Spain has nine national public holidays in 2027, set by a BOE resolution published on 13 October 2026. Two bridge days stand out: Monday 11 October (not in Extremadura) and Tuesday 7 December, which makes a five-day block. 15 August falls on a Sunday and is a public holiday nowhere.
Checked on against the official sources cited (BOE, Junta de Andalucía).
Spain’s 2027 holiday calendar is already published, and it is official. The resolution fixing the dates shared across the country was signed on 8 October 2026 and published in the BOE on 13 October 2026. There is no need to wait until the end of the year to plan a bridge. The catch is elsewhere: Spain doesn’t have one calendar, it has nineteen. There are seventeen autonomous communities, plus Ceuta and Melilla. A bridge that works from Madrid may be worth nothing in Barcelona, and Holy Thursday isn’t a holiday everywhere.
The shared and regional dates come from the BOE text. Dates taken from the press, and deadlines taken from a guide, are flagged as such. For Holy Week 2027 (25 to 28 March), train and bus tickets are, according to one unsourced guide figure, on sale between late November and late December 2026. The Renfe sales window could not be verified.
1. National calendar 2027: nine holidays for the whole country
The BOE separates the holidays that apply across Spain from those that vary by region. There are nine of the first kind in 2027. The table lists each one with its weekday, because the weekday decides which bridge to take.
| Date 2027 | Day | Holiday | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January | Friday | New Year’s Day (Año Nuevo) | Three-day weekend, nothing to take |
| 6 January | Wednesday | Epiphany (Epifanía del Señor) | For a five-day block, take Thursday 7 and Friday 8 |
| 26 March | Friday | Good Friday (Viernes Santo) | Easter: three-day block, extended depending on the region (section 4) |
| 1 May | Saturday | Labour Day (Fiesta del Trabajo) | Saturday: no bridge |
| 12 October | Tuesday | Spain’s National Day (Fiesta Nacional de España) | Bridge on Monday 11 October, except in Extremadura |
| 1 November | Monday | All Saints’ Day (Todos los Santos) | Three-day weekend |
| 6 December | Monday | Constitution Day (Día de la Constitución) | Three-day weekend; with the 8th, Tuesday 7 makes a five-day block |
| 8 December | Wednesday | Immaculate Conception (Inmaculada Concepción) | Bridge to take: Tuesday 7 |
| 25 December | Saturday | Christmas Day (Natividad del Señor) | Saturday: no bridge |
Source: BOE, resolution of 8 October 2026 (BOE-A-2026-21254), checked on 19 October 2026.
The EFE news agency counts the same nine, and so does the analysis by the firm Garrigues. The total doesn’t tell the whole story: each region adds its own dates, so the number of public holidays changes from one territory to another. The regional detail is in sections 2 and 5.
Two dates often appear in guides without being in the table. 15 August 2027 is a Sunday, and it is a public holiday in no region. 16 August, a Monday, is a holiday in six communities only. 23 April is not a national holiday: it is a holiday in Aragon and Castile and León, not in Catalonia. The gaps between guides and the BOE are listed further down.
2. Madrid: the simplest base for a bridge
Madrid has twelve holidays in the BOE for 2027. These are the nine shared holidays, plus Thursday 25 March (Holy Thursday), Friday 19 March (Saint Joseph’s Day, San José) and Monday 16 August (Assumption, Asunción, moved to the Monday). Several three-day weekends therefore land on the capital: 19 March, 16 August, 1 November and 6 December.
Madrid: the simplest base for a bridge
A tourism press piece counts fourteen festive days in Madrid, two more than the BOE. The two extra days are local city holidays, and no official source confirms their 2027 dates as of the day we checked. We don’t include them (Time Out Madrid, 1 October 2026).
For a trip beyond the capital, the Viator day trip below is called « Three Cities in One Day »: Segovia, Avila and Toledo, from Madrid. To compare other day trips from the capital, our guide to day trips from Madrid covers them.
Highlights
- Twelve BOE holidays, and several three-day weekends from the capital.
- One day to take for a five-day block: Tuesday 7 December, between the 6th and 8th holidays.
- A day trip from Madrid without changing hotels.
3. The bridges to take: one day is enough, except for a Wednesday
In Spain, a bridge (« puente ») is a working day you take off so that a public holiday joins up with the weekend. The rule is easy to read off the calendar. A holiday that falls on a Tuesday calls for a bridge on the Monday before; on a Thursday, the Friday after. A Wednesday needs two days taken to make a block. A Saturday adds no day off, because the BOE does not move a holiday that falls on a Saturday. Applied to 2027, the rule gives four useful cases.
- 12 October (Tuesday). Taking Monday 11 October makes a four-day block, from Saturday 9 to Tuesday 12. This bridge exists in almost the whole country, except Extremadura, where Monday 11 is already a holiday.
