There is no classic November puente in Spain in 2026: All Saints’ Day falls on a Sunday. According to the BOE, nine regions (Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, the Canary Islands, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Extremadura, Madrid and Navarre) move the holiday to Monday 2 November, giving a three-day weekend from Saturday 31 October to Monday 2 November. Everywhere else, including Barcelona and Valencia, Monday is a normal working day. Plan your journeys around Friday 30 October afternoon.
« Puente de noviembre 2026 »: yes, but not for everyone. A puente (« bridge ») is a lone public holiday you link to the weekend by taking a day or two off. This year All Saints’ Day lands on a Sunday, so nobody has a day to take. What does exist is a Monday holiday in about half the country, decided region by region. Here’s the official list, what it means if you’re flying in from the UK, and the traps to avoid once you’re there.
A Sunday holiday, a patchwork Monday
The 9 regions with Monday 2 November off
1 November, Todos los Santos (All Saints’ Day), is a national holiday. When it falls on a Sunday, Royal Decree 2001/1983 (article 45.3) lets each region either move it to the Monday or swap it for a traditional local holiday. So Monday 2 November is a regional decision, not a national rule. The resolution of 17 October 2025 published in the BOE (2026 working holidays) lists the nine regions that moved it:
| Region | Monday 2 November | And 7 December? |
|---|---|---|
| Andalusia | Holiday | Holiday |
| Aragon | Holiday | Holiday |
| Asturias | Holiday | Holiday |
| Canary Islands | Holiday | No |
| Castilla-La Mancha | Holiday | No |
| Castilla y León | Holiday | Holiday |
| Extremadura | Holiday | Holiday |
| Community of Madrid | Holiday | Holiday |
| Navarre | Holiday | No |
Worth knowing: Monday 2 November is also the Día de los Fieles Difuntos (Day of the Faithful Departed), but that isn’t what makes it a holiday. In Castilla-La Mancha, the regional announcement talks about a « replacement » of the 6 December holiday, whereas the BOE classes this Monday as a shift of All Saints’. For a traveller the effect is the same: Monday off, no 7 December.
What it means for you
- In these nine regions, Monday feels like a Sunday: public offices, banks and schools are closed.
- Madrileños and Andalusians leave in droves: roads, trains and small boutique hotels fill up fast.
- From the UK, there’s no bank holiday to lean on: 1 November is an ordinary Sunday, and schools in England go back on Monday 2 November after the 26 to 30 October half-term. So this is the first weekend after half-term.
Where Monday 2 November is a working day
Eight regions and the two autonomous cities have no public holiday that Monday. That includes Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao, Palma and Vigo: shops, museums (apart from each venue’s own weekly Monday closure) and city transport run on weekday hours. Some regions have even swapped All Saints’ for another date in the year.
| Territory | What happens instead |
|---|---|
| Galicia | 1 November is replaced by 19 March (San José), according to the Xunta. |
| Basque Country | The 1 November and 6 December holidays are replaced by 19 March and 25 July, according to the Basque government and local press. |
| Catalonia | No shift: the official 2026 calendar doesn’t count All Saints’, which falls on a Sunday. See the Generalitat. |
| Valencian Community | No shift. 9 October remains its regional day. |
| Balearic Islands | No shift; the Balearic government indicates a substitution by 26 December (medium reliability, cross-check). |
| Murcia and La Rioja | No 2 November, but Monday 7 December is a holiday. 9 June is their regional day. |
| Cantabria | No 2 November; the 6 December holiday moves to the 7th. |
| Ceuta and Melilla | No 2 November. Melilla has Monday 7 December. |
The upshot: if you’re staying in Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao or Galicia over the weekend of 31 October, expect the city to be back at work on Monday, with a quiet, end-of-break feel. These are also popular with foreign visitors, so book early. According to Hosteltur, for the 2024 All Saints’ bridge French travellers made up 25% of foreign bookings and Germans 23%, with the British at 5%: most of the competition for rooms comes from elsewhere in Europe.
