Saint Stephen's Day is 26 December, Austria's second statutory Christmas public holiday and named in law as Stephanstag. In practice, holiday rest, mostly closed shops, Christmas school holidays, family visits, winter travel and the leave logic through New Year's Eve, New Year's Day and Epiphany matter. Here you will find the most important information on school holidays, opening hours, meaning and leave planning.
Saint Stephen's Day falls in 2026 on Saturday, 26 December 2026. The day is a nationwide statutory public holiday, sits in the middle of the Christmas school holidays and is Austria's second Christmas public holiday.
In 2026, Saint Stephen's Day falls on Saturday, 26 December 2026.
26 December is listed in section 7 of the Working Rest Act as Stephanstag and applies throughout Austria.
Regular retail, banks, public offices and many services remain closed; exceptions mainly cover supplies, travel and tourism.
Saint Stephen's Day falls on Saturday in 2026. Christmas Day on Friday gives classic Monday-to-Friday jobs a long weekend; Saturday itself does not create a general substitute public holiday.
Saint Stephen's Day on 26 December is Austria's second statutory Christmas public holiday. It follows directly after Christmas Day and is listed in the Working Rest Act as Stephanstag. The important combination is holiday rest, mostly closed shops, Christmas school holidays, visits, travel and leave through New Year's Day.
How to use the days between Christmas and New Year's Day.
Saint Stephen's Day falls on Saturday in 2026. Christmas Day on Friday gives classic Monday-to-Friday jobs a long weekend; Saturday itself does not create a general substitute public holiday.
Maximize your free time around Saint Stephen's Day:
What counts for shopping, work and traffic on Saint Stephen's Day.
Saint Stephen's Day is similar to Christmas Day: most regular shops remain closed, many people are in the Christmas school holidays, and around 26 December the questions are visits, food, arrival, hotels, ski areas, public transport and public-holiday duty.
For most employees, holiday rest applies on 26 December. Work is possible only in permitted areas such as healthcare, care, transport, safety, restaurants, hotels, tourism or essential supply.
Regular supermarkets, shopping centres, banks, public offices and many services remain closed. Typical exceptions are petrol stations, travel supplies, emergency services, some railway-station locations and tourism businesses.
Saint Stephen's Day is shaped by family visits, return trips, hotel arrivals and the start of ski holidays. Public transport usually follows Sunday or public-holiday schedules; roads can become busy regionally.
According to the education ministry, in school year 2026/27 the Christmas holidays run from 24 December 2026 to 6 January 2027. Saint Stephen's Day is therefore in the middle of the school-holiday block.
Why 26 December is a real public holiday under employment law.
Legally, Saint Stephen's Day is clear: 26 December is listed in the Working Rest Act as Stephanstag. For most employees, that means public-holiday rest. [1]
Work on 26 December is still possible in permitted areas. Healthcare, care, transport, safety, hotels, restaurants, tourism, energy supply and other sectors may have public-holiday duty. That is why a simple "free" is not enough; rosters, collective agreements and sector logic remain important.
Section 7 of the Working Rest Act explicitly names 26 December as Stephanstag. Saint Stephen's Day is therefore protected under labour law nationwide.
Anyone working on 26 December usually falls into a permitted exception area. Pay, substitute rest, supplements and roster questions depend on the law, collective agreement, employment contract and sector.
If 26 December falls on a Saturday, as in 2026, classic Monday-to-Friday jobs do not get a general substitute public holiday. For weekend and public-holiday duty, the roster matters.
Christmas Day and Saint Stephen's Day are both listed in the Working Rest Act. 24 December is different; 25 and 26 December are the two clear statutory Christmas public holidays.
Yes. Saint Stephen's Day on 26 December is listed in the Working Rest Act as Stephanstag and is a nationwide statutory public holiday in Austria.
Saint Stephen's Day falls in 2026 on Saturday, 26 December 2026. The public holiday is fixed on 26 December every year.
Regular shops and supermarkets are generally closed. Exceptions mainly apply to petrol stations, travel supplies, emergency services, railway-station locations, restaurants, tourism and individual local special cases.
Yes. Saint Stephen's Day is the common Austrian name for 26 December, which many calendars call the second Christmas holiday and which the law calls Stephanstag.
In the church calendar, the day commemorates Saint Stephen, who is regarded as the first martyr. In practice, 26 December is also the second statutory Christmas public holiday.
