December Break at College: Go Home or Stay in the Dorm

The December 2026 long weekend breaks down as follows: the 6th (Constitution Day) is a Sunday; Monday the 7th is a holiday in Madrid, Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, Cantabria, Castile and León, Extremadura, Murcia, and La Rioja; and Tuesday the 8th is a holiday throughout Spain. If you’re a student in those regions, you’ll have four days off: from Saturday the 5th through Tuesday the 8th. In Navarre, the Basque Country, and Catalonia, Monday the 7th is a workday, so whether you get the long weekend depends on your university’s policy.

With that in mind, here's the real question: Is it worth it for you to go home two weeks before Christmas?

Source: 2026 Public Holiday Calendar from the Official State Gazette (BOE) (Resolution of October 17, 2025) and regional calendars. Local holidays may vary slightly in your municipality.

The work calendar takes precedence over holidays. Your university decides what happens on the days surrounding them. Here’s how some of the 2026–27 calendars that have already been published look:

• University of Seville: December 7 and 8 are non-class days. Classes run through December 18. Christmas break runs from December 19 to January 6. First-semester exams are held between January 8 and 25.
• University of Granada: First-semester classes run through December 22. Christmas break runs from December 23 to January 7. Regular exams are held from January 11 to 25.
• UAM (School of Law): Classes run through December 18. Christmas break runs from December 21 to January 7. Exams are held from January 11 to 21. In Madrid, the 7th and 8th are holidays, so there are no classes.

If you're a student in Pamplona, San Sebastián, Girona, or Porto, check your school's calendar before buying anything. Some schools designate the 7th as a non-class day even though it's a workday, while others don't, and sometimes the policy varies from one campus to another within the same university.

Three things tip the scales more than desire.

1. What you have scheduled between December 9 and 22. After the long weekend, there are one or two weeks of classes left, and that’s when assignments, lab reports, and a few midterms all pile up. If you have a big assignment due on the 10th or 11th, the long weekend is your work weekend—not a weekend for lounging on the couch. And the January exams start between the 7th and 11th, depending on your university: you have our plan for the January exams during the regular exam period.
2. The price of the train, doubled. If you leave for the long weekend, you’ll be traveling again in two weeks for Christmas. That’s two round trips in three weeks, both during peak travel times. If your home is an hour away by regional train and you have a youth pass, it’s a no-brainer. If it’s a 4-hour AVE ride, it’s a different story.
3. Who's staying? In dorms with a lot of people from outside Spain or from regions where Monday isn’t a holiday, the dorm doesn’t empty out over the long weekend. Ask your floor’s group chat the Monday before. Staying with three other people who are also staying isn’t the same as being alone in a silent building.

Four days is more than just a weekend. Before you close the door:

• Please let us know by Friday, the 4th, in the afternoon if you have anything pending with the residence hall: a package on the way, a repair, or a late-night arrival. At StepHouse, office hours are Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Since Monday and Tuesday are holidays, the next available time may be Wednesday, the 9th.
• Refrigerator: Four days later, the opened milk, the cut-up fruit, and Thursday’s lunchbox are all gone. Throw away or eat whatever expires before Wednesday.
• Take out the trash, close the windows, and turn off the heat or air conditioning.
• Access card in my pocket—not on your desk. Coming back on Tuesday night without it is a bad idea.
• Do laundry on Thursday, not Friday, with my backpack packed.

In the guide to getting home with Renfe Joven, AVLO, and the bus , you’ll find a short version of this list and the stations in each city.

The dates for the 2026 Christmas programs have not been announced yet. The following is what usually happens during those days. Check back in mid-November.

Madrid. The Christmas lights are usually turned on in late November, so the long weekend is the first full week with them up. The market in the Plaza Mayor is usually open from late November through the end of the year. A tip from someone who’s been there before: Sol and Preciados are impossible to navigate on Saturday afternoons. Monday the 7th in the morning, with half the city out and about, is a better time to stroll around.

Seville. On the night of the 7th to the 8th, at midnight, university “tunas” sing to the Immaculate Conception at the monument in Plaza del Triunfo, between the Cathedral and the Archivo de Indias. It’s a tradition dating back to 1952: the Tuna de Medicina kicks things off, and more than ten others follow. Get there early and dress warmly—in December, the Sevillian night is truly a night. During those days, the Nativity Scene Fair is usually set up next to the Cathedral.

Granada. If there’s snow, the long weekend is usually the first major weekend in Sierra Nevada. In the 2025–26 season, the resort opened on November 29. The date for 2026 will depend on the snow and cold weather. If it opens, buy your ski pass and bus ticket well in advance: half of Granada has the same idea.

Málaga. The lights on Larios Street are usually turned on in late November, with a light and music show several times each afternoon. Go on a weekday. Monday the 7th counts as a Sunday, and the street gets just as crowded.

San Sebastián, Pamplona, Girona, and Porto. Here, the long weekend is shorter, or it depends on the school. Use it to do what you don’t have time for during the week: study for a whole day without classes and go for a walk on Tuesday the 8th, which is a holiday at all of them.

Staying here also has a practical advantage: the dorm's study room hasn't been this empty all semester.

Ticket prices for long weekends rise with demand, and this year there are two consecutive peak periods: the long weekend and the return trip for Christmas. What works:

• Book your long weekend and Christmas at the same timeas soon as you know your exam dates and when classes end. By mid-November, it’s too late to book trains for Friday, the 4th, in the afternoon, and Tuesday, the 8th, in the evening.
• Avoid peak hours. Leaving on Saturday the 5th in the morning and returning early on Tuesday the 8th usually costs less than the typical Friday afternoon and Tuesday night itinerary.
• If you're between 14 and 25 years old and traveling on the AVE, the +Renfe Joven pass gives you a 30% discount. This does not apply to AVLO. For medium-distance trips, check out the 2026 youth pass.
• Check the bus schedule in case the train is delayed. On the bridge, bus seats also sell out, but a little later.

In communities that move the holiday from the 6th to Monday, the long weekend runs from Saturday, December 5, to Tuesday, December 8, 2026: four consecutive days. In the rest, only Tuesday, December 8, is a holiday.

According to the Official State Gazette (BOE), Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, Cantabria, Castile and León, Extremadura, the Community of Madrid, the Region of Murcia, La Rioja, and Melilla. In Catalonia, the Basque Country, and Navarre, among others, the 7th is a workday.

If your university is located in a community where the 7th is a holiday, no—it’s a workday. Where the 7th is a workday depends on your university’s or college’s academic calendar, which may designate it as a non-instructional day.

As soon as possible, and no later than early November. Prices rise with demand, and this year the long weekend falls just two weeks before the Christmas break.

You don't need permission to be away for a few days. But if you're expecting a package, have an open service request, or will be returning in the early morning, let the front desk know by Friday afternoon. And make sure there's nothing in the fridge that's about to expire.

If you're already thinking about the second semester, check out the StepHouse residence halls in your city and reserve your spot before they fill up.