European school vacation 2025-2026 calendar
Planning a boating vacation around the school vacation or choosing quieter times can help you get the best deals and avoid the most crowded periods at popular European destinations. By aligning your travel plans with key dates from September 2025 to September 2026, you can ensure everyone in the family can join in, making it a memorable trip for all.
If you are planning for a vacation in Europe in 2025 or 2026, this guide will help you identify the best times to go on vacation by showing you when popular tourist areas might be the busiest.
Our detailed school vacation calendar includes all school breaks for major European countries such as France, the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands, helping you plan your perfect getaway.
You can also discover our top boating recommendations for family fun or find Inspiration for your canal boat rent with a wide range of experiences from exploring serene waterways to enjoying exquisite countryside backdrops and engaging in exciting activities.
In this article:
European School Vacation 2025-2026 calendar
Autumn school vacation 2025 calendar
Scroll across to view more countries. See more details about the French school vacation zones at the bottom of the article.
| Dates | France | UK | Germany | Netherlands | Belgium | Ireland, Italy, Spain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week from 01/09 to 07/09 | Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein | Spain, Italy | ||||
| Week from 08/09 to 14/09 | Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Lower Saxony | Italy | ||||
| Week from 15/09 to 21/09 | ||||||
| Week from 22/09 to 28/09 | ||||||
| Week from 29/09 to 05/10 | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (2nd Oct.) | |||||
| Week from 06/10 to 12/10 | Hesse, Saxony, Thuringia | |||||
| Week from 13/10 to 19/10 | Scotland | Bremen, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia | South | |||
| Week from 20/10 to 26/10 | All zones | Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (20th and 25th Oct.), Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein | North and Central regions | Wallonia | ||
| Week from 27/10 to 02/11 | All zones | England, Wales, Northern Ireland: 30 & 31 October | Baden-Württemberg, Berlin, Brandenburg, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein | Wallonia, Flanders | Ireland | |
| Week from 03/11 to 09/11 | Bavaria, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (3rd Nov.) | |||||
| Week from 10/11 to 16/11 | ||||||
| Week from 17/11 to 23/11 | Bavaria (19th Nov.) | |||||
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Week from 24/11 to 30/11 |
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| Week from 01/12 to 07/12 |
Winter school vacation dates 2025 – 2026
Scroll across to view more countries. See more details about the French school vacation zones at the bottom of the article.
| Dates | France | UK | Germany | Netherlands | Belgium | Ireland, Italy, Spain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week from 08/12 to 14/12 | ||||||
| Week from 15/12 to 21/12 | Hamburg (starts 17th Dec) | |||||
| Week from 22/12 to 28/12 | All zones | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | All Bundesländer | All regions | Wallonia, Flanders |
Ireland, Spain, Italy |
| Week from 29/12 to 04/01 | All zones | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | All Bundesländer | All regions | Wallonia, Flanders | Ireland, Spain, Italy |
|
Week from 05/01 to 11/01 |
Hesse (ends 10th Jan), Rhineland-Palatinate (ends 7th Jan) | |||||
| Week from 12/01 to 18/01 | ||||||
| Week from 19/01 to 25/01 | ||||||
| Week from 26/01 to 01/02 | ||||||
| Week from 02/02 to 08/02 | Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein (2nd-3rd Feb.) | |||||
| Week from 09/02 to 15/02 | Zone B | Northern Ireland 12 & 13 February | Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony | |||
| Week from 16/02 to 22/02 | Zones B & C | England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland | Bavaria, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saarland, Saxony, Thuringia | South & Central regions | Wallonia, Flanders | Ireland, Italy |
| Week from 23/02 to 01/03 | Zones C & A | North region | Wallonia | |||
| Week from 02/03 to 08/03 | Zone A | |||||
| Week from 09/03 to 15/03 |
Spring school vacation dates 2026
Scroll across to view more countries. See more details about the French school vacation zones at the bottom of the article.
| Dates | France | UK | Germany | Netherlands | Belgium | Ireland, Italy, Spain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week from 16/03 to 22/03 | ||||||
|
Week from 23/03 to 29/03 |
Bremen, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein (starts 26th March) | |||||
| Week from 30/03 to 05/04 | England, Wales, Scotland from 03/04, Northern Ireland from 02/04 | Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony (3rd April), Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein | Ireland, Spain, Italy | |||
| Week from 06/04 to 12/04 | Zone B | England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland | Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony (ends 10th April), Schleswig-Holstein (ends 10th April), Thuringia | Flanders | Ireland, Spain | |
| Week from 13/04 to 19/04 | Zones B & C | Scotland (until Monday 20/04 included) | Saarland, Saxony (15th April), Thuringia | Flanders | ||
| Week from 20/04 to 26/04 | Zones C & A | |||||
| Week from 27/04 to 03/05 | Zone A | All regions | Wallonia | |||
| Week from 04/05 to 10/05 | Wallonia | Ireland | ||||
| Week from 11/05 to 17/05 | Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (15th May), Lower Saxony (15th May), Schleswig-Holstein (15th May), Thuringia (15th May) | |||||
| Week from 18/05 to 24/05 | Bremen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (22nd May) | |||||
| Week from 25/05 to 31/05 | England, Wales | Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (26th May), Lower Saxony (26th May), North Rhine-Westphalia (26th May), Saxony-Anhalt | Ireland | |||
| Week from 01/06 to 07/06 | Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria | Flanders | ||||
| Week from 08/06 to 14/06 | Wallonia, Flanders | Italy |
Summer school vacation dates 2026
Scroll across to view more countries. See more details about the French school vacation zones at the bottom of the article.
