Czechia Holidays & Shop Closures 2027

Under the current Czech statutory holiday calendar, the fixed-date public holidays continue in 2027 and Easter contributes Good Friday and Easter Monday. In 2027, Good Friday falls on 26 March and Easter Monday on 29 March. The list below is useful for trip planning, but individual attractions, offices and transport services can set their own holiday operations.

The Czech Trade Inspection Authority explains that the retail-sale ban for larger shops applies on 1 January, 8 May, 28 September, 28 October, 25 December and 26 December, plus Easter Monday. On 24 December, affected retail sale is allowed only until 12:00.

Applied to 2027, the key large-shop closure dates are therefore 1 January, 29 March, 8 May, 28 September, 28 October, 25 December and 26 December, with the Christmas Eve restriction beginning after noon on 24 December. A public holiday can still be busy at restaurants, attractions and smaller shops, so do not interpret this retail rule as a general city shutdown.

Good Friday is a public holiday, but the Czech Trade Inspection Authority specifically notes that the large-store sales ban does not apply on Good Friday. The statutory retail-closure list also does not include 1 May, 5 July, 6 July or 17 November.

Those dates can still affect public offices, schools, attraction hours and staffing. The distinction simply means the special ban on retail sale in shops over the statutory size threshold is not triggered by every public holiday.

The retail rule does not apply in the same way to pharmacies, petrol stations or shops at airports, bus stations and railway stations. Other shops can remain open on the listed closure days when their sales area does not exceed 200 square metres. The law regulates retail sale; the Czech Trade Inspection Authority also distinguishes collection of goods previously ordered online.

For a traveller, the practical lesson is to buy essential groceries before a closure day rather than assuming a particular supermarket branch will be available. If you do need something urgently, transport hubs, petrol stations, pharmacies and smaller shops can have different legal treatment, but their own opening hours still need checking.

The Ministry of Education has already published the 2026/2027 school-year calendar. Prague 1-5 have spring holidays from 22 to 28 February 2027, while Prague 6-10 have theirs from 1 to 7 March 2027. The Easter school holiday falls on Thursday 25 March 2027.

School breaks are not tourist-site closures, but they can change demand at family attractions, ski areas and domestic destinations. If your trip overlaps one of these periods, pre-book scarce timed entries where the official venue recommends it and leave more flexibility around transport.

Check three separate things: whether the date is a statutory holiday, whether the retail-closure law affects the type of shop you need, and whether the specific attraction or transport operator has published special hours. Treat those as separate questions instead of relying on a single 'open or closed' assumption.