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.

Dutch school vacations and holiday dates (2024)

FAQs

How many vacation days are in the Netherlands school? ›

The Ministry sets compulsory school holiday periods like Christmas (2 weeks), May holiday (1 week) and the summer holidays (6 weeks) which must be adhered to by primary, secondary and special education schools. The Ministry gives only advisory dates for the spring (1 week) and autumn (1 week) holiday.

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How long is the Dutch summer holiday? ›

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

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How many holidays do the Dutch have? ›

There are a total of 10 (11 every 5 years) public holidays in the Netherlands: New Year's Day – 1st January. Good Friday – Varied date but always a Friday. Easter – Varied date but always a Sunday.

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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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What country has the longest school vacation? ›

In most countries, the longest break in the school year is during summer, lasting between 5 and 14 weeks. In Ireland, Italy, Lithuania and Russia, summer holidays are normally three months, compared to six to eight weeks in Britain, The Netherlands and Germany.

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What country goes to school 6 days a week? ›

Israel is the only country in the developed world where children go to school six days a week.

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What is the biggest Dutch holiday? ›

The Dutch love a good party, which is why King's Day may very well be the best party in the Netherlands. It's a national holiday and celebrates King Willem-Alexander's birthday with lots of music, dancing, flea markets and fun fairs. We traditionally celebrate this holiday while dressed in orange.

How long do Dutch kids go to school? ›

Primary school has eight grades, group 1 through group 8 (age 12). Afterwards, students transfer to a secondary school. They are obliged to go to school until the end of the school year in which they have turned 16; provided they have obtained a diploma (startkwalificatie).

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What is a typical Dutch school day? ›

Their school day will be different every day of the week, with anywhere from 4 to 7 classes per day. Thus, each student has short days and long days at school. Students start and end school at different times, creating an efficient but erratic and personalized schedule.

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How many vacation days do Dutch people get? ›

Dutch law requires that employers provide full-time employees with a minimum of 20 days of fully paid vacation (annual leave) per year.

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Where do most Dutch go on holiday? ›

France and Spain are very popular destinations, but Italy, Portugal, Greece and Turkey are popular as well. Good Vacantion locations are Suriname ( is in South America, but used to be a kolony so the official language is dutch. It has a multicultural population living in peace with eachother.

How many days vacation 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.

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How long is summer break in 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 month does school end in the Netherlands? ›

The Netherlands academic year usually starts in august or september, and finishes in june or july. But, depending on the zone where the students belong to (north, south or center), the dates can vary.

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Do the Dutch eat early or late? ›

The Dutch eat relatively early starting from 5 to 7 p.m., families mostly eat together around the dinner table. A typical Dutch dinner meal consists of potatoes, meat and vegetables, served with gravy. Dinner is often followed by a dessert in the form of yogurt or coffee.

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How many vacation days in Netherlands? ›

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How many vacation days do you get in the Netherlands part time? ›

Overview of statutory paid holidays

Full-time employees are entitled by Dutch law to a minimum of 20 days (four weeks) of paid leave per year. This is based on a calculation: four times the number of hours worked per week. Part-time employees are also entitled to four times the number of hours worked per week.

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How many days of school can you miss in the Netherlands? ›

In the Netherlands, school attendance is compulsory for children aged 5-16. If a student is truant for more than three consecutive days, the school is required to notify the school attendance officer (leerplichtambtenaar) who is employed by the municipality.