- 6 and 8 December (Monday and Wednesday). Taking Tuesday 7 December makes a five-day block, from Saturday 4 to Wednesday 8. For the whole country, it is the longest bridge of the year from a single day taken.
- 6 January (Wednesday). For a five-day block, you need to take Thursday 7 and Friday 8: two days for one block, less efficient than December.
- 1 January and 1 November. These are three-day weekends, with no bridge to take. 1 May and 25 December fall on a Saturday: they add no extra day.
For a UK reader, the main difference is the weekend rule. England and Wales move a bank holiday that falls on a weekend to a weekday: Christmas Day 2027 is a Saturday, so the substitute bank holiday is Monday 27 December, and Boxing Day moves to Tuesday 28 December. Spain does not do this, so 25 December 2027 adds nothing to your time off (GOV.UK, bank holidays).
For a short trip, two bridges are worth remembering: the one on 11 October, which takes one day and does not work in Extremadura, and the one on 7 December, which also takes one day and makes the longest block of the year. The rest depends on the region, as section 5 shows.
4. Holy Week 2027: Easter Sunday is 28 March, four block patterns
Easter Sunday falls on 28 March 2027. Good Friday, 26 March, is a public holiday across the whole country. Holy Thursday (25 March) and Easter Monday (29 March) are not holidays everywhere, and that is where the blocks diverge. The table separates three groups of territories.
| Territories | Thursday 25 March | Friday 26 March | Monday 29 March | Possible block |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castile-La Mancha, Castile and León, Extremadura, Galicia, Community of Madrid, Murcia, Ceuta and Melilla | holiday | holiday | not a holiday | Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 (4 days) |
| Catalonia and the Valencian Community | not a holiday | holiday | holiday | Friday 26 to Monday 29 (4 days); five days if you take Thursday 25 |
| Balearic Islands, Navarre, Basque Country, La Rioja | holiday | holiday | holiday | Thursday 25 to Monday 29 (5 days), nothing to take |
Source: BOE, resolution of 8 October 2026 (BOE-A-2026-21254), checked on 19 October 2026; days of the week calculated.
For Barcelona or Valencia, taking Thursday 25 March, which is not a holiday in either city, turns a four-day block into five. In Madrid or Andalusia, the block from Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 March needs no day taken.
If you are used to the UK calendar, Good Friday (26 March) and Easter Monday (29 March) are both bank holidays in England and Wales. In Spain’s national calendar, only Good Friday is shared across the whole country, and Easter Monday depends on where you are.
Seville during Holy Week
In Andalusia, Holy Week forms a four-day block, from Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 March, with no day to take.
The Feria de Abril is held in April, but its 2027 programme had not been published by the date we checked. Don’t book accommodation on assumed dates: wait for the city’s official announcement.
Highlights
- A four-day block with no day to take, in Andalusia as in Madrid.
- Feria dates not yet published: don’t book on an assumed date.
- A calendar that changes by region: check yours before you go.
5. Eight territories, eight calendars
The table compares eight cases. It doesn’t replace the BOE text: for each territory, it shows the longest block with no day to take and the most efficient bridge.
| Territory | Longest block with no day to take | Most efficient bridge | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain (shared holidays) | Friday 26 to Sunday 28 March (Easter) | Tuesday 7 December (five-day block); Monday 11 October | 7 December needs only one day taken |
| Madrid | Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 March | Tuesday 7 December (five-day block) | 16 August holiday (Monday) |
| Andalusia | Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 March | Tuesday 7 December (five-day block) | 1 March (Monday): three-day weekend |
| Catalonia | Friday 26 to Monday 29 March (4 days) | Thursday 25 March for five days; Friday 25 June (Sant Joan bridge) | No Holy Thursday, no 16 August |
| Valencian Community | Friday 26 to Monday 29 March (4 days) | Thursday 25 March for five days | 9 October (Saturday): no bridge |
| Basque Country | Thursday 25 to Monday 29 March (5 days) | Friday 8 and Monday 11 October (block from 7 to 12 October) | 7 October is a holiday, new in 2027 |
| Extremadura | Saturday 9 to Tuesday 12 October (4 days) | None: 11 October is already a holiday | 8 September (Wednesday): two days to take |
| Canary Islands | Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 March (4 days) | Monday 11 October; island holidays according to the press | 11 holidays in the BOE, island holidays to be confirmed |
Source: BOE, resolution of 8 October 2026 (BOE-A-2026-21254), checked on 19 October 2026; day-of-the-week calculations. The Canary Islands’ island holidays come from the regional press (Diario de Avisos, 13 October 2026).
In the other territories, the regional holidays follow a pattern. 8 September, a holiday in Asturias and Extremadura, falls on a Wednesday, and so does 9 June, a holiday in Murcia and La Rioja. 28 July and 15 September, Cantabria’s holidays, are also Wednesdays. Each of these days needs two days taken to form a five-day block.
