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For parents who live and work in Germany, it is crucial to mark school holidays on the calendar to organize the necessary family activities or childcare arrangements. German school has seasonal holidays, including a long summer break, plus holidays for Christmas and Easter.
To plan your upcoming vacation, learn more about the below topics:
International School on the Rhine
The International School on the Rhine is located in the Düsseldorf – Neuss – Cologne region. It offers an excellent international education through full-day schooling in a multilingual environment. ISR offers an outstanding academic program, individual support for students, and several extra-curricular activities through a non-selective, college-preparatory education system.
An overview of German school holidays
School holidays in Germany are set at the regional level by each federal state. Each state will have holidays for the following times of the year:
- Autumn holiday (Herbstferien)
- Christmas (Weihnachtsferien)
- Easter (Osterferien)
- Summer (Sommerferien)
Schools in most states also have a winter break (Winterferien) around February. Additionally, a few states have a holiday of about one to two weeks for Pentecost (Pfingstferien) in May/June. There are also days off throughout the year, which varies between states.
Each state sets the exact dates for all German school holidays, although they need to fall within a certain time period.
Holiday dates at private international schools in Germany may be slightly different from public schools’ days off, although they will roughly coincide. Check with your child’s school for details.
When are the German school holidays in 2024–2025?
Below are the German school holidays for the 16 federal states, split into the country’s north, middle, and south sections.
2024–2025 school holidays in North Germany
| Holiday | Berlin | Brandenburg | Bremen | Hamburg |
| First day of school | 9 September 2024 | 2 September 2024 | 5 August 2024 | 29 August 2024 |
| Autumn holiday | 21 October – 2 November 2024 | 21 October – 2 November 2024 | 4–18 October 2024 | 21 October – 1 November 2024 |
| Christmas holiday | 23–31 December 2024 | 23–31 December 2024 | 23 December 2024 – 3 January 2025 | 20 December 2024 – 3 January 2025 |
| Winter holiday | 3–8 February 2025 | 3–8 February 2025 | 3–4 February 2025 | n/a |
| Easter/Spring holiday | 14–25 April 2025 | 14–25 April 2025 | 7–21 April 2025 | 10–21 March 2025 |
| Summer holiday | 24 July – 6 September 2025 | 24 July – 6 September 2025 | 3 July – 13 August 2025 | 24 July – 3 September 2025 |
| Lower Saxony | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | Saxony-Anhalt | Schleswig-Holstein | |
| First day of school | 5 August 2024 | 2 September 2024 | 5 August 2024 | 2 September 2024 |
| Autumn holiday | 4–19 October 2024 | 21–26 October 2024 | 30–12 October 2024 | 21 October – 1 November 2024 |
| Christmas holiday | 23 December 2024 – 4 January 2025 | 23 December 2024 – 6 January 2025 | 23 December 2024 – 4 January 2025 | 19 December 2024 – 7 January 2025 |
| Winter holiday | 1–2 February 2025 | 3–14 February 2025 | 27–31 January 2025 | n/a |
| Easter/Spring holiday | 7–19 April 2025 | 14–23 April 2025 | 7–19 April 2025 | 11–25 April 2025 |
| Summer holiday | 3 July – 13 August 2025 | 28 July – 6 September 2025 | 28 June – 8 August 2025 | 28 July – 6 September 2025 |
2024–2025 school holidays in Central Germany
| Holiday | Hesse | North Rhine-Westphalia | Saxony | Thuringia |
| First day of school | 26 August 2024 | 21 August 2024 | 5 August 2024 | 1 August 2024 |
| Autumn holiday | 14–25 October 2024 | 14–26 October 2024 | 7–19 October 2024 | 30 September – 11 October 2024 |
| Christmas holiday | 23 December 2024 – 10 January 2025 | 23 December 2024 – 6 January 2025 | 23 December 2024 – 3 January 2025 | 23 December 2024 – 3 January 2025 |
| Winter holiday | n/a | n/a | 17 February – 1 March 2025 | 3–7 February 2025 |
| Easter/Spring holiday | 7–21 April 2025 | 14–26 April 2025 | 18–25 April 2025 | 7–21 April 2025 |
| Summer holiday | 7 July – 15 August 2025 | 14 July – 26 August 2025 | 30 June – 8 August 2025 | 30 June – 8 August 2025 |
2024–2025 school holidays in South Germany
| Holiday | Baden-Württemberg | Bavaria | Rhineland-Palatinate | Saarland |
| First day of school | 9 September 2024 | 10 September 2024 | 26 August 2024 | 26 August 2024 |
| Autumn holiday | 28–30 October 2024 | 28–31 October 2024 | 14–25 October 2024 | 14–25 October 2024 |
| Christmas holiday | 23 December 2024 – 4 January 2025 | 23 December 2024 – 3 January 2025 | 23 December 2024 – 8 January 2025 | 23 December 2024 – 3 January 2025 |
| Winter/Spring holiday | n/a | 3–7 March 2025 | n/a | 24 February – 4 March 2025 |
| Easter holiday | 14–26 April 2025 | 14–25 April 2025 | 14–25 April 2025 | 14–25 April 2025 |
| Summer holiday | 25 July – 7 September 2025 | 1 August – 15 September 2025 | 7 July – 15 August 2025 | 7 July – 14 August 2025 |
When are the German school holidays in 2025–2026?
