1 dayThu, Jan 1
New Year's Day — a lone day off, bridge it:
1
Stretch it: take 1 day of leave (Jan 2) for 4 days off (Jan 1 – 4).
🇨🇷
Long Weekends in Costa Rica 2026
Costa Rica has 4 long weekends (3 or more consecutive days off) in 2026, counting public holidays and Sat–Sun weekends; the longest natural break runs 4 days (Apr 2 – 5). Placed well, 1 day of leave stretches a break to 4 consecutive days off — every option is below.
- Long weekends
- 4
- Longest break
- 4 days
- Best bridge
- +1 → 4 days
- Weekend
- Sat–Sun
Subscribe to or print Costa Rica holidays →
Every break in 2026
Public holidayWeekendLeave day
4 daysThu, Apr 2 – Sun, Apr 5
2345
Stretch it: take 3 days of leave (Mar 30 – Apr 1) for 9 days off (Mar 28 – Apr 5).
2 daysSat, Apr 11 – Sun, Apr 12
Gesta Heroica de Juan Santamaría
1112
3 daysFri, May 1 – Sun, May 3
123
Stretch it: take 4 days of leave (Apr 27–30) for 9 days off (Apr 25 – May 3).
2 daysSat, Jul 25 – Sun, Jul 26
2526
2 daysSat, Aug 1 – Sun, Aug 2
12
2 daysSat, Aug 15 – Sun, Aug 16
1516
1 dayTue, Sep 15
Independence Day — a lone day off, bridge it:
15
Stretch it: take 1 day of leave (Sep 14) for 4 days off (Sep 12 – 15).
3 daysFri, Oct 9 – Sun, Oct 11
91011
Stretch it: take 4 days of leave (Oct 5–8) for 9 days off (Oct 3 – 11).
3 daysFri, Dec 25 – Sun, Dec 27
252627
Stretch it: take 4 days of leave (Dec 28–31) for 10 days off (Dec 25 – Jan 3).
All bridge plans, ranked by date
Each plan books leave only on working days between two natural breaks, so every one of them returns more than one day off per day of leave.
| Days off | Leave | Span |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 4d · Dec 26 + Dec 29–31 | Dec 25 – Jan 1 |
| 6 | 3d · Dec 29–31 | Dec 27 – Jan 1 |
| 9 | 4d · Dec 29–31 + Jan 2 | Dec 27 – Jan 4 |
| 4Best value | 1d · Jan 2 | Jan 1 – 4 |
| 9 | 3d · Mar 30 – Apr 1 | Mar 28 – Apr 5 |
| 9 | 4d · Apr 27–30 | Apr 25 – May 3 |
| 4 | 1d · Sep 14 | Sep 12 – 15 |
| 9 | 4d · Sep 14 + Sep 16–18 | Sep 12 – 20 |
| 6 | 3d · Sep 16–18 | Sep 15 – 20 |
| 9 | 4d · Oct 5–8 | Oct 3 – 11 |
| 9 | 4d · Dec 21–24 | Dec 19 – 27 |
| 10 | 4d · Dec 28–31 | Dec 25 – Jan 3 |
Computed from Costa Rica's public holidays plus Sat–Sun weekends. Substitute days count as days off; observances don't. Bridges spend at most 4 leave days, booked only on working days.