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Tips for holiday planning

Work-free public holidays at the University of Bern are: 

tabelle
 2022  2023
New Year's Day   1 January  1 January
 Saint Berchtold  2 January 2 January
Good Friday  15 April 7 April 
Easter Monday  18 April 10 April 
Ascension Day  26 May 18 May
Whit Monday  6 June 29 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)
  • 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.

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).