Wondering how the school holiday system in Germany works, or just when your next holiday is?
Term dates in Germany
In Germany, schoolchildren receive 75 days of holiday per year (including 12 Saturdays). These 75 days are divided into six school holiday periods that break up the separate school terms. While the autumn, Christmas and Easter holidays are usually fixed breaks of around two weeks, the winter and Whitsun holidays may be lengthened, shortened or even scrapped in a particular year, depending on how early or late the summer holiday starts in that federal state.
Types of school holidays in Germany
The six types of school breaks in Germany are:
- Autumn holiday (Herbstferien) - two weeks
- Christmas holiday (Weihnachtsferien) - usually two weeks
- Winter holiday (Winterferien) - between a few days and two weeks
- Easter holiday (Osterferien) - two to three weeks
- Whitsun holiday (Pfingstferien) - between a few days and two weeks
- Summer holiday (Sommerferien) - six to seven weeks
Summer holidays in Germany
Just like the school system, school holidays in Germany vary according to federal state. For the summer holidaysin particular, the 16 federal states work on a staggered schedule in order to avoid overburdening travel infrastructure. The earliest summer holidays begin in the middle of June, and the latest ones end in the middle of September.
Moveable holiday days
In all states (except Berlin, Hamburg, Lower Saxony and Bavaria), German schools and international schools are given the power to set several daysof extra holiday per year, as they see fit.
Depending on your location, these extra holiday days might be added around public holidays (so-called “bridge days” (Brückentage),e.g., if a public holiday falls on a Thursday or Tuesday, the Friday or Monday is given off to allow for a long weekend). They might also be given on unofficial holidays such as St Nicholas’ Day (Nikolaus) or carnival (Karneval). It is important to always check exact dates with your child’s school.
Can I take my child on vacation outside of the school holiday periods?
As school attendance is compulsory, as a rule, the German government does not permit parents to take children on holiday during term-time. Parents who do so can be issued with fines of up to 1.000 euros for enabling truancy. You can, however, apply to the headteacher at your child’s school for an exemption in order to legally take your children out of school before the start of the holidays.
Holiday childcare in Germany
Most parents will have to work at some point during their children’s school holidays. There is a range of childcare options to choose from, including summer camps, holiday programmes and regular daycare facilities.
Other education institutions and holidays
While school holidays are set by the education authorities in each federal state, German higher education institutions are free to set their own holiday dates. If you are studying in Germany, make sure to check your term dates with your university.
Other German holidays
In addition to the regular school holiday periods, children in Germany can also enjoy national public holidays.
School holidays in Germany 2023-2024 & 2024-2025
See below for the official school holiday dates forprimary and secondary schools in Germany, according to federal state:
Baden-Württemberg school holidays 2023-2024
- Autumn holiday: October 30 - November 3, 2023
- Christmas holiday: December 23, 2023- January 5, 2024
- Winter holiday: --
- Easter holiday: March 23 - April 5, 2024
- Whitsun holiday: May 21 - May 31, 2024
- Summer holiday: July 25 - September7, 2024