On the ground: shops, roads, trains
Open or shut? What to expect
Shops
Shop opening hours depend on each region. The Ministry of Commerce calendar only covers large retailers. For our weekend: Aragon allows opening on Sunday 1 November, while Andalusia, Asturias, the Canary Islands, Extremadura and Navarre allow it on Monday 2. In Madrid, opening is free, at each shopkeeper’s discretion. In Castilla y León and Castilla-La Mancha, 2 November isn’t on the list. In Catalonia and Valencia, Monday is a normal working day. Small shops and tourist areas follow other rules, so don’t generalise.
Supermarket and department-store hours haven’t been published for 2026: the figures going around date from 2024, when 1 November was a Friday. Mercadona or El Corte Inglés? Check their websites the week before. On-duty pharmacies and petrol stations stay open; banks and post offices are closed.
For museums, the hours at the Prado, the Alhambra or the Sagrada Família are usually the Sunday and public-holiday ones, but confirm on their official sites, and book ahead for capacity-limited venues. For the Alhambra, our private vs group tour comparison helps you choose.
Roads
The Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) included a special operation in its 2026 annual resolution (BOE-A-2026-1255), running from Friday 30 October at 1pm to Monday 2 November at midnight. There’s no ban for private cars: the measures are restrictions on lorries over 7,500 kg and a suspension of roadworks. The hot spots: Friday 30 October between 4pm and 10pm leaving Madrid, and Monday 2 November between 4pm and 10pm coming into Madrid (until midnight on the A-3). The DGT’s travel forecasts haven’t been published yet.
Another detail: clocks go back in the night of 24 to 25 October, the same night as in the UK. The sun sets early on the 31st, so avoid long night drives after a cemetery or forest visit. If you’re driving a UK-registered car, the V16 beacon isn’t compulsory: the DGT accepts the warning triangles of your own country. For a hire car registered in Spain, it’s up to the rental company to equip it.
Trains and planes
No Renfe announcement for this weekend has appeared so far. The high-speed network is still marked by Adif speed restrictions since the Adamuz accident in January: on 29 September, some Seville-Madrid AVE trains arrived up to 48 minutes late, according to El Pespunte. Leave yourself slack on connections and keep flexible tickets. As for flying, a strike notice from French civil aviation runs from 17 to 21 October. It is only a notice, but worth watching if you’re flying that week, as many UK-Spain routes cross French airspace.
- Friday 30 October: leave Madrid before 3pm or after 10pm.
- Monday 2 November: avoid driving into Madrid between 4pm and 10pm.
- Trains: allow 30 to 60 minutes of slack on routes with speed restrictions.
Traditions and events over the All Saints’ weekend
Don’t reduce this weekend to Halloween
1 November is a day of remembrance: Mass, flowers at the cemetery, families going back to their home villages. Halloween has been added to the tradition without replacing it. Cemeteries are full all day on the 1st: if you visit, keep a low profile and avoid photographing families.
- La Castanyada (Catalonia, also Valencia and the Balearics): roasted chestnuts, sweet potatoes and panellets, little marzipan balls covered in pine nuts, on the evening of 31 October, according to Barcelona.cat.
- Samaín (Galicia) and Noche de los Finaos (Canary Islands): vigils on the night of the 31st, mixing Celtic heritage with tales of the departed over chestnuts.
- Huesos de santo and buñuelos de viento: the All Saints’ sweets of Castile and Madrid. Prices recorded in 2025 ranged from €20 to €70 a kilo depending on the shop; 2026 prices aren’t known yet.
- Fira de Tots Sants de Cocentaina (Alicante province): 680th edition from Friday 30 October to Sunday 1 November, about 800 exhibitors according to the fira.
- Halloween at PortAventura until 15 November, and fright nights at Parque Warner Madrid on 2, 9, 16, 23 and 31 October (separate ticket).
- Don Juan Tenorio: Zorrilla’s play is traditionally staged around 1 November, notably in Alcalá de Henares; the 2026 dates aren’t confirmed.
