A few days off in December can make room for a family lunch, a short trip or simply a slower morning. Constitution Day falls on Sunday 6 December 2026, and its public holiday is observed on Monday 7 December in selected parts of Spain. That Monday is not automatically a day off everywhere.
Here is how the dates fit together, what a five-day break could look like and what to check before you submit a leave request.
The dates to put on your calendar
In 2026, the December puente—the bridge between non-working days—falls around these dates:
- Saturday, 5 December: the start of the weekend for people who normally have Saturdays off.
- Sunday, 6 December: the calendar date of Constitution Day and the anniversary of the 1978 referendum.
- Monday, 7 December: the Constitution Day public holiday is observed in selected territories, but is not a public holiday throughout Spain.
- Tuesday, 8 December: the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a nationwide public holiday.
- Wednesday, 9 December: normally a working day in the examples below, unless another holiday or work arrangement applies.
The official 2026 holiday calendar in the BOE lists 8 December as a national holiday that autonomous communities cannot substitute. It shows the Monday following Constitution Day as a holiday in selected territories. A holiday on the calendar does not, by itself, tell you whether your particular shift is cancelled.
Conceptual illustration.
Where is Monday 7 December a holiday?
The BOE lists the Monday substitute holiday in Andalucía, Aragón, Asturias, Cantabria, Castilla y León, Extremadura, the Community of Madrid, the Region of Murcia and La Rioja, as well as the autonomous city of Melilla. That is nine autonomous communities and one autonomous city. The Madrid City Council’s official calendar, for example, explicitly lists both 7 and 8 December.
Elsewhere, do not assume Monday is free simply because Constitution Day falls on Sunday. The Barcelona city holiday calendar lists 8 December, but not 7 December, among its 2026 holidays. A Barcelona employee whose normal schedule includes Monday would therefore need an agreed day off on the 7th for the examples below.
Look up the calendar that applies to your workplace, including municipal holidays, rather than relying only on where you live or where you plan to travel. Ask your employer which calendar applies if you work remotely or across several locations. The BOE explains that up to two local holidays may be added and published separately; they can change the calculation for your municipality.
Two ways to plan five days off
For both examples, assume you normally work Monday to Friday, have Saturday and Sunday off, do not work on the relevant public holidays, and would otherwise work on Wednesday 9 December. The leave counts also assume your employer permits the individual dates to be booked and counts them as working days. Your arrangement may differ.
If Monday 7 December is a normal workday: request Monday 7 and Wednesday 9 as leave. If both requests are approved, and Tuesday’s holiday is a day off for you, your break runs from Saturday 5 through Wednesday 9 December: five consecutive days. For example, this could work for someone on that schedule in Barcelona.
If Monday 7 December is already a holiday for you: request Wednesday 9. If it is approved, and you are also off on the weekend and Tuesday, the same five-day break runs from 5 through 9 December. A weekday worker covered by the Madrid holiday calendar could use this pattern.
In either case, count the days on the calendar, not just the leave requested: Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. If Wednesday is a local holiday or you were already scheduled off, ask how that affects your request; you may not need leave for that date.
Want a little longer? Under the same assumptions, someone who has Monday as a holiday and takes approved leave on both Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 could be off from 5 to 10 December, inclusive: six days. Friday 11 would still be a normal workday in this example.
Check how your leave is actually counted
These are planning examples, not a promise that a particular employer will charge one or two days of annual leave. Some workplaces calculate leave in working days; others use calendar days, or apply specific rules about splitting leave periods. Ask whether 7 and 9 December can be booked separately and exactly how the balance will be deducted before assuming the numbers apply to you.
Under Article 38 of Spain’s Workers’ Statute, annual leave periods are agreed between employer and employee, with any applicable collective-agreement planning rules. The statute also says workers must know their leave dates at least two months before the leave begins. That is not the same as saying every last-minute request is automatically invalid or approved: if your December dates are not settled, speak to your employer as soon as possible.
Check your contract, collective agreement (convenio colectivo), workplace calendar and remaining leave balance. If you work shifts, weekends or public holidays, use your actual rota instead of a Monday-to-Friday template. Ask about the applicable holiday, pay and rest arrangements rather than assuming every public holiday means a day away from work. Part-time patterns and existing commitments can also change which days you need to request.
Conceptual illustration.
Make the plan work for everyone involved
Before choosing a destination or inviting relatives, compare the dates with the people you hope to spend them with. Their workplaces may follow different local calendars or shifts. If children are involved, check their school’s calendar too; a school day off and a parent’s holiday do not necessarily coincide.
Once leave is confirmed, decide what the time is for. A night away can be lovely, but a relaxed lunch, a visit to someone you have been meaning to see, or an afternoon without appointments can feel like a break too. Leave a little space between plans, especially if anyone in your group benefits from a gentler pace.
For travel within Spain, check the precise route and date with the operator before buying; Renfe’s journey information is a starting point for rail trips. For shops, restaurants or attractions, check the individual branch or venue before setting out. The Ministry of Commerce’s guidance explains that opening rules vary by region and type of establishment, so a holiday does not mean that everything will be either open or closed.
The official holiday dates are available, but individual 2026 opening hours, transport arrangements and workplace approvals should be checked again close to the break. Start with your own calendar, confirm the days you can take, and let the rest of the plan grow from there.
Sources and further reading
- BOE: Official Spanish work-holiday calendar for 2026
- Madrid City Council: Official 2026 work-holiday calendar
- Barcelona City Council: 2026 and 2027 holiday calendars
- BOE: Workers’ Statute, Article 38 on annual leave
- Ministry of Commerce: Commercial opening hours
- Renfe: Train journey and timetable information
