Dutch school vacations and holiday dates (2024)

Wondering when the next school holiday is or how the Dutch school holiday system works?

The Dutch school holiday schedule

When it comes to determining holidays, Dutch schools and international schools in the Netherlands are divided into three regions: North, Central and South. To avoid a holiday rush, each region has its own vacation schedule.

The three Dutch holiday regions

The Dutch provinces are divided into three regions that determine when school holiday is:

The Northern region (regio noord)

Province	Municipality
Drenthe	All municipalities
Flevoland	All municipalities, except Zeewolde
Friesland	All municipalities
Gelderland	Hattem
Groningen	All municipalities
Noord-Holland	All municipalities
Overijssel	All municipalities
Utrecht	Eemnes and Abcoude

The Central region (regio midden)

Province	Municipality
Flevoland	Zeewolde
Gelderland	Aalten, Apeldoorn, Barneveld, Berkelland, Bronckhorst, Brummen, Buren, Culemborg, Doetinchem, Ede, Elburg, Epe, Ermelo, Harderwijk, Heerde,Lochem, Montferland (exceptDidam), Neder-Betuwe (exceptDodewaard), Nijkerk, Nunspeet, Oldebroek, Oost-Gelre, Oude IJsselstreek, Putten, Scherpenzeel, Tiel, Voorst, Wageningen, Winterswijk, Zutphen
Noord-Brabant	Altena(except Hank and Dussen)
Utrecht	All municipalities except Eemnes and Abcoude
Zuid-Holland	All municipalities

The Southern region (regio zuid)

Province	Municipality
Gelderland	Arnhem, Berg en Dal, Beuningen, Doesburg, Druten, Duiven, Heumen, Neder-Betuwe (onlyDodewaard), Lingewaard, Maasdriel, Montferland (onlyDidam), Nijmegen, Overbetuwe, Renkum, Rheden, Rozendaal, Rijnwaarden, Westervoort, West Maas en Waal, Wijchen,Zaltbommel, Zevenaar.
Limburg	All municipalities
Noord-Brabant	All municipalities except Woudrichem and Sleeuwijk, Nieuwendijkand Werkendam in the municipality of Altena
Zeeland	All municipalities

Fixed school holidays in the Netherlands

Some school holidays (schoolvakanties) such as the summer, Christmas and May vacations, are fixed. The May holiday cannot be moved, but schools can extend it by one week. It is therefore important to always check the precise dates with your school.

Flexible school holidays in the Netherlands

Schools are allowed to deviate from the advised holiday period for spring break and the autumn holiday. For example, schools in the south of the Netherlands often shift their spring break forward to correspond with Carnival, instead of having it later like the rest of the country. Autumn vacation dates can also be flexible for school districts, but usually these remain the same as the advised dates.

Can I take my child on vacation outside of the school holiday periods?

The Dutch government does not permit parents to take their children on vacation outside of the school holiday periods. Parents who do this violate the Compulsory Education law (Leerplichtwet).

In exceptional circ*mstances, parents can submit a request (known as a beroep op vrijstelling) to the school board for leave outside holiday periods.

2024 school holidays in the Netherlands

These are the advised school holidays for primary and secondary schools in the Netherlands in 2024:

Spring break 2024 (voorjaarsvakantie, carnavalsvakantie or krokusvakantie)

North: February 17 - February 25, 2024
Central: February 17- February 25, 2024
South: February 10- February 18, 2024

May vacation 2024(meivakantie)

North: April 27 - May 5, 2024
Central: April27- May 5, 2024
South: April 27- May 5, 2024

Summer vacation 2024 (zomervakantie)

North: July 20 - September 1, 2024
Central: July 13- August 25, 2024
South: July 6- August 18, 2024

Autumn vacation 2024 (herfstvakantie)

North: October 26 - November 3, 2024
Central: October 26 - November 3, 2024
South: October 19- October 27, 2024

Christmas vacation 2024- 2025 (kerstvakantie)

North: December 21, 2024 - January 5, 2025
Central: December 21, 2024 - January 5, 2025
South: December 21, 2024 - January 5, 2025

Other school holidays in 2024

Free days for students outside of the school holidays in 2024 are:

Easter Monday (2e paasdag): April 1, 2024
King’s Day (Koningsdag): April 27, 2024
Ascension Day (Hemelvaart): May 9, 2024
Whit Monday (2e pinksterdag): May 20, 2024

Check with the school if your child is free on the following holiday(s):

Good Friday (Goede vrijdag): March 29, 2024
Liberation Day (Bevrijdingsdag): May 5, 2024

Please note thatAscension Day falls on May 9 in 2024. Schools can extend the May holiday by a week (government advises May 4 - May 12, 2024). Check the school's guide or website for the correct dates.

