All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day in Poland 2026: Traditions, Dates, What Is Open

In 2026 All Saints’ Day falls on Sunday 1 November and All Souls’ Day (Zaduszki) on Monday 2 November. That matters for planning, because the Sunday is a public holiday and the Monday is an ordinary working day, when some museums have their weekly day off. Below we have gathered the traditions, the dates and what our pages show as open in several big cities.

We keep two things apart: what is confirmed for 2026 (dates, legislation, hours from our pages checked in October 2026) and what usually happens (transport, collections, crowds). Before you set off, check the websites of the places you plan to visit, because schedules are often changed around the holidays.

Dates and weekdays in 2026

	All Saints’ Day	All Souls’ Day (Zaduszki)
Date	Sunday, 1 November 2026	Monday, 2 November 2026
Meaning	a solemnity honouring all the saints; in Poland graves are visited on this day	the commemoration of all the faithful departed
Public holiday	yes, by law	no
Shops	trading ban, shops closed with exceptions	normal opening hours

The difference between 1 and 2 November

All Saints’ Day is the solemnity on which the Church remembers the saints. Zaduszki, the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, falls on 2 November in the Latin Church and is linked in content to the solemnity before it. In Poland graves are visited in the first days of November, and on the evening of 1 November cemeteries glow with candles.

Is 2 November a day off?

No. The statutory day off is 1 November, under the Act of 18 January 1951 on days free from work. All Souls’ Day is not a public holiday, so in 2026 Monday 2 November is an ordinary working day. Some employers shorten working hours that day or release staff on full pay, but that is their decision, not an obligation.

Traditions: candles, Masses and processions

• Candles. People bring candles (znicze) to graves and light them. Wikipedia links the custom to an older, pre-Christian practice of lighting fires on graves. In the evening cemeteries are lit by thousands of candles, as our pages for Powązki, Rakowicki and the Old Cemetery in Tarnów also note.
• Mass and procession. A Mass for the dead is said in churches, and the liturgical Zaduszki procession takes place in or around a church or in a cemetery, with five stations of prayer. A Polish addition is the wypominki, the reading of the names of the dead, known since the 15th century.
• Collections. At several historic cemeteries money is raised to restore gravestones. The collection at Stare Powązki was started in 1975 by Jerzy Waldorff and in 2024 was placed on the national list of intangible cultural heritage. At the Old Cemetery in Łódź it has taken place every 1 November since 1995, and at Mater Dolorosa in Bytom since 2000. Donations are voluntary.
• Dziady. In earlier centuries, including in eastern Poland into the 19th century, there were rites called dziady in which the dead were invoked. Wikipedia says they are considered a relic of pagan ancestor worship, that they inspired Adam Mickiewicz’s drama Dziady and that Zaduszki later absorbed most of these customs. According to old beliefs, the night of 1 to 2 November was the time when souls returned to earth.

What is open and what is closed

Shops and services

On 1 November a trading ban applies under the Act of 10 January 2018 on restricting trade on Sundays and holidays. Shops are closed, with exceptions: petrol stations, bakeries, restaurants and online shops stay open, among others. In 2026, 1 November is also a Sunday. Do your shopping on Saturday 31 October. Monday 2 November is a normal trading day with no restrictions.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries are open, but hours are sometimes changed on these days. According to our pages, in October 2026 it looked like this:

• Stare Powązki: gates 7:00–20:00, with changes possible on 1–2 November.
• Rakowicki Cemetery in Kraków: daily 7:00–18:00 from October to March.
• Old Cemetery in Łódź: from 1 November 8:00–17:00.
• Museum of Cemetery Art in Wrocław: from 1 November daily 9:00–16:00, ticket 20 zł (reduced 15 zł).
• Old Cemetery in Tarnów: the administrator does not publish fixed hours, and around All Saints’ Day cemeteries in Tarnów are sometimes open around the clock.
• Jewish Cemetery on Okopowa Street: usually 9:00–16:00 on Sundays, but closed on selected state holidays, so confirm your date with the community.

Museums and attractions: a sample from six cities

On 1 November most large museums are closed. Below are the hours from our pages, verified in October 2026.

City	Attraction	Sunday 1 Nov	Monday 2 Nov
Warsaw	Royal Castle	closed	closed (closed on Mondays)
Warsaw	POLIN	closed	open 10:00–18:00
Warsaw	Copernicus Science Centre	closed	open 9:00–18:00
Kraków	Wawel	castle closed	10:00–16:00, selected exhibitions only
Kraków	Schindler’s Factory	closed	10:00–15:00
Kraków	Wieliczka Salt Mine	closed	Tourist Route 8:00–17:00
Wrocław	Racławice Panorama	closed	closed on Mondays in winter
Wrocław	Pan Tadeusz Museum	closed	closed on Mondays
Poznań	Gate of Poznań	closed	closed on Mondays
Gdańsk	Artus Court, Uphagen House	closed	10:00–16:00, free entry
Gdańsk	Amber Museum	closed	10:00–18:00, free entry
Łódź	Poznański Palace	closed	closed on Mondays
Łódź	Factory Museum	closed	closed on Mondays

In Częstochowa the monastery at Jasna Góra is open daily 5:30–21:30, but the museum sites are closed on 1 and 2 November. The Palmiry Cemetery and Museum are open on Sunday 1 November, 10:00–18:00, and closed on Mondays.

