29 de December, 2025
With the start of a new year, the perfect opportunity also arises to begin planning holidays, short breaks, and small trips. In this context, it is essential to be aware of the public holidays in Portugal in 2026 that you can take advantage of. Here, we help you organise this schedule. As a rule, every worker is entitled to 22 working days of annual leave. However, by combining public holidays, bridge days, long weekends, and a bit of creativity and planning, it is possible to significantly maximise your time off.
In 2026, Portugal will have 13 mandatory national public holidays. Of these:
By planning ahead, you will have a great opportunity to extend your weekends throughout the year and better organise your holiday trips. The first opportunity appears right at the beginning of the year, with New Year’s Day on 1 January, which falls on a Thursday, allowing you to take Friday off and enjoy four consecutive days of rest.
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The mandatory public holidays in Portugal include New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter, Freedom Day, Labour Day, Corpus Christi, Portugal Day, the Assumption of Our Lady, Republic Day, All Saints’ Day, Restoration of Independence Day, the Immaculate Conception, and Christmas Day.
Check below the mandatory national holidays and the opportunities to extend your time off:
In addition to these, there are municipal holidays, which vary according to the city and region of the country. The most popular dates are:
If you live in Portugal with children and want to coordinate your vacations with them, pay attention to the school calendar.
Before planning trips, taking advantage of long weekends, it’s good to remember how vacations are calculated in Portugal. According to the Portuguese Labor Code, each worker is entitled to a period of 22 working days of vacation for each complete year of work. These days can be taken throughout the calendar year, as long as they are agreed upon with the employer.
In the year of admission, the worker is entitled to 2 working days of vacation for each complete month of work (up to 20 days), which can only be taken after 6 complete months of work. In the years following the hiring year, on January 1st, the worker is entitled to 22 working days of vacation, which can be taken until April 30th of the following year.
In the case of contract termination, the total number of vacation days to which the worker is entitled for the total duration of the contract should be calculated, deducting the total number of vacation days already taken.
The current Portuguese Labor Code (Law 7/2009, February 12) does not recognize Carnival Tuesday as a mandatory public holiday. Unlike many Brazilian cities where school and business activities are suspended, in Portugal, this date does not affect the regular routine.
However, the Government grants a day off (tolerância de ponto) on this day for workers in certain public functions within the state.
Here are the best strategies for combining holidays with vacation days:
Now that you are familiar with the 2026 public holiday calendar in Portugal, it is time to look at the year with greater intention. With good planning, it is possible to rest more, travel better, and make the most of every break.
And if Portugal is still part of your future plans, remember that change begins with well-informed decisions. Learn about the types of visas available and plan your transition safely and with specialized support from Atlantic Bridge.
Author:
Silvia Resende
