Public Holidays in Poland 2026: Dates and Kraków Tips

Poland has 14 statutory public holidays in 2026, and several of them fall on a Sunday or Saturday, so fewer weekday closures than the list suggests. This guide gives you every date with its weekday, explains what shuts (shops, offices, some museums) and what carries on, and shows how to plan a Kraków visit around them. As of 20 October 2026, the holidays still ahead are All Saints' Day, Independence Day and the Christmas run of 24 to 26 December.

TL;DR

• Poland's 2026 public holidays are 1 Jan, 6 Jan, 5 Apr, 6 Apr, 1 May, 3 May, 24 May, 4 Jun, 15 Aug, 1 Nov, 11 Nov, 24 Dec, 25 Dec and 26 Dec.
• Four of them land on a Sunday (5 April, 3 May, 24 May, 1 November) and two on a Saturday (15 August, 26 December), so they add no extra weekday off for most employees.
• Christmas Eve (24 December) has been a statutory day off since 2025, and in 2026 it opens a four-day weekend from Thursday to Sunday.
• Large shops close on Sundays and holidays, but restaurants, cafés, pharmacies and petrol stations largely carry on, and Kraków's Old Town stays lively.
• Book early for the long weekends: Easter, the early-May stretch and Christmas.

Table of Contents

• The full list of Polish public holidays in 2026
• What the dates mean in practice
• Month by month: what to expect as a visitor
• Planning a Kraków city break around the holidays
• Our perspective: why we like Kraków best on a holiday
• Staying with us over a holiday weekend
• A quick checklist before you go
• FAQ
• Sources

The full list of Polish public holidays in 2026

The dates below follow the official 2026 calendar published by the Polish government's Zielona Linia service, which reflects the law as of December 2025. The underlying legal basis is the consolidated Act on days free from work published by the Marshal of the Sejm.

Two things in this list trip up visitors. First, Easter moves every year, so Easter Sunday and Monday, and Pentecost and Corpus Christi that are counted from it, will not match last year's dates. Second, some online calendars list 24 December as a normal working day. That is out of date: the amendment that took effect on 1 February 2025 made Christmas Eve a day off from work.

What the dates mean in practice

Sundays and Saturdays

Four holidays fall on a Sunday in 2026: Easter Sunday, Constitution Day, Pentecost and All Saints' Day. Because Sunday is already a rest day, these do not create an additional day off for most workers. The two Saturday holidays, 15 August and 26 December, give employees a substitute day off, which their employer schedules within the accounting period. For you as a visitor, this matters little, but it explains why some local businesses may close on an odd weekday near those dates.

The working-year arithmetic is 251 working days and 114 days off once weekends and statutory holidays are counted. For a traveller, the useful reading is that 2026 has relatively few holiday-driven weekdays, but the ones that exist cluster into obvious long weekends.

Shops, offices and services

Poland restricts retail trade on Sundays and holidays. Large shops and supermarkets close, while pharmacies, petrol stations, restaurants, cafés and small owner-run shops stay open. Exceptions are the so-called trading Sundays. According to Kids in the City, 2026 has eight: 25 January, 29 March, 26 April, 28 June, 30 August, and 6, 13 and 20 December. Check the latest list before you rely on one, because it is set by law and can be amended.

Government and administrative offices are typically closed on statutory holidays, while essential services keep running, which is worth knowing if you are combining a city break with business meetings.

A practical rule: buy your picnic supplies, gifts and any pharmacy basics the day before a holiday, and treat the holiday itself as a day for restaurants, walks and sights.

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Bracka 6, 31-005 Kraków

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Month by month: what to expect as a visitor

January: New Year and Epiphany

1 January is quiet, with a late start to the day across the city. Epiphany on Tuesday 6 January creates a bridge opportunity: Zielona Linia's editors note that taking leave on 2 and 5 January gives a six-day break from the New Year to Epiphany. Polish families do exactly that, so winter weekend breaks in the Old Town are popular at this point.

Easter: the most atmospheric weekend in Kraków

Easter Sunday fell on 5 April in 2026 and Easter Monday on 6 April. Kraków does Easter on the streets. The Easter Fair on the Main Market Square ran from 26 March to 6 April in 2026, with more than 60 exhibitors selling regional crafts, and the city's official programme for Holy Saturday included the traditional blessing of food baskets at the Main Market Square by the Town Hall Tower. Plan on the same shape of weekend in future years, but check the dates, since Easter shifts.