Where to go, where to avoid, and the real puente of the year
Choosing your destination around the Monday holiday
Avoid if you want some peace
Spaniards from the nine holiday regions head for the heritage towns around Madrid, Granada, Seville and the beech forests. According to Idealista, beech forests are saturated on peak weekends: in the Selva de Irati (Navarre), car access is cut off once the car parks are full, and the guided visit to the Montejo de la Sierra beech wood (Madrid) has been fully booked for this weekend for some time. Check access rules with the managers before you set off.
Aim for these instead
- Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao, Galicia: Monday is a working day, so things feel calmer on the departure side. For Barcelona, let our pick in El Born guide you.
- Madrid: the city stays lively, with the La Latina district for tapas. And a week later, Monday 9 November is a holiday in Madrid city only (Virgen de la Almudena), not in the rest of the Community, which makes another three-day weekend, 7 to 9 November, according to diario.madrid.es.
- Segovia and Toledo: best done as a guided excursion rather than by car, as detailed in our guide to day trips to Segovia from Madrid.
Practical info to prepare your weekend
To reach a beech forest or a village off the rail network, compare rental companies and return the car stress-free on Monday evening.
Car rental comparisonMedical and travel cover for trips abroad. With slowed high-speed trains and a possible strike, being covered avoids unpleasant surprises.
From $56 / 4 weeksOn documents: as a UK traveller, your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before you arrive and be valid for at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen area, and you may be asked to register biometrics under the EU Entry/Exit System (EES), according to the FCDO. Emergencies: 112. Spain is one hour ahead of the UK.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an All Saints’ puente in Spain in 2026?
Not a classic one: 1 November falls on a Sunday. A three-day weekend, Saturday 31 October to Monday 2 November, exists only in the nine regions that moved the holiday to Monday. Source: BOE.
Which regions have Monday 2 November 2026 as a holiday?
Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, the Canary Islands, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Extremadura, Madrid and Navarre, according to the BOE resolution of 17 October 2025.
Is Monday 2 November a public holiday in Barcelona?
No. Catalonia didn’t move All Saints’ Day: Monday 2 November is a working day, as in Valencia, Galicia, the Basque Country, the Balearic Islands, Murcia, La Rioja and Cantabria.
Why don’t Galicia and the Basque Country have All Saints’ Day off?
They replaced 1 November with another holiday: 19 March (San José) in both cases. The Basque Country also replaced 6 December with 25 July, and Galicia with 24 June.
Is 9 November a public holiday in Madrid?
Yes, but only in the municipality of Madrid, for the Virgen de la Almudena, on Monday 9 November 2026. It isn’t a holiday in the rest of the Community of Madrid.
Do I need a V16 beacon with my UK car in Spain?
No. The DGT states that vehicles registered abroad are compliant with the warning triangles or equivalent of their own country. A hire car registered in Spain falls under the obligation, so it’s up to the rental company to equip it.
Is there a special traffic operation for the All Saints’ weekend?
Yes: the DGT has scheduled an operation from Friday 30 October at 1pm to Monday 2 November at midnight, with restrictions on lorries and a suspension of roadworks. Source: BOE-A-2026-1255.
Sources
- BOE-A-2025-21667: resolution of 17 October 2025, 2026 working holidays
- BOE-A-2026-1255: special traffic measures 2026 (DGT)
- DGT: V16 beacon and international traffic
- Ministry of Commerce: Sundays and holidays open for retail 2026
- Xunta de Galicia: 2026 calendar
- Generalitat de Catalunya: 2026 holidays
- diario.madrid.es: public holidays in the city of Madrid
- El Pespunte: Seville-Madrid AVE delays of 29 September 2026
- Hosteltur: most-booked destinations for All Saints’ 2024
- Idealista: autumn beech forests 2026
- Fira de Cocentaina: 680th edition
- Barcelona.cat: Tots Sants and Castanyada
- GOV.UK (FCDO): entry requirements for Spain
- Icelolly: UK school half-term dates 2026/27
Information checked on 30 September 2026. All Saints’ 2026 schedules and programmes may still change, so check official sites before you travel.
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