrian calendar: it is listed in the Austrian Rest Period Act, applies in every federal state and closes Easter weekend for many households. Unlike Good Friday, its legal status does not depend on personal-holiday rules or religious affiliation.

Planning still involves more than the legal status. Regular retail pauses, many public-office tasks move to another day, schools are off for the Easter holidays, and travel often concentrates in the afternoon and evening. Anyone planning brunch, an outing or the trip home should not wait until Monday morning.

At the same time, Easter Monday bundles many planning needs: Emmaus walks, Easter food, egg tapping, family visits, spring outings, spas, hotels and regional restaurants. People rarely search only for the date; they usually want the next practical step.

Holiday planning

Plan Easter leave

How to ideally use Easter Monday for a holiday week.

4 leave days = 9 days

9 free days with 4 leave days

Taking leave from Tuesday to Friday after Easter Monday creates a block from Holy Saturday to the following Sunday.

Recommendation
Take Tuesday to Friday off
Block
4 April to 12 April 2026

Easter Monday is the fixed legal lever at the end of Easter weekend. Without any additional leave, many employees get a three-day block from Saturday to Monday. Anyone taking Tuesday to Friday after Easter Monday off can turn four leave days into nine free days from Holy Saturday to the following Sunday.

Anyone who also gets Good Friday off starts the Easter block even earlier. That depends on annual leave, time off in lieu, personal-holiday rules or workplace arrangements. Good Friday and Easter Monday should therefore be planned together, even though Easter Monday is the clear public holiday.

Smart Vacation Planner

Maximize your free time around Easter Monday:

Long Weekend (Easter Monday) This holiday extends the weekend without using vacation days. Check the week around Easter Monday directly.
Everyday practice

Everyday rules

What to look out for regarding shopping, outings and return travel.

Easter Monday is not a good day for spontaneous errands. Anyone who wants to shop, travel, eat out or organise the return trip should plan for public-holiday mode: many things are closed, some tourism-related places are open, and availability depends on the location.

Work

Holiday rest

For employees, Easter Monday generally means public-holiday rest. Work is only possible in legally permitted sectors or under the relevant rules; the details often depend on sector and collective agreement.

Shopping

Mostly closed

Regular supermarkets, many retail shops, banks and public offices pause. Typical exceptions include travel-supply locations, petrol stations, emergency pharmacies, restaurants and tourism businesses.

School

No school

Easter Monday sits at the end of the Easter school holidays. For families, the Tuesday afterwards is often the first regular school day, but school type and local autonomous days still make the calendar worth checking.

Travel

Return traffic

Easter Monday afternoon and evening are classic return-travel windows. Anyone coming back from ski areas, spa regions or family visits should allow time buffers and make reservations where needed.

Spring return traffic at the end of the Easter weekend in Austria
Legal situation

Employment law

Why Easter Monday is a nationwide public holiday in contrast to Good Friday.

From an employment-law perspective, Easter Monday is much simpler than Good Friday: the Monday after Easter is explicitly named in section 7 of the Austrian Rest Period Act. It therefore applies nationwide as a public holiday. For most employees, that means holiday rest; for many businesses, it means a closed holiday operation. [1]

Exceptions are possible, but they follow their own rules. Healthcare, safety, transport, restaurants, hotels, tourism, culture, certain technical services and other legally permitted sectors may work on public holidays. Whether supplements, compensatory rest or duty rosters apply depends on the employment contract, collective agreement and workplace situation.

Nationwide public holiday

Section 7 of the Austrian Rest Period Act explicitly lists Easter Monday as a public holiday. It therefore applies across Austria, not only in individual regions.

At least 24 hours of rest

The Rest Period Act generally provides an uninterrupted rest period on public holidays. Special rules may apply for shifts, tourism, healthcare, safety and other sectors.

Do not confuse it with Good Friday

Good Friday has not been a general Austrian public holiday since 2019. Easter Monday, by contrast, remains the clear public holiday at the end of Easter weekend.

Closed shop on Easter Monday as a sign of public holiday rest
FAQ

Häufig gestellte Fragen

Is Easter Monday a public holiday in Austria?

Yes. Under section 7 of the Austrian Rest Period Act, Easter Monday is a nationwide public holiday in Austria.

Are shops and supermarkets open on Easter Monday?

Regular supermarkets and many retail shops are usually closed on Easter Monday. Exceptions mainly involve travel-supply locations, petrol stations, emergency services, restaurants and tourism offers.