Bear in mind that Easter Sunday is a day of family meals and church services. Many restaurants close or work reduced hours, so book a table ahead or choose self-catering for that one day.

May: the long stretch

1 May (Friday) gives an instant three-day weekend, and 3 May (Sunday) follows two days later. In years when 3 May falls midweek, Poles take the whole stretch off and call it the majówka; in 2026 it is compressed, but the first weekend of May is still busy with domestic travellers heading for the mountains and for cities. Constitution Day itself is a patriotic occasion with flags, official ceremonies and parades in many Polish cities.

Pentecost and Corpus Christi

Pentecost (24 May) is a Sunday, so little changes. Corpus Christi on Thursday 4 June is more noticeable: it is a religious holiday with processions, and since the Friday is the obvious bridge day, you get a four-day weekend. The Old Town can be busy with processions and some roads are closed for a short time, so allow extra time if you are walking to a timed ticket.

August: 15 August

The Assumption of Mary, which is also Armed Forces Day, falls on a Saturday this year. It sits in peak summer season, so the holiday adds little extra to what is already a busy time for Kraków accommodation.

November: All Saints' and Independence Day

The two November dates are the next holidays in the calendar from today. All Saints' Day on Sunday 1 November is the day Poles visit family graves and light candles, and cemeteries are crowded. It is a solemn day, so dress respectfully if you visit a cemetery and keep your voice low. Independence Day on Wednesday 11 November marks the restoration of Polish statehood in 1918. Expect ceremonies, flags and closed offices, with a midweek holiday that many locals stretch into a longer break.

Christmas: 24 to 26 December

This is the stretch that has changed most. With 24 December now a statutory day off, 2026 gives a Thursday-to-Sunday run. Wigilia, the Christmas Eve supper, is the heart of Polish Christmas, and in the late afternoon of the 24th the city goes remarkably quiet. Many restaurants close early or all day, and public transport runs a reduced timetable, so check before you plan. Christmas Day and 26 December are also quiet, with shops shut. If you want a Kraków Christmas break, treat the 24th as a day for a long walk through the empty Old Town and make sure you have a table or a kitchen sorted for dinner.

Planning a Kraków city break around the holidays

Choose your kind of holiday weekend

There are really three ways to use the calendar:

1. Go for the atmosphere. Easter and Christmas offer traditions you will not see on an ordinary weekend. They also bring the highest demand for rooms, so book as soon as your dates are fixed.
2. Go for quiet. All Saints' and Independence Day weekends bring less tourist pressure and a more local feel. Some sights keep shorter hours, so check opening times.
3. Go around them. If you prefer full opening hours, avoid the holiday itself and arrive the day after. Museums that are closed on public holidays reopen, and the shops are back.

For general advice on timing and how to approach a weekend booking, this piece on booking a weekend stay covers the basics of choosing dates and reading what a reservation includes.

Check opening hours before you commit

Museums, churches and attractions in Kraków often change their hours on public holidays, and some close entirely on specific days such as Easter Sunday or 25 December. Always confirm on the attraction's own website a few days before. If a major sight is on your list, schedule it for a non-holiday day and keep the holiday for strolling, food and the atmosphere of the Market Square.

Once you know your dates, our guides to one day in Kraków on foot and a three-day itinerary for first-time visitors are easy to shuffle around a closed day. If you want to leave the city on a holiday, the day trips from Kraków guide explains what to book ahead, and our note on getting to Zakopane by train is useful for a long weekend in the mountains.

Getting around on holidays

Trams and buses run on holidays but often on a Sunday or special timetable, and on Christmas Eve evening service is thin. Validate tickets as usual: our overview of Kraków public transport tickets for visitors explains the rules so that a holiday timetable does not turn into a fine. Within the Old Town you will mostly be on foot anyway.

Eating when many places are shut

On Easter Sunday, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, assume that some restaurants are closed and others are fully booked. Two simple fixes: reserve a table days ahead, or stay somewhere with a kitchen so a holiday dinner is not a gamble. Our comparison of aparthotels and hotels in Kraków goes through that trade-off in more detail.