Ceuta and Melilla keep their own holidays too. In Ceuta, Thursday 5 August (Nuestra Señora de África) makes a bridge on Friday 6, for a block from Thursday 5 to Sunday 8. In Melilla, Wednesday 10 March (Eid al-Fitr) requires taking Thursday 11 and Friday 12 to make a five-day block, from Wednesday 10 to Sunday 14. Both cities also observe Monday 17 May (Eid al-Adha), a three-day weekend.
In Castile-La Mancha, Thursday 27 May (Corpus Christi) and Monday 31 May (regional holiday) surround Friday 28: taking it makes a five-day block. In Galicia, 19 March and 17 May (Letras Galegas) each make a three-day weekend, with no day to take.
The Basque Country is the exception, with a new holiday. Thursday 7 October 2027 becomes a public holiday to mark the first Basque government. A bridge on Friday 8 and Monday 11 October gives a block from 7 to 12 October, which the local press describes as a six-day bridge (Gasteiz Hoy, 9 June 2026). 19 March is no longer a holiday in the Basque Country in 2027.
Catalonia: its own calendar
Catalonia doesn’t follow the Madrid pattern. Holy Thursday is not a holiday there, but Easter Monday is. 24 June 2027 is a Thursday: Sant Joan gives a bridge on Friday 25 June, for a four-day block. 11 September (Diada) falls on a Saturday, so there is no bridge.
On 23 April, Sant Jordi is widely celebrated in Barcelona, with its books and roses. It is not a public holiday in Catalonia in the 2027 calendar, so don’t plan a stay on that assumption. For a day trip from the city, our guide to day trips from Barcelona covers the options.
Highlights
- A four-day bridge around Sant Joan, on 24 June.
- Easter Monday is a holiday: taking Thursday 25 March turns Easter into a five-day block.
- Diada on Saturday 11 September, with no effect on your week.
6. Booking this winter: what’s urgent, what can wait
The dates are fixed, but no official source gives a booking window for a bridge. The only guide that puts numbers on lead times, the Spain Handbook, cites no source for them, so the rules of thumb below are guide habits, not rules. The context is sourced, though. INE counted 9,746,490 international tourists in Spain in June 2026, up 2.9% on a year earlier, and 46,567,610 over the first six months of the year, 4.6% more (INE, FRONTUR note for June 2026, published 3 August 2026).
| Booking | Guide’s rule of thumb | Date targeted in 2027 | Indicative opening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, Holy Week | 6 to 8 months ahead | 25 to 28 March | late July to late September 2026: already passed (calculated) |
| Train or bus tickets, Holy Week | 3 to 4 months ahead | 25 to 28 March | late November to late December 2026 |
| Accommodation in August | 4 to 6 months ahead | August 2027 | February to April 2027 |
| October and December bridges | 2 to 3 months ahead | 11 and 12 October; 4 to 8 December | July to August 2027 (11 October); early September to early October 2027 (4 to 8 December) |
Source: Spain Handbook, Semana Santa, August and bridges (31 August 2026, updated 17 October 2026), checked on 19 October 2026. The guide does not source these lead times; the « indicative opening » column is a calculation based on them.
According to one unsourced guide figure, Holy Week accommodation may already be open, and train or bus tickets could be bought before the end of 2026. Renfe’s sales window could not be checked: its help page returned an error on the day we looked. We have found no source for accommodation rates on bridge weekends, so this article gives none.
What other guides don’t tell you
These six points come from reading the official text. They contradict information still published in the press or in general guides.
- 15 August 2027 is not a public holiday in Spain. It falls on a Sunday and does not appear in any territory in the BOE table. A report by the EFE news agency, carried by eldiario.es on 13 October 2026, nevertheless presents it as a holiday. BOE, resolution of 8 October 2026 (checked on 19 October 2026).
- 23 April is not a public holiday in Catalonia. The BOE lists it only in Aragon and Castile and León. The Spain Handbook presents it as a public holiday in Barcelona, which the official text does not confirm. BOE, resolution of 8 October 2026 (checked on 19 October 2026).
- Easter Monday (29 March 2027) is a public holiday in only six territories: the Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Navarre, the Basque Country, La Rioja and the Valencian Community. A single Easter block that works everywhere does not exist. BOE, resolution of 8 October 2026 (checked on 19 October 2026).
- 19 March is not a public holiday in the Basque Country in 2027. 7 October replaces it. Guides that still list 19 March for the Basque Country are out of date. Gasteiz Hoy, 9 June 2026, and the BOE (both checked on 19 October 2026).
- Extremadura has no bridge on 12 October. Monday 11 October is already a holiday there, in place of 15 August. The block from Saturday 9 to Tuesday 12 needs no day taken. BOE, resolution of 8 October 2026 (checked on 19 October 2026).