- Moveable holidays: 5
Baden-Württemberg school holidays 2024-2025
- Autumn holiday: October 28 - October 30, 2024
- Bridge day: October 31, 2024
- Christmas holiday: December 23, 2024 - January 4, 2025
- Winter holiday: --
- Easter holiday: April 14 - April 26, 2025
- Whitsun holiday: June 10 - June 20, 2025
- Summer holiday: July 31- September 13, 2025
- Moveable holidays: 5
Bavaria school holidays 2023-2024
- Autumn holiday: October 30- November 3, 2023
- Christmas holiday: December 23, 2023- January 5, 2024
- Winter holiday: --
- Bridge days: February 12 - February 16, 2024
- Easter holiday: March 25 - April 6, 2024
- Whitsun holiday: May 21- June 1, 2024
- Summer holiday: July 29 - September 9, 2024
Bavaria school holidays 2024-2025
- Autumn holiday: October 28 - October 31, 2024
- Christmas holiday: December 23, 2024 - January 3, 2025
- Winter holiday: --
- Bridge days: March 3 - March 7, 2025
- Easter holiday: April 14 - April 25, 2025
- Whitsun holiday: June 10 - June 20, 2025
- Bridge day: August 1, 2025
- Summer holiday: August 4 - September 15, 2025
Berlin school holidays 2023-2024
- Bridge day: October 2, 2023
- Autumn holiday: October 23 - November 4, 2023
- Christmas holiday: December 23, 2023- January 5, 2024
- Winter holiday: February 5 - February 10, 2024
- Easter holiday: March 25 - April 5, 2024
- Whitsun holiday: May 10, 2024
- Summer holiday: July 18 - August 30, 2024
Berlin school holidays 2024-2025
- Bridge day: October 4, 2024
- Autumn holiday: October 21- November 2, 2024
- Christmas holiday: December 23, 2024 - December 31, 2024
- Winter holiday: February 3 - February 8, 2025
- Easter holiday: April 14 - April 25, 2025
- Bridge day: May 2, 2025
- Bridge day: May 30, 2025
- Whitsun holiday: June 10, 2025
- Summer holiday: July 24 - September 6, 2025
Brandenburg school holidays 2023-2024
- Autumn holiday: October 23 - November 4, 2023
- Christmas holiday: December 23, 2023 - January 5, 2024
- Winter holiday: February 5- February 9, 2024
- Easter holiday: March 25 - April 5, 2024
- Whitsun holiday: --
- Summer holiday: July 18 - August 31, 2024
- Moveable holidays: 2
Brandenburg school holidays 2024-2025
- Autumn holiday: October 21 - November 2, 2024
- Christmas holiday: December 23- December 31, 2024
- Winter holiday: February 3 - February 8, 2025
- Easter holiday: April 14 - April 25, 2025
- Whitsun holiday: June 10, 2025
- Summer holiday: July 24- September 6, 2025
- Moveable holidays: 3
Bremen school holidays 2023-2024
- Bridge day: October 2, 2023
- Autumn holiday: October 16 - October 30, 2023
- Christmas holiday: December 23, 2023 - January 5, 2024
- Winter holiday: February 1 - February 2, 2024
- Easter holiday: March 18 - March 28, 2024
- Bridge day: May 10, 2024
- Whitsun holiday: May 21,2024
- Summer holiday: June 24- August 2, 2024
Bremen school holidays 2024-2025
- Autumn holiday: October 4- October 19, 2024
- Bridge day: November 1, 2024
- Christmas holiday: December 23, 2024- January 4, 2025
- Winter holiday: February 3 - February 4, 2025
- Easter holiday: April 7 - April 19, 2025
- Bridge day: April 30, 2025
- Bridge day: May 2, 2025
- Bridge day: May 30, 2025
- Whitsun holiday: June 10, 2025
- Summer holiday: July 3- August 13, 2025
- Moveable holidays: 2
Hamburg school holidays 2023-2024
- Bridge day: October 2, 2023
- Autumn holiday: October 16 - October 27, 2023
- Christmas holiday: December 22, 2023- January 5, 2024
- Winter holiday: February 2, 2024
- Easter holiday: March 18 - March 28, 2024
- Bridge day: May 10, 2024
- Whitsun holiday: May 21 - May 24, 2024
- Summer holiday: July 18- August 28, 2024