Our perspective: why we like Kraków best on a holiday

We run Bracka 6, a small set of boutique apartments in a 15th-century townhouse, 100 m from Kraków's Main Square, so we see how the calendar shapes our guests' stays. Here is what we tell people.

First, holidays change the rhythm of the city, not the quality of it. On a public holiday the Old Town loses its weekday bustle and gains something more local: families heading to church, people in their best clothes, bells carrying across the square. If you are a city-break traveller who prefers atmosphere to a checklist, that is the best time to be in a 15th-century building a short walk from the action.

Second, plan the food. A kitchenette matters most on days when shops are shut and restaurants are full. Our apartments have a kitchen area, and we serve a continental breakfast at Sempre Bracka, with packed lunches available for early starts, which takes pressure off the mornings when you want to catch a train or a day trip.

Third, arrive with slack. Arrival days that coincide with a holiday are the ones where a delayed flight or a closed shop hurts most. We can arrange transfers from Kraków-Balice airport and from Kraków Główny station, so you do not need to puzzle out a holiday timetable after a journey. Tell us your arrival time when you book.

Finally, learn a few Polish phrases. On a holiday you are more likely to be speaking to families and small business owners, and a greeting goes a long way. Our short guide to Polish travel phrases is a good start, and our note on Polish breakfast foods will help you recognise what is on the table at Easter.

If an old building appeals but you want to know what to expect, our checklist for heritage hotels in Kraków covers the comfort checks we think matter.

— Antek

Staying with us over a holiday weekend

Bracka 6 offers apartments for two to four guests in the Old Town: Studio Superior, Studio Deluxe, Studio Executive and a larger Apartament. Each has air conditioning, a kitchen area, private bathroom and free Wi-Fi, with daily cleaning and breakfast in the on-site restaurant. You can see the room types and check availability for your holiday dates on our website. For the terms of a reservation, read our booking regulations.

A quick checklist before you go

• Confirm which holidays your dates touch, using the table above.
• Buy groceries and essentials the day before any holiday or Sunday.
• Check museum and attraction hours on their own sites.
• Book dinner for Easter Sunday, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, or plan self-catering.
• Look at the transport timetable for your arrival and departure day.
• Arrange your transfer from the airport or station in advance.

FAQ

How many public holidays does Poland have in 2026?

Poland has 14 statutory public holidays in 2026, counting Christmas Eve, which became a day off in 2025. Six of them fall on a weekend (four Sundays and two Saturdays), so fewer weekdays are lost than the number suggests.

Are shops open on Polish public holidays?

Large shops and supermarkets are closed on public holidays and on most Sundays. Pharmacies, petrol stations, restaurants, cafés and small owner-run shops generally stay open. A few trading Sundays a year are exceptions, so check the current list.

Is Christmas Eve a public holiday in Poland?

Yes. Since the amendment that took effect in February 2025, 24 December is a statutory day off. In 2026 it falls on a Thursday, which creates a four-day weekend through to Sunday.

Is the Old Town in Kraków busy on public holidays?

Usually yes, especially at Easter, in early May and in the lead-up to Christmas. The Main Market Square hosts the Easter Fair and seasonal events, though a few restaurants and attractions close on the biggest family days, so book ahead.

Sources

• Święta wolne od pracy w 2026 roku, Zielona Linia
• Consolidated Act on days free from work, Sejm of the Republic of Poland
• Wigilia dniem wolnym od pracy od 2025 roku, PCKP
• Ile przepracujemy w 2026 roku, Powiatowy Urząd Pracy w Sosnowcu
• Jarmark Wielkanocny 2026 na Rynku Głównym, PIK Kraków
• Sobota, 4 kwietnia, official Kraków city website
• Shopping weekends in Poland 2026, Travel4Kids
• Dates to remember in Poland, Kids in the City

Planning a Kraków break around a Polish holiday? Book direct with Bracka 6 and tell us your dates, so we can help with transfers and breakfast.

Recommended

• One Day in Krakow: See the Essentials on Foot in Under 6 km
• 10 Day Trips From Krakow and When to Book Each
• Krakow Public Transport Tickets for Visitors: Avoid a 400 PLN Fine
• Walk First Krakow 3 Day Itinerary for First Time Visitors, Bracka 6