School holidays & public holidays in Greece 2025-2027.

The School Holiday System in Greece

In Greece, the school calendar is set nationally by the Ministry of Education (Υπουργείο Παιδείας) and applies uniformly across the entire country. Unlike France or Germany, there are no regional zones — all Greek students follow the same schedule regardless of where they live, from Athens and Thessaloniki to the islands of Crete, Rhodes, or Corfu.

The Greek school year is structured around three main holiday periods:

• Christmas Holidays: Approximately two weeks, from around December 24 to January 7.
• Easter Holidays (Orthodox): Approximately two weeks centred on Orthodox Easter Sunday — which falls on a different date from Western Easter (see below).
• Summer Holidays: From mid-June through the end of August, giving Greek students one of the longest summer breaks in Europe.

Orthodox Easter vs. Western Easter — A Key Distinction for Travellers

Greece celebrates Easter according to the Eastern Orthodox tradition, which uses a different calculation method than the Western (Catholic and Protestant) churches. This means Greek Easter can fall anywhere from one week to five weeks after Western Easter.

In 2026, Orthodox Easter Sunday falls on April 12 — just one week after Western Easter (April 5). Greek schools close for approximately two weeks around this date, and public life effectively pauses for the Easter week. If you arrive in Greece during the Western Easter break expecting a holiday atmosphere, you will find the country operating normally.

In 2027, the gap widens significantly: Orthodox Easter falls on May 2, while Western Easter was March 28 — a full five weeks apart. Planning a trip to the Greek islands in late March 2027? Greece will be in full spring mode with no Easter celebrations in sight.

The Orthodox-derived public holidays