Hamburg school holidays 2024-2025
- Bridge day: October 4, 2024
- Autumn holiday: October 21- November 1, 2024
- Christmas holiday: December 20, 2024 - January 3, 2025
- Winter holiday: January 31, 2025
- Easter holiday: March 10- March 21, 2025
- Bridge day: May 2, 2025
- Whitsun holiday: May 26 - May 30, 2025
- Summer holiday: July 24 - September 3, 2025
Hesse school holidays - 2023-2024
- Autumn holiday: October 23 - October 28, 2023
- Christmas holiday: December 27, 2023- January 13, 2024
- Winter holiday: --
- Easter holiday: March 25 - April 13, 2024
- Whitsun holiday: --
- Summer holiday: July 15 - August 23, 2024
- Moveable holidays: 3
Hesse school holidays 2024-2025
- Autumn holiday: October 14- October 25, 2024
- Christmas holiday: December 23, 2024 - January 10, 2025
- Winter holiday: --
- Easter holiday: April 7 - April 21, 2025
- Whitsun holiday: --
- Summer holiday: July 7- August 15, 2025
- Moveable holidays: 4
Lower Saxony school holidays 2023-2024
- Bridge day: October 2, 2023
- Autumn holiday: October 16 - October 30, 2023
- Christmas holiday: December 27, 2023- January 5, 2024
- Winter holiday: February 1- February 2, 2024
- Easter holiday: March 18 - March 28, 2024
- Bridge day: May 10, 2024
- Whitsun holiday: May 21, 2024
- Summer holiday: June 24 - August 2, 2024
Lower Saxony school holidays2024-2025
- Autumn holiday: October 4 - October 19, 2024
- Bridge day: November 1, 2024
- Christmas holiday: December 23, 2024 - January 4, 2025
- Winter holiday: February 3 - February 4, 2025
- Easter holiday: April 7 - April 19, 2025
- Bridge day: April 30, 2025
- Bridge day: May 2, 2025
- Bridge day: May 30, 2025
- Whitsun holiday: June 10, 2025
- Summer holiday: July 3- August 13, 2025
Mecklenburg-Vorpommernschool holidays 2023-2024
- Autumn holiday: October 9 - October 14, 2023
- Bridge days: October 30 - November 1, 2023
- Christmas holiday: December 21, 2023- January 3, 2024
- Winter holiday: February 5 - February 16, 2024
- Easter holiday: March 25 - April 3, 2024
- Bridge day: May 10, 2024
- Whitsun holiday: May 17 - May 21,2024
- Summer holiday: July 22 - August 31, 2024
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern school holidays 2024-2025
- Bridge day: October 4, 2024
- Autumn holiday: October 21 - October 26, 2024
- Bridge day: November 1, 2024
- Christmas holiday: December 23, 2024 - January 6, 2025
- Winter holiday: February 3 - February 14, 2025
- Easter holiday: April 14 - April 23, 2025
- Bridge day: May 30, 2025
- Whitsun holiday: June 6 - June 10, 2025
- Summer holiday: July 28 - September 6, 2025
North Rhine-Westphalia school holidays 2023-2024
- Autumn holiday: October2- October 14, 2023
- Christmas holiday: December 21, 2023- January 5, 2024
- Winter holiday: --
- Easter holiday: March 25 - April 6, 2024
- Whitsun holiday: May 21, 2024
- Summer holiday: July 8 - August 20, 2024
- Moveable holidays: 4
North Rhine-Westphalia school holidays 2024-2025
- Autumn holiday: October 14 - October 26, 2024
- Christmas holiday: December 23, 2024 - January 6, 2025
- Winter holiday: --
- Easter holiday: April 14 - April 26, 2025
- Whitsun holiday: June 10, 2025
- Summer holiday: July 14 - August 26, 2025
- Moveable holidays: 4
Rhineland-Palatinate school holidays 2023-2024
- Autumn holiday: October 16 - October 27, 2023
- Christmas holiday: December 27, 2023 - January 5, 2024
- Winter holiday: --
- Easter holiday: March 25- April 2, 2024
- Whitsun holiday: May 21 - May 29, 2024
- Summer holiday: July 15- August 23, 2024
- Moveable holidays: 6
Rhineland-Palatinate school holidays 2024-2025
- Autumn holiday: October 14 - October 25, 2024