The page for Fort VII in Poznań mentions special hours on 1 November (9:00–19:00), but the data is valid only until 31 October, so confirm it with the museum.

Transport and getting there

We found no official city announcements for 2026, so we describe usual practice. In Warsaw the transport authority has for years run extra cemetery lines around All Saints’ Day, and traffic around the largest cemeteries is restricted. Our pages say something similar for Szczecin (Ku Słońcu Street is sometimes closed to cars and public transport runs to a special timetable), for Kraków (traffic changes around Rakowicki) and for Tarnów (changed traffic arrangements). The surest way is public transport or walking. Check current timetables with the local transport operator.

Visiting graves and cemeteries with respect

• Choose a time outside the peak hours, ideally late morning or early afternoon.
• Keep quiet, do not step on graves and do not photograph ceremonies.
• If you want to see historic gravestones rather than crowds, plan a separate weekday. Ideas are in our article Historic Cemeteries in Poland Worth Visiting.
• Jewish cemeteries follow different rules: men cover their heads and the cemeteries are closed on the Sabbath and Jewish holidays. According to our pages, pilgrims at the grave of the Remuh in Kraków leave pebbles and notes.

Ready plans for Sunday and Monday

Below are four simple ideas based only on the hours on our pages. Always confirm them before you go.

• Warsaw. On Sunday Stare Powązki, right next to the Okopowa cemetery (usually 9:00–16:00 on Sundays, but confirm your date). On Monday POLIN, open 10:00–18:00.
• Kraków. On Sunday Rakowicki Cemetery and the Remuh cemetery (Sun–Fri in winter 10:00–16:00). On Monday Wawel with selected exhibitions or Schindler’s Factory, 10:00–15:00.
• Wrocław. On Sunday the Museum of Cemetery Art, open 9:00–16:00. It is open daily, Monday included, when the Racławice Panorama and the Pan Tadeusz Museum are closed.
• Gdańsk. On Sunday the museums are closed, and on Monday the Artus Court and the Amber Museum have free entry.

Autumn alternatives for the long weekend

If you want fresh air after visiting graves, Monday 2 November suits places that are open on Mondays: Wieliczka, Wawel with selected exhibitions or the Gdańsk museums with free Mondays. For a lazier day choose an autumn walk. Our article Autumn in Poland 2026: 17 golden autumn weekend ideas lists national parks, castles and arboretums. And if you prefer the atmosphere of legends, read about ghosts in Polish castles.

In short: a checklist before you go

• Sunday 1 November: a public holiday, trading ban, most large museums closed, cemeteries open and crowded.
• Monday 2 November: an ordinary working day, shops open, and some museums have their regular day off.
• Shopping and fuel: do it on Saturday 31 October, although petrol stations stay open.
• Tickets: Schindler’s Factory sells named tickets for a given hour, so it pays to book online.
• Hours: confirm them on the attraction’s website, because the data on our pages dates from October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

When are All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day in 2026?

All Saints’ Day is on Sunday 1 November and All Souls’ Day on Monday 2 November 2026.

Is 2 November a day off work?

No. Only 1 November is a statutory day off. All Souls’ Day is an ordinary working day, although some employers may shorten working hours.

Are shops open on 1 November 2026?

No, the trading ban applies. Exceptions stay open, including petrol stations, bakeries, restaurants and online shops. On Monday 2 November shops open as usual.

Are museums open on All Saints’ Day?

Most of the large ones we checked are closed, for example Wawel, the Royal Castle in Warsaw, POLIN and the Copernicus Science Centre. There are exceptions, so check the specific place. On Mondays some museums have their regular day off.

Are cemeteries open in the evening?

Gate hours are set by the administrators, and according to our pages in October 2026 Powązki closes at 20:00, Rakowicki at 18:00 and the Old Cemetery in Łódź at 17:00. Hours may be extended around 1 and 2 November, but you need to check with the administrator.

How do I get to a cemetery on the holiday?

Preferably by public transport. Cities traditionally introduce extra lines and traffic changes on these days, but it is worth checking the 2026 timetables just before you go.

Planning an autumn trip? Turn the route into a “Twoja podróż” (Your Journey) poster and keep a map of the places you visited on your wall.