Is there school on Easter Monday?

No. Easter Monday is a public holiday and in 2026 also falls at the end of the Easter school holidays, which run from 28 March to 6 April 2026 according to the school-holiday calendar.

Why is there an Easter Monday?

In the church calendar, Easter Monday is closely linked to the Emmaus story. Two disciples meet the risen Jesus on the road and recognise him when he breaks bread.

How can Easter Monday be used for annual leave?

Easter Monday automatically extends the weekend to three days. Taking annual leave from Tuesday to Friday afterwards can turn four leave days into a full free week through the following Sunday.

Background & Easter culture

This background section explains Emmaus walks, Easter traditions and food, and shows why the Monday after Easter works so well for outings, family visits, brunch and short breaks.

Background

Emmaus walk & meaning

Why Easter Monday is more than one extra day off after Easter Sunday.

In church tradition, Easter Monday centres on the Emmaus story. According to the Gospel of Luke, two disciples leave Jerusalem for Emmaus after the crucifixion, disappointed and uncertain. On the way, the risen Jesus walks with them, though at first they do not recognise him.

Only at the shared meal, when the bread is broken, do the disciples understand who has been walking with them. This story makes Easter Monday easy to grasp: journey, conversation, recognition, meal and departure form a motif that remains understandable beyond church services.

That is why walks and short hikes fit this holiday so well. Many parishes and families shape the Monday as an Emmaus walk, Easter walk or quiet spring route. The result is a holiday that naturally connects religious meaning, nature, outings and regional restaurants.

Tradition

Traditions & Easter food

Which regional customs and traditions are celebrated on Easter Monday.

Easter Monday in Austria is less strictly ritualised than Christmas Eve or All Saints' Day, but it is very present in everyday life. Many customs are domestic, regional and culinary: eggs, bread, ham, horseradish, walks, family visits and the last holiday day before routines resume.

Emmaus walk

Many parishes and families connect Easter Monday with a walk or spiritual route. The biblical Emmaus story provides the cultural core.

Egg tapping

Dyed hard-boiled eggs remain part of Easter food on Monday as well. The playful tapping of eggs is part of Easter weekend in many households.

Easter snack

Ham, horseradish, eggs, bread, Osterpinze or regional specialities make Easter Monday a natural fit for brunch, inns and hotel offers.

Painted Easter eggs being tapped in the Austrian egg-tapping tradition
Seasonal

Food & outings

Which food and outing destinations fit the end of Easter weekend.

Culinarily, Easter Monday lives from the afterglow of Easter weekend. In many households, ham, eggs, horseradish, bread, Osterpinze, Reindling or regional pastries remain on the table. The day therefore works well for brunch, an inn visit, a hotel stay and regional products.

For many people, Monday is when the practical part of Easter weekend begins: family visits, Easter food, a walk, a spa, the last ski day or the first spring day outdoors. Good planning checks opening hours, arrival, return travel and a bad-weather option.

Austrian Easter snack with ham, horseradish, dyed eggs and Easter pastries in front of an alpine panorama
Next steps

Plan next

Useful tools to optimally plan holidays for the upcoming public holidays.

Easter Monday is the clear legal anchor of Easter weekend. For good annual planning, it should still be considered together with Good Friday, the Easter school holidays and the week afterwards. Only then is it clear whether a short break, a family week or just a quiet long weekend makes sense.

For the next step, use the annual leave planner, the school-holiday calendar and the calendar-week overview.

Useful next details include Emmaus walks and Easter events in the region, brunch and inn reservations, spas, return-travel times, walking routes and nearby excursion destinations. Current opening hours and traffic information are especially helpful at the end of the Easter holidays.

Quellen & Weiterführendes

  1. RIS - Austrian Rest Period Act § 7 : nationwide public-holiday list; Easter Monday is explicitly included.
  2. oesterreich.gv.at - school-holiday calendar 2025/2026 : Easter holidays from 28 March to 6 April 2026 and Easter Monday as a public holiday.
  3. oesterreich.gv.at - Sunday and public-holiday work : general guidance that work on Sundays and public holidays is generally prohibited and exceptions exist.
  4. Liturgie.at - Easter Monday : Emmaus walk, Easter walk and liturgical suggestions.
  5. Katholisch.at - Easter Monday keyword : context for the Emmaus story and Austrian Emmaus walks.
  6. Good Friday in Austria : the quiet day before Easter with a different employment-law effect.
  7. School holidays in Austria : check Easter holidays and school-free days by federal state.