Forget summer Fridays: These 9 European countries guarantee workers at least 5 weeks of paid vacation per year

American workers in their first year at a company take an average of 11 days of paid vacation per year.Stephan Schulz/picture alliance via Getty Images

• Summer is on the horizon. For some lucky Americans, that might mean two weeks of paid time off.
• But in several European countries, taking five weeks of paid vacation per year is a legal right.

Summer is on the horizon. For some lucky Americans, that might mean two weeks of paid time off and an occasional summer Friday.

With vacation policies at the will of individual employers, American workers in their first year at a company take an average of 11 days of paid vacation per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. After five years, that number increases to 15 days.

While two weeks of vacation may feel indulgent by US standards, employees in European Union member states have the legal right to at least four weeks of paid vacation per year — and some countries require employers to give their workers even more.

From France to Austria, these are the nine European countries where companies are required to give their staff a minimum of five weeks of paid vacation per year.