| Dates | France | UK | Germany | Netherlands | Belgium | Ireland, Italy, Spain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week from 15/06 to 21/06 | Wallonia, Flanders | Italy | ||||
| Week from 22/06 to 28/06 | Wallonia, Flanders | Spain, Italy | ||||
| Week from 29/06 to 05/07 | Scotland, Northern Ireland from 01/07 | Bremen, Hesse, Lower Saxony (from 2nd July), Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland | Wallonia, Flanders | Ireland, Spain, Italy | ||
| Week from 06/07 to 12/07 | All zones | Scotland, Northern Ireland | Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia | North region | Wallonia, Flanders | Ireland, Spain, Italy |
| Week from 13/07 to 19/07 | All zones | Scotland, Northern Ireland | Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia | North & South regions | Wallonia, Flanders | Ireland, Spain, Italy |
| Week from 20/07 to 26/07 | All zones | England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland | Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia | All regions | Wallonia, Flanders | Ireland, Spain, Italy |
| Week from 27/07 to 02/08 | All zones | England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland | Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia | All regions | Wallonia, Flanders | Ireland, Spain, Italy |
| Week from 03/08 to 09/08 | All zones | England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland | Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia | All regions | Wallonia, Flanders | Ireland, Spain, Italy |
| Week from 10/08 to 16/08 | All zones | England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland | Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia | All regions | Wallonia, Flanders | Ireland, Spain, Italy |
| Week from 17/08 to 23/08 | All zones | England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland | Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Hamburg (until 19th August), Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, North Rhine-Westphalia | Central & South regions | Wallonia, Flanders | Ireland, Spain, Italy |
| Week from 24/08 to 30/08 | All zones | England, Wales, Northern Ireland | Baden-Württemberg, BavariaNorth Rhine-Westphalia | Central region | Flanders | Ireland, Spain, Italy |
| Week from 31/08 to 06/09 | Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia (ends 1st Sept.) | Ireland | ||||
| Week from 07/09 to 13/09 | Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria |
Ideal boating season times in Europe
| Period | Ideal Destinations | Why is this the perfect timing? |
|---|---|---|
| Spring break |
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| Summer break |
|
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| Autumn half-term |
|
European vacation highlights
| Vacation | Date | Destination | Activities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good Friday and Easter Monday | 3rd April & 6th April 2026 | Thames River, UK |
Historic sites Scenic walks Traditional pubs |
| Labor Day (France, Germany, Italy, Spain) | 1st May 2026 | Brittany, France |
Crepes and cider Seafood feasts Medieval villages |
| King’s Day (Netherlands) | 27th April 2026 |
Amsterdam Canals, Netherlands |
City-wide celebrations Museums Cafes |
| Bastille Day (France) | 14th July 2026 |
Canal du Midi, France |
Local festivities Fireworks Historical tours |
To make the most of your boating vacation, it’s a great idea to plan around key dates, such as UK vacation in 2025 and 2026. This way, you can avoid the busiest travel times and enjoy a more relaxing experience. With Le Boat, you can have an unforgettable vacation on the water while also taking advantage of school and public vacation.
Tips for planning your European boating vacation
- Early booking: Secure your dates and get the best availability by booking early, especially around popular periods such as summer vacation in the UK 2025 and UK vacation in April 2026.
- Packing: Ensure you pack essentials for your boat vacation, including suitable clothing, food, and safety gear. Proper preparation for the unique aspects of a boating vacation can make your trip smoother and more enjoyable. Read our ‘Boating vacation packing list: 7 unexpected tips you’ll thank us for’ to make sure you don’t forget anything from your vacation packing list.
- Preparation: Thoroughly prepare for your vacation by planning your itinerary around quieter periods, if possible, and avoid peak times such as May bank vacation in France and other UK public vacation. This will help you maximise your time on the water.
Discover useful information to help you prepare for your boating vacation with our travel checklist
By following these tips and planning around key vacation dates, you can ensure a fantastic boating experience with Le Boat.
Ready to book your your European boating vacation?
Book a boating vacation with Le Boat today, and let us help you create the perfect vacation experience.
You can also find out more information on the kind of boating adventure that awaits you in our boating vacation for beginners video.
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