- Christmas holiday: December 23, 2024 - January 8, 2025
- Winter holiday: --
- Easter holiday: April 14- April 25, 2025
- Whitsun holiday: --
- Summer holiday: July 7 - August 15, 2025
- Moveable holidays: 6
Saarlandschool holidays 2023-2024
- Autumn holiday: October 23 - November 3, 2023
- Christmas holiday: December 21, 2023- January 2, 2024
- Winter holiday: February 12- February 16,2024
- Easter holiday: March 25 - April 5, 2024
- Whitsun holiday: May 21 - May 24, 2024
- Summer holiday: July 15 - August 23, 2024
- Moveable holidays: 2
Saarland school holidays2024-2025
- Autumn holiday: October 14- October 25, 2024
- Christmas holiday: December 23, 2024- January 3, 2025
- Winter holiday: February 24- March 4, 2025
- Easter holiday: April 14 - April 25, 2025
- Whitsun holiday: --
- Summer holiday: July 7 - August 14, 2025
- Moveable holidays: 3
Saxony school holidays 2023-2024
- Autumn holiday: October 2- October 14, 2023
- Bridge day: October 30, 2023
- Christmas holiday: December 23, 2023 - January 2, 2024
- Winter holiday: February 12 - February 23, 2024
- Easter holiday: March 28 - April 5, 2024
- Bridge day: May 10, 2024
- Whitsun holiday: May 18 - May 21, 2024
- Summer holiday: June 20 - August 2, 2024
- Moveable holidays: 2
Saxony school holidays2024-2025
- Autumn holiday: October 7- October 19, 2024
- Christmas holiday: December 23, 2024 - January 3, 2025
- Winter holiday: February 17 - March 1, 2025
- Easter holiday: April 18 - April 25, 2025
- Whitsun holiday: May 30, 2025
- Summer holiday: June 28 - August 8, 2025
- Moveable holidays: 1
Saxony-Anhaltschool holidays 2023-2024
- Bridge day: October 2, 2023
- Autumn holiday: October 16 - October 30, 2023
- Christmas holiday: December 21, 2023 - January 3, 2024
- Winter holiday: February 5- February 10, 2024
- Easter holiday: March 25 - March 30, 2024
- Whitsun holiday: May 21 - May 24, 2024
- Summer holiday: June 24 - August 3, 2024
- Moveable holidays: 1
Saxony-Anhalt school holidays2024-2025
- Autumn holiday: September 30 - October 12, 2024
- Bridge day: November 1, 2024
- Christmas holiday: December 23, 2024 - January 4, 2025
- Winter holiday: January 27, 2025 - January 31, 2025
- Easter holiday: April 7- April 19, 2025
- Whitsun holiday: May 30, 2025
- Summer holiday: June 28 - August 8, 2025
- Moveable holidays: 1
Schleswig-Holstein school holidays 2023-2024
- Autumn holiday: October 16 - October 27, 2023
- Christmas holiday: December 27, 2023- January 6, 2024
- Winter holiday:--
- Easter holiday: April 2 - April 19, 2024
- Whitsun holiday: May 10 - May 11, 2024
- Summer holiday: July 22 - August31, 2024
- Moveable holidays: 1
Schleswig-Holstein school holidays2024-2025
- Autumn holiday: October 21- November 1, 2024
- Christmas holiday: December 19, 2024- January 7, 2025
- Winter holiday: --
- Easter holiday: April 11 - April 25, 2025
- Whitsun holiday: May 30, 2025
- Summer holiday: July 28 - September 6, 2025
- Moveable holidays: 3
Thuringiaschool holidays 2023-2024
- Autumn holiday: October 2 - October 14, 2023
- Christmas holiday: December 22, 2023 - January5, 2024
- Winter holiday: February 12 - February 16, 2024
- Easter holiday: March 25 - April 6, 2024
- Whitsun holiday: May 10, 2024
- Summer holiday: June 20 - July 31, 2024
- Moveable holidays: 2
Thuringia school holidays 2024-2025
- Autumn holiday: September 30 - October 12, 2024
- Christmas holiday: December 23, 2024 - January 3, 2025
- Winter holiday: February 3 - February 8, 2025
- Easter holiday: April 7 - April 19,2025
- Whitsun holiday: May 30, 2025
- Summer holiday: June 28 - August 8, 2025
- Moveable holidays: 2