Public Holiday Calendar Guide for Andorra
Andorra's holiday calendar combines nationwide public holidays with additional holidays established by its parishes. For employees, these are not simply customary observances: Andorran labour rules give workers a right to paid holidays established in the official labour calendar, while special provisions apply to tourism-related businesses and parish holidays.[1][2] For visitors, the practical effect varies by sector, so a public holiday does not automatically mean that every shop, restaurant, attraction, or tourism service will be closed.
How Andorra's Public Holiday System Works
The Government approves an official labour calendar specifying nationwide holidays. These holidays are compulsory, paid and non-recoverable for sectors including construction, industry, offices, banks, hairdressers, goods transport and distribution, and services not directly connected with tourism.[1] The calendar includes both civic observances, such as Constitution Day, and religious celebrations drawn largely from the Christian calendar.
Andorra also has a local layer of holidays. The comuns, the municipal authorities of the country's parishes, establish parish holidays, which are likewise treated as compulsory, paid and non-recoverable under the labour-calendar framework.[1] This means that two workplaces in different parishes may not have exactly the same set of local holidays. Anyone planning work, appointments, deliveries, or business visits should therefore check both the national calendar and the calendar for the relevant parish.
Paid Holidays, Tourism Work, and Days Between Holidays
Andorran labour law states that employees are entitled to the holidays established in the labour calendar with pay.[2] It also addresses situations in which one or two working days lie between holidays. An employer and employee, or an applicable company collective agreement, may treat those intervening days as holidays and recover the unworked hours by extending working time on surrounding days, subject to statutory limits on rest and ordinary daily working time.[2] A bridge day is therefore not automatically a public holiday.
Tourism-related sectors operate under more flexible holiday arrangements because their busiest periods can coincide with public holidays. The official labour-calendar rules allow holidays in these sectors to be moved by agreement between the parties, while a small group of particularly significant holidays receives special treatment. When an employee in a tourism-related business must work on one of those protected holidays because of the needs of the sector, the official framework provides additional compensatory rest as well as transfer of the holiday.[1] Employees and employers should consult the applicable official calendar because the detailed rules are published with it.
Meritxell and the National Meaning of the Holiday Calendar
The feast of Our Lady of Meritxell occupies a distinctive place in Andorra's calendar. The Government describes the celebration as the country's national festival and a symbol of Andorran identity and belonging.[3] Meritxell is the patroness of the Principality, and the observance combines Marian devotion with a broader expression of national community.
The Sanctuary of Meritxell is the focal point of the religious observance. The official description of the gathering notes the strong flow of visitors to the sanctuary, a central Eucharistic celebration attended by clergy from the parishes, the participation of political authorities, and family and community activities elsewhere in the country.[3] For travelers, this makes Meritxell more than an ordinary day off: it is one of the clearest occasions on which Andorra's religious heritage and national identity intersect.
Shopping and Services on Public Holidays
It is inaccurate to assume that Andorran shops close on every public holiday. Commercial opening is governed separately from the employee holiday calendar. The Government identifies a limited group of compulsory shop-closing holidays and also provides exceptions, including for certain businesses classified as tourist shops.[4] In one of the compulsory-closing cases, the Government may suspend the closure requirement when statutory conditions are met, so the official commercial-hours information should be checked rather than relying only on the public-holiday list.[4]
The same distinction matters when planning a visit. A day can be a paid labour holiday while tourism-oriented businesses continue operating under sector-specific arrangements.[1] Conversely, banking, office, administrative, or retail availability may be more restricted. Travelers should verify the opening hours of the particular bank, shop, attraction, restaurant, or service they intend to use instead of assuming that one rule applies across the entire economy.
Planning Around National and Parish Holidays
For practical planning, start with the Government's national labour calendar and then check the relevant parish calendar. The Government publishes national and parish holiday information through its labour and employment resources.[5] This is particularly important for local appointments, schools, workplaces, and services whose schedules may reflect a parish holiday that does not apply elsewhere in Andorra.
Visitors should also distinguish between a legal holiday, a compulsory commercial closing day, and a business choosing to close. These categories overlap but are not identical.[1][4] Checking the official calendar together with the operating hours of individual services is the most reliable approach, especially when banking, shopping, deliveries, or time-sensitive appointments are involved.
Frequently Asked Questions about Holidays in Andorra
Are public holidays in Andorra paid days off for employees?
Employees are entitled to the holidays established in the official labour calendar with pay, subject to the applicable labour rules and sector-specific arrangements.[2] Tourism-related sectors have additional flexibility because some holidays may be transferred by agreement, while specially protected holidays are subject to additional compensation rules when employees must work.[1]
Does every parish in Andorra have the same holidays?
No. Nationwide holidays are supplemented by holidays fixed by the comuns, Andorra's parish authorities.[1] The applicable local holiday calendar can therefore depend on the parish in which a business or workplace is located.
Are shops closed on every public holiday in Andorra?
No. Public holidays for employees and compulsory shop-closing days are governed by related but distinct rules. The Government specifies a limited group of compulsory commercial closing holidays and provides certain exceptions, including rules for some tourist-oriented establishments.[4] Individual businesses may also choose their own opening hours within the legal framework.
What is Andorra's national holiday associated with Our Lady of Meritxell?
The feast of Our Lady of Meritxell is Andorra's national festival and honours the patroness of the Principality. The official observance combines religious ceremonies at the Sanctuary of Meritxell with institutional, family, and community activities and is regarded as an important expression of Andorran identity.[3]
Is a bridge day automatically a public holiday in Andorra?
No. Andorran labour law allows one or two working days situated between holidays to be treated as holidays when this is agreed under the permitted employment arrangements. The unworked hours can then be recovered subject to statutory limits.[2] A bridge day should therefore not be assumed to be an official day off without checking the workplace arrangement.
Sources
- S’aprova el calendari laboral per al 2026- Govern d’Andorra
- Llei 31/2018, del 6 de desembre, de relacions laborals (Text refós sense caràcter oficial)- Portal Jurídic d’Andorra
- L’aplec de la Mare de Déu de Meritxell- Govern d’Andorra
- Horaris comercials- Govern d’Andorra
- Salaris i festius- Govern d’Andorra