For classic Monday-to-Friday employees, there is no general automatic substitute public holiday. Anyone who regularly works on public holidays or weekends should check the roster, collective agreement and pay rules.
Saint Stephen's Day falls on Saturday in 2026. Christmas Day on Friday gives classic Monday-to-Friday jobs a long weekend; Saturday itself does not create a general substitute public holiday.
This background classifies Saint Stephen, the Austrian name Stefanitag and regional customs such as Stefaniritt rides and horse blessings. It also covers ideas for winter travel, restaurants, ski areas and thermal spas.
Why Austria calls the second Christmas public holiday Stefanitag and why the law speaks of Stephanstag.
Stefanitag is the Austrian everyday name for 26 December. The Working Rest Act uses the spelling Stephanstag. Both refer to the same statutory public holiday directly after Christmas Day.
In the church calendar, the day points to Saint Stephen. The Archdiocese of Vienna lists 26 December liturgically as the feast of Saint Stephen, the first martyr. In Austria, that meaning is especially visible because Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral also refers to him.
For classification, the combination matters: legally the second Christmas public holiday, culturally Stefanitag, practically a visiting and travel day and also the start of the period between Christmas and New Year's Day.
In the church calendar, 26 December commemorates Saint Stephen. Liturgical calendars describe him as the first martyr; the official legal text calls the day Stephanstag.
Stephen is regarded as one of the first Christian martyrs. The day therefore deliberately stands directly after Christmas and connects the nativity scene, church and remembrance of martyrdom.
In Germany the day is often called the second Christmas holiday. In Austria, Saint Stephen's Day is the familiar cultural name for the same 26 December.
After Saint Stephen's Day, the practical period between Christmas and New Year's Day begins: leave, visits, winter travel, leftovers, skiing, thermal spas and year-end planning.
Why Stefaniritt rides, visits and winter travel shape the day.
Regionally, Saint Stephen's Day is more than a second rest day. In some municipalities, horse blessings, Stefaniritt rides, festive church services, Stefani balls or winter excursions are part of the customs. Dates, places and programmes differ locally and should be checked directly with the municipality or organiser before travelling.
At the same time, 26 December is a typical visiting day. After Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, people visit relatives, godparents, friends or grandparents. That is exactly why traffic, timetables, restaurant seats and weather matter more to many people than a long historical explanation.
Anyone choosing a place or excursion looks mainly for Stefaniritt rides, horse blessings, Stefani races, festive church services, ball dates, ski starts and family hotels by federal state.
In some regions, Stefaniritt rides, horse blessings or Stefani horse races are part of the customs. Anyone planning to go should check the date, place, route and programme directly with the municipality or organiser.
Many families use 26 December for visits to relatives, godparents, friends or grandparents. That creates travel, restaurant and transport questions.
After Christmas Day, the focus is often leftovers, a second festive meal, coffee, cake or an inn. Open restaurants and hotel restaurants should be reserved early.
For hotels, ski areas and thermal spas, 26 December is an important arrival and stay period. Family rooms, half board and flexible arrival are important decision points.
Why 26 December is important for hotels and ski areas.
For hotels, ski areas, thermal spas and family resorts, Saint Stephen's Day is an important date. Many people leave after the first Christmas days, start a ski holiday or extend their time off through New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
Saint Stephen's Day comes with practical decisions: which days are worth taking as annual leave? Does public transport follow a public-holiday schedule? Are restaurants open? Are family rooms available? Which ski areas are fully starting the season? How do you avoid arrival stress?
Before 26 December, check winter hotels, ski areas, thermal spas, rail connections, inns, Stefani events, family rooms and stays between Christmas and New Year's Day.
Useful tools for further holiday and leisure planning.
Saint Stephen's Day should be treated as its own building block in the Christmas period. It is not just "the day after Christmas Day", but a statutory public holiday with its own name logic, regional customs, visiting traffic and plenty of winter-travel planning.
For the next step, use the annual-leave planner, the school-holiday calendar and the calendar-week overview.
For the next step, consider Stefaniritt rides, horse blessings, Stefani balls, open restaurants, inns, winter hotels, ski areas, rail and road traffic, Christmas school holidays and leave blocks through Epiphany.
Open the right next step for leave planning, school breaks, calendar weeks, subscriptions or related event context.