Russians named the best vacation dates in May 2026
The May holidays traditionally remain one of the most popular holiday periods for Russians. Many people try to combine holidays with vacations in order to get a full vacation, but poorly chosen dates can lead to financial losses. Ruslan Arzumanov, the head of the Mail Mail product line, told Izvestia on April 28 how to choose profitable dates.
In 2026, the holidays will be divided into two short periods: from May 1 to May 3, in honor of Spring and Labor Day, and from May 9 to May 11, on the occasion of Victory Day. Between them is a five—day working week from May 4 to May 8. This "window" allows you to arrange a vacation for these days and eventually rest for up to 11 consecutive days.
However, as the expert noted, there is an important nuance in this approach. There are only 19 working days in May, so the cost of one working day is higher than usual. At the same time, vacation pay is calculated based on average earnings over the past 12 months and is often lower. As a result, when you take a vacation on "expensive" days, you may lose some of your income. For example, an employee with a salary of 50 thousand rubles may not receive about 4.6 thousand rubles per week of vacation in early May.
Proper planning allows you to combine a long vacation and save income. For example, if you take a vacation from May 11 to May 17, then thanks to the holidays you will get a nine-day vacation, and the final income may be even higher.
"The most expensive scenario remains to take a working week off between the holidays — from May 4 to May 8," Arzumanov explained.
Igor Balynin, Associate Professor of the Department of Public Finance at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, reminded on April 27 that with a five-day working week in May, Russians will have 19 working days and 12 days off. He specified that two public holidays are planned in May in connection with the Spring and Labor Day and Victory Day.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
