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Holiday planning 2026 made easy
Make the most of bridging days for your time out in the Ahr valley
Have you already planned your holiday for 2026? We'll show you how to make clever use of your holiday days and make the most of your free time. Because you can also enjoy more time off in 2026 by combining holidays with public holidays and bridge days.
And where do you spend the best holidays? In the Ahr Valley, of course!
Because here, great events await you on many public holidays, wonderful outdoor activities await you in every season and you can experience unforgettable moments all year round with our all-inclusive packages.
We recommend that you start planning your trip early so that you can secure your dream holiday. In addition to the main holiday, as many short breaks as possible ensure that you get an extra dose of relaxation, adventure and the joy of discovery.
The 2026 calendar once again offers many opportunities to take a break for a short holiday in the Ahr Valley around the holidays:
Easter (03.04.-06.04.)
Every year, Easter marks the start of the hiking and outdoor season, as the winter season is over and we long for mild weather and plenty of sunshine. We can also look forward to a particularly long free spring weekend from Good Friday to Easter Monday. If you want to enjoy even more time off, you get ten days off work with just four days' holiday. If you add another four days' holiday, you get 16 days off.
Our tip:
Start your hiking year 2026 with a tour along the AhrSteig. Pick your favourite stage and discover fantastic views and varied trails. Outdoor activities are particularly rewarding when everything is in bloom over Easter.
More information about the AhrSteig
The new AhrSchleifen also open around Easter. These are 7 marvellous circular hiking trails that show you the scenic diversity of the Ahr Valley off the beaten track.
Labour Day (01.05.)
The merry month of May begins with a public holiday that falls on a Friday in 2026. So you can look forward to a long weekend straight away.
Our tip:
At the Mittelahr Wine Spring (26.04.-25.05.), numerous wine tasting stands await you on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays along the Rotweinwanderweg between Altenahr and Marienthal. On the 1st May public holiday, the wine stands are also open on Fridays.
Ascension Day (14.05.)
A wonderful long spring weekend awaits us in mid-May with Ascension Day. Here you get four days off in a row with just one day's holiday.
Our tip:
Over the long Ascension Day weekend, you can discover the picturesque vineyards above Ahrweiler on all days at the AhrWeinWalk wine hiking event, taste Ahr wines, meet friends and end the day in a cosy atmosphere at the "AfterWalkLounge".
Whitsun (24 & 25 May)
Whitsun in 2026 is at the end of May, so the chances of a sunny, warm Whitsun weekend are very good. If you want to take more than a week off, you get nine days off with four days of holiday.
Our tip:
The Ahr wine market, also known as the Whitsun wine market, takes place every year on the Whitsun weekend and is a firm fixture in the Ahr Valley event calendar. The Ahr winegrowers with their wines, sparkling wines and brandies as well as the election of the new Ahr Wine Queen are just as much a part of the Whitsun wine market as the exuberant atmosphere on the Ahrweiler marketplace.
More information about the Ahr wine market
Corpus Christi (04.06.)
Corpus Christi gives us the chance of a long weekend at the beginning of June. As Corpus Christi always falls on a Thursday, one day's holiday on the bridge day is enough to give you another four days off.
However, Corpus Christi is not a nationwide public holiday, but only in the Catholic states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. As Corpus Christi is a public holiday in the Ahr Valley, many events take place over this long weekend.
Our tip:
The Ahrtaler Gipfelfest is a tradition on the long Corpus Christi weekend. Hikers of all ages climb four panoramic peaks, where cosy places to stop for refreshments await them.
Public holidays in autumn
Unfortunately, autumn 2026 will not spoil us with bridge days. This is because German Unity Day on 3 October 2026 falls on a Saturday and All Saints' Day on 1 November 2026 falls on a Sunday. Nevertheless, autumn is the most beautiful season for holidays in the Ahr Valley. This is when the vineyards glow in golden-yellow colours and the Indian summer enchants the landscape.
Our tips:
The Mittelahr Wine Autumn is the counterpart to the Wine Spring and invites you to hike and enjoy Ahr wine stands along the Rotweinwanderweg in golden October.
More information about the Mittelahr wine autumn
The annual Klangwelle festival also takes place in Bad Neuenahr Spa gardens in October. On a total of 8 days, you can experience a magnificent show spectacle of water, fire, lasers, light and music.
Christmas and New Year's Eve 2026/27
The turn of the year 2026/2027 may not look as heavenly as 2025 in terms of bridging days, but if you plan cleverly, you will get some extra time off, because to enjoy 16 days off, you only have to sacrifice eight days of holiday (including Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve) and can sit back and relax from 19 December 2026 to 3 January 2027.
Our tip:
In Bad Neuenahr, the shore lights shine during the Christmas season. From the 2nd weekend in Advent until mid-January, you can experience art, culture and culinary delights in a uniquely beautiful ambience of lights in the Spa gardens in the heart of the spa town. As the Uferlichter are open every day between Christmas and New Year's Eve, they are also an ideal family destination after the holidays.
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