Below are the German school holidays for the 16 federal states, split into the country’s north, middle, and south sections.
2025–2026 school holidays in North Germany
| Holiday | Berlin | Brandenburg | Bremen | Hamburg |
| First day of school | 8 September 2025 | 8 September 2025 | 14 August 2025 | 4 September 2025 |
| Autumn holiday | 20–31 October 2025 | 20–31 October 2025 | 13–24 October 2025 | 20–31 October 2025 |
| Christmas holiday | 22 December 2025 – 2 January 2026 | 22 December 2025 – 2 January 2026 | 22 December 2025 – 5 January 2026 | 17 December 2025 – 2 January 2026 |
| Winter holiday | 2–6 February 2026 | 2–6 February 2025 | 2–3 February 2026 | n/a |
| Easter/Spring holiday | 30 March – 10 April 2026 | 30 March – 10 April 2026 | 23 March – 7 April 2026 | 2–13 March 2026 |
| Summer holiday | 9 July – 21 August 2026 | 9 July – 21 August 2026 | 2 July – 12 August 2026 | 9 July – 19 August 2026 |
| Lower Saxony | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | Saxony-Anhalt | Schleswig-Holstein | |
| First day of school | 14 August 2025 | 8 September 2025 | 11 August 2025 | 8 September 2025 |
| Autumn holiday | 13–24 October 2025 | 20–24 October 2025 | 13–24 October 2025 | 20–30 October 2025 |
| Christmas holiday | 22 December 2025 – 5 January 2026 | 22 December 2025 – 5 January 2026 | 22 December 2025 – 5 January 2026 | 19 December 2025 – 6 January 2026 |
| Winter holiday | 2–3 February 2026 | 9–20 February 2026 | 2–6 February 2026 | n/a |
| Easter/Spring holiday | 23 March – 7 April 2026 | 30 March – 8 April 2026 | 30 March – 6 April 2026 | 26 March – 10 April 2026 |
| Summer holiday | 2 July – 12 August 2026 | 13 July – 21 August 2026 | 6 July – 14 August 2026 | 6 July – 14 August 2026 |
2025–2026 school holidays in Central Germany
| Holiday | Hesse | North Rhine-Westphalia | Saxony | Thuringia |
| First day of school | 18 August 2025 | 27 August 2025 | 11 August 2025 | 11 August 2025 |
| Autumn holiday | 6–17 October 2025 | 13–24 October 2025 | 6–17 October 2025 | 6–17 October 2025 |
| Christmas holiday | 22 December 2025 – 9 January 2026 | 22 December 2025 – 6 January 2026 | 22 December 2026 – 2 January 2026 | 22 December 2026 – 2 January 2026 |
| Winter holiday | n/a | n/a | 9–20 February 2026 | 16–20 February 2026 |
| Easter/Spring holiday | 30 March – 10 April 2026 | 30 March – 10 April 2026 | 3–10 April 2026 | 3–16 April 2026 |
| Summer holiday | 29 July – 7 August 2026 | 20 July – 1 September 2026 | 6 July – 14 August 2026 | 6 July – 14 August 2026 |
2025–2026 school holidays in South Germany
| Holiday | Baden-Württemberg | Bavaria | Rhineland-Palatinate | Saarland |
| First day of school | 15 September 2025 | 16 September 2025 | 18 August 2025 | 26 August 2024 |
| Autumn holiday | 27–31 October 2025 | 3–7 November 2025 | 13–24 October 2025 | 13–24 October 2025 |
| Christmas holiday | 22 December 2025 – 5 January 2026 | 22 December 2025 – 5 January 2026 | 22 December 2025 – 7 January 2026 | 22 December 2025 – 2 January 2026 |
| Spring/Carnival holiday | n/a | 16–20 February 2026 | n/a | 16–20 February 2026 |
| Easter holiday | 30 March – 10 April 2026 | 30 March – 10 April 2026 | 30 March – 10 April 2026 | 7–17 April 2026 |
| Summer holiday | 30 July – 11 September 2026 | 3 August – 14 September 2026 | 29 June – 7 August 2026 | 29 June – 7 August 2026 |
When are Germany’s public holidays?
The above dates apply to all schools each year, but there are additional days throughout the year when there may be no school. For example, students have time off for Ascension Day (Himmelfahrt) and Pentecost (Pfingsten).
You can discover more official holidays by reading our article on public holidays in Germany.
Tips for expat parents
Childcare during school holidays
If you are a working parent, you may find yourself in the position of having to find childcare during the holidays if you can’t (or don’t want to) take time off work, and leaving the kids with relatives or friends isn’t an option.
The main options in Germany are:
- Daycare nurseries (horts): Provide out-of-hours school care for primary school children in Germany. This normally takes place after school hours, but many German horts also run holiday provision that includes a range of fun activities. They are primarily for primary school children but, in some cases, will take children up until the age of 14. You can find information about nursery provision in your area from your child’s school or your local authority. You can also search for nurseries through Kita.
- Paying for an individual carer: You could employ a childminder, nanny, babysitter, or au pair. You can find a babysitter in your area on Babysitter.de.
Prices and availability vary, so it’s advisable to book as soon as possible.
Fun summer camps in Germany
For older children, there are summer camps that run adventure, sports, and language activities. Many of these are popular with expat children in Germany, such as Camp Adventure International Summer Camp, which runs activities for children aged up to 19.
