Public Holidays Ticino 2026 (cross-border guide)
Public Holidays Ticino 2026 — free tools and expert guides for cross-border workers (frontalieri) between Switzerland and Italy. Compare salaries, tax, LAMal health insurance, pensions, and cost of living in Ticino. Updated 2026.
By Frontaliere Ticino Editorial Team
🇮🇹🇨🇭 Cross-border almanac · 2026
17 public holidays in Canton Ticino. Spend 4 days of leave in the right places and you gain 12 extra days off — almost three weeks unplugged. Not bad at all.
Calculate cross-border net salary (holidays included)
🌉 2026 long bridges, at a glance
- New Year + St Berchtold1 → 4 January · 4 days off · 🎁 0 leave
- Epiphany5 → 6 January · 4 days off · 1 day well spent
- Easter3 → 6 April · 4 days off · 🎁 0 leave
- Labour Day1 → 3 May · 3 days off · 🎁 0 leave
- Ascension14 → 17 May · 4 days off · 1 day well spent
- Pentecost23 → 25 May · 3 days off · 🎁 0 leave
- Corpus Christi4 → 7 June · 4 days off · 1 day well spent
- Immaculate Conception7 → 8 December · 4 days off · 1 day well spent
- Christmas25 → 27 December · 3 days off · 🎁 0 leave
📅 Every date on the calendar
| Date | Day | Holiday | TI | IT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Winter Three bridges in the first six days of the year. Quite the start. | ||||
| 1/1 | Thursday | New Year's Day | ● | ● |
| 2/1 | Friday | St Berchtold's Day | ● | ○ |
| 6/1 | Tuesday | Epiphany | ● | ● |
Spring Three bridges in nine weeks — peak anti-productivity for the commuter. | ||||
| 3/4 | Friday | Good Friday | ● | ○ |
| 5/4 | Sunday | Easter Sunday | ● | ● |
| 6/4 | Monday | Easter Monday | ● | ● |
| 25/4 | Saturday | Italian Liberation Day | ○ | ● |
| 1/5 | Friday | Labour Day | ● | ● |
| 14/5 | Thursday | Ascension | ● | ○ |
| 24/5 | Sunday | Pentecost | ● | ○ |
| 25/5 | Monday | Whit Monday | ● | ○ |
| 2/6 | Tuesday | Italian Republic Day | ○ | ● |
| 4/6 | Thursday | Corpus Christi | ● | ○ |
Summer Every holiday falls on a weekend. The universe is unjust. | ||||
| 1/8 | Saturday | Swiss National Day | ● | ○ |
| 15/8 | Saturday | Assumption | ● | ● |
Autumn Quiet until Immaculate Conception, then the curtain comes down. | ||||
| 1/11 | Sunday | All Saints' Day | ● | ● |
| 8/12 | Tuesday | Immaculate Conception | ● | ● |
| 25/12 | Friday | Christmas Day | ● | ● |
| 26/12 | Saturday | Boxing Day | ● | ● |
● paid holiday · ○ normal working day
Print it, pin it to the fridge, count down the days. Your contractual right.
2026 public holidays calendar in Ticino — 17 official days
The 2026 public holiday calendar in Canton Ticino is particularly favourable for cross-border workers: several midweek holidays create 3–4 day long weekends without burning much annual leave. Ticino officially recognises 17 cantonal holidays: New Year (Thu 1/1), St Berchtold (Fri 2/1), Epiphany (Tue 6/1), Good Friday (Fri 3 April), Easter Sunday (5 April), Easter Monday (6 April), Labour Day (Fri 1/5), Ascension (Thu 14 May), Pentecost (Sun 24 May), Whit Monday (25 May), Corpus Christi (Thu 4 June), Swiss National Day (Sat 1/8), Assumption (Sat 15/8), All Saints (Sun 1/11), Immaculate Conception (Tue 8/12), Christmas (Fri 25/12) and Boxing Day (Sat 26/12).
The most rewarding 2026 bridges for cross-border workers: New Year + St Berchtold (Thu 1/1 + Fri 2/1, automatic 4-day bridge); Epiphany (Tue 6/1, 4-day bridge with 1 day leave on Mon 5/1); Easter (3–6 April, 4 days with no leave); 1 May (Fri, automatic long weekend); Ascension (Thu 14 May + 1 day leave Fri 15); Pentecost (Sat 23 → Mon 25 May, automatic 3 days); Corpus Christi (Thu 4 June + 1 day leave Fri 5); Immaculate Conception (Tue 8/12 + 1 day leave Mon 7/12); Christmas (Fri 25 + Sat 26 + Sun 27 Dec, automatic 3 days). Swiss National Day, Assumption and All Saints fall on a weekend in 2026 and do not produce a bridge.
Differences with the Italian calendar
The Swiss holiday calendar differs from the Italian one on eight days. Observed only in Ticino (not in Italy): St Berchtold (2/1), Good Friday (3/4), Ascension (14/5), Whit Monday (25/5), Corpus Christi (4/6) and Swiss National Day (1/8). Observed only in Italy (not in Switzerland): 25 April (Liberation Day) and 2 June (Republic Day). Immaculate Conception (8/12) is not a federal Swiss holiday but is recognised in Ticino. A cross-border worker follows the work-country calendar (Switzerland) for paid time off, holiday allowances and overtime premiums, but must plan family logistics in Italy (schools, doctors, banks, public offices) against the Italian calendar — the two diverge on enough days each year to matter for school pick-ups and bank deadlines.
Border crossings and traffic outlook
The Italy–Switzerland border crossings stay open 24/7 on motorways and operate reduced hours on secondary roads, but they see severe traffic spikes on long-weekend Fridays and return Mondays. Peak traffic days for 2026: Fri 3 April (Easter departure), Mon 6 April (Easter return), Fri 1 May, Thu 14 May (Ascension departure), Mon 18 May (return), Fri 31 July (summer-holiday start), Fri 7 August (peak exodus) and Wed 23 December (Christmas departure). On those days, avoid the 7:00–10:00 and 16:00–20:00 windows and check live wait times on our Border wait times page, refreshed every 15 minutes via the TomTom API. Chiasso-Brogeda, Stabio-Gaggiolo and Ponte Tresa typically queue the longest; secondary crossings such as Oria-Gandria can shave 20–40 minutes during peak hours.
Salary, overtime and holiday pay
Swiss salaries are not reduced on public holidays — the monthly salary already includes the gross annual figure with ~13 paid cantonal and federal holidays in Ticino. Paid holidays do not appear as a separate line item on the Lohnabrechnung (payslip). Overtime worked on a public holiday is paid at a 50–100% premium depending on the collective labour agreement (CCL) or individual contract — always check the specific article of your sector CCL before agreeing to work a festivo. The 13th-month salary is standard practice across banks, insurance, public administration and most industrial sectors; a 14th month is rare in Switzerland and usually replaced by performance bonuses or profit-share schemes.