- 16 August is not a public holiday in Castile-La Mancha according to the BOE. The Diario de León (14 October 2026) announces a holiday on 16 August. The BOE does not include it: the regional holiday is Monday 31 May. BOE, resolution of 8 October 2026 (checked on 19 October 2026).
Practical info for a bridge in Spain
An eSIM is set up before you leave, so you don’t have to look for a SIM card on arrival. That helps on a four- or five-day trip. Offers vary by country and plan length: check the plan page you choose.
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From $62.72 / 4 weeks (ages 18-39, Essential plan)Frequently asked questions
How many public holidays does Spain have in 2027?
Nine holidays are shared across the country in 2027, according to the BOE published on 13 October 2026: 1 January, 6 January, 26 March, 1 May, 12 October, 1 November, 6 December, 8 December and 25 December. Each region adds its own, so the total varies from one territory to another. Madrid has twelve, and the Canary Islands eleven in the BOE, plus island holidays. Source: BOE.
Is 15 August 2027 a public holiday in Spain?
No. 15 August 2027 falls on a Sunday and does not appear as a holiday in any territory in the BOE table. Monday 16 August is a holiday in six communities: Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, the Canary Islands, Castile and León and the Community of Madrid. A report published on 13 October 2026 says otherwise, which is an error. Source: BOE.
Is there a bridge for 12 October 2027?
Yes, in almost the whole country. 12 October 2027 is a Tuesday: taking Monday 11 October makes a four-day block, from Saturday 9 to Tuesday 12. There is no such bridge in Extremadura, where Monday 11 October is already a holiday in place of 15 August. In the Basque Country, Thursday 7 October, a new holiday for 2027, can also be combined with Friday 8 and Monday 11 for a six-day block. Source: BOE.
What are the December 2027 bridges?
Monday 6 and Wednesday 8 December are holidays across the whole country. Taking Tuesday 7 December makes a five-day block, from Saturday 4 to Wednesday 8, with only one day taken. Saturday 25 December creates no bridge. It is the longest bridge of the year from a single day taken. Source: BOE.
How does Holy Week 2027 work in Spain?
Easter Sunday is 28 March 2027. Good Friday (26 March) is a holiday everywhere. Holy Thursday (25 March) is a holiday in seventeen of the nineteen territories, all except Catalonia and the Valencian Community. Easter Monday (29 March) is a holiday in only six territories, including those two. The block therefore changes by region, as the table in section 4 shows. Source: BOE.
Are the public holidays the same in Barcelona and Madrid?
No. Barcelona, in Catalonia, has no Holy Thursday, but it does have 24 June (Sant Joan, a Thursday, with a bridge on Friday 25) and 11 September (Diada, a Saturday, no bridge). Madrid has 19 March (a Friday) and 16 August (a Monday), which do not apply in Catalonia. 23 April, Sant Jordi, is not a holiday in Catalonia in 2027. Source: BOE.
Which holidays apply in the Canary Islands in 2027?
The BOE lists eleven holidays for the archipelago, including 16 August and both Easter days. The regional press adds island holidays, such as 2 February in Tenerife or 5 August in La Palma. These dates are not in the national table: confirm them with the island or the cabildo (island council) before you book time off. Source: Diario de Avisos (regional press, 13 October 2026).
Why aren’t the Seville Feria dates listed here?
The 2027 programme of the Feria de Abril had not been published by the date this article was checked, and local proposals for festivities in Seville are not decisions. Rather than show a supposed date, we are waiting for the city’s official publication. The shared and Andalusian holidays, however, are fixed in the BOE calendar. Source: Junta de Andalucía.
Sources
- BOE, resolution of 8 October 2026 (BOE-A-2026-21254): official text of the 2027 public holiday calendar, annex and notes.
- Junta de Andalucía, public holiday calendar: Andalusian calendar for 2027.
- Garrigues, 2027 calendar published in the BOE: cross-check of the nine national holidays.
- Gasteiz Hoy, 7 October as a holiday in Euskadi (9 June 2026): new Basque holiday and six-day bridge.
- Time Out Madrid, 2027 calendar (1 October 2026): twelve fixed dates consistent with the BOE.
- Diario de Avisos, Canary Islands holidays 2027 (13 October 2026): island holidays, regional press.
- eldiario.es, EFE report on the 2027 calendar (13 October 2026): nine shared holidays; error on 15 August.
- INE, FRONTUR note for June 2026 (3 August 2026): international tourist arrivals.
- Spain Handbook, Semana Santa, August and bridges (31 August 2026, updated 17 October 2026): indicative booking lead times, unsourced.
- GOV.UK, bank holidays for England and Wales 2027: UK comparison used in sections 3 and 4.
Sources checked on 19 October 2026.
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