2025 school holidays in the Netherlands

These are the advised school holidays for primary and secondary schools in the Netherlands in 2025:

Spring break 2025 (voorjaarsvakantie, carnavalsvakantie or krokusvakantie)

North: February 15 - February 23, 2025
Central: February 22 - March 2, 2025
South: February 22- March 2, 2025

May vacation 2025 (meivakantie)

North: April 26- May 4, 2025
Central: April 26 - May 4, 2025
South: April 26- May 4, 2025

Summer vacation 2025 (zomervakantie)

North: July 12 - August 24, 2025
Central: July 19 - August 31, 2025
South: July 5- August 17, 2025

Autumn vacation 2025 (herfstvakantie)

North: October 18 - October 26, 2025
Central: October 18 - October 26, 2025
South: October 11- October 19, 2025

Christmas vacation 2025- 2026 (kerstvakantie)

North: December 20, 2025 - January 4, 2026
Central: December 20, 2025 - January 4, 2026
South: December 20, 2025 - January 4, 2026

Please note that schools can extend the May holiday by a week. Check the school's guide or website for the correct dates.

Holiday childcare in the Netherlands

If you need to work during school vacations then a holiday programme (vakantieopvang) might be a good option for your child. Some childcare centres (kinderopvang) with afterschool care for school-age children (buitenschoolse opvang) also offer holiday programmes which can include sports, excursions or camping trips.

Other education institutions and holidays

The school holiday schedule is not applicable to childcare centres or to Dutch higher education. Universities and vocational education institutions (MBO) can set their own holiday dates.

Other Dutch holidays

For national holidays, please check out our Dutch holidays and days off page.

FAQs

Dutch school vacations and holiday dates? ›

The school year has three compulsory holiday periods: at Christmas (2 weeks) in May (1 week) and. in the summer (6 weeks).

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What are the holidays for students in the Netherlands? ›

School holidays in public schools include:

Autumn Vacation (Herfstvakantie)
Winter Vacation (Kerstvakantie)
Spring Vacation (Voorjaarsvakantie)
Easter weekend (Pasen)
King's Day (Koningsdag)
May Vacation (Meivakantie)
Ascension Day (Hemelvaart)
Whit Monday/Pentecost (Pinksteren)

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How long is summer break in the Netherlands? ›

The school year has three compulsory holiday periods: at Christmas (2 weeks) in May (1 week) and. in the summer (6 weeks).

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What is the school schedule in the Netherlands? ›

Pupils attend school Monday through Friday. School hours in primary school are from 8:30 to 15:00 with an hour-long lunch at 12:00. Wednesdays are half-days and children go home at 12:00. School hours for secondary school students start at 8:30 until about 16:00–17:00, depending on the day's schedule.

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Where do Dutch go on summer holidays? ›

France and Spain are very popular destinations, but Italy, Portugal, Greece and Turkey are popular as well. Judging by the number of cars with Dutch license plates that can be seen on the roads, both Switzerland and Denmark are popular destinations, in winter and summer respectively.

What is the biggest Dutch holiday? ›

One of the most celebrated days in the Netherlands is King's day. During King's day, the whole population takes on to celebrate the birthday of the King; Willem Alexander. On the day of the celebration, the whole Netherlands is “painted” orange.

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What is the holiday season in Netherlands? ›

Christmas (Kerstavakanie – two week) Spring (Voorjaarsvakantie – one week) May holiday (Meivakantie – one week, usually spread across April/May) Summer (Zomervakantie – six weeks)

Do the Dutch take August off? ›

The summer holiday falls in the July/August months, though the precise weeks vary by region. In fact, many school holidays are staggered strategically so that all the kids in the country aren't taking vacation at the same time. This reduces congestion for transportation and lodging, by spreading out holiday trips.

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How many days of vacation does the Netherlands have a year? ›

Holiday leave in the Netherlands

Full-time employees in the Netherlands are legally entitled to a minimum of 20 days (four weeks) of paid holiday leave per year. This is based on a calculation of four times the number of hours worked per week.

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How hot is Dutch summer? ›

The official terminology for the Dutch climate is 'temperate': extreme cold or heat are quite unusual. Influenced by the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, summers are relatively cool and winters are moderate. In summer, highs typically range between 21 and 26 degrees Celsius.

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How many days holiday do you get in the Netherlands? ›

The statutory minimum holiday entitlement of 20 days is four times the agreed working time per week for each year of employment. These statutory days are in addition to public holidays of which there are normally seven each year. In practice, most employees are entitled to 25 days.

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Does Netherlands give money to students? ›

Financial aid in the Netherlands is known as studiefinanciering or student finance. Student finance is a scheme set up by the Dutch government to fund tuition fees and other living costs of eligible students. Then, there are scholarships, which function in a similar way, but are based on an awards system.

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How many public holidays are there in the Netherlands? ›

Dutch public holidays

There are 7 public holidays recognised in The Netherlands, these include national holidays like Good Friday and Easter Monday plus two public holidays celebrated solely in The Netherlands. There are also additional regional public holidays observed in specific states in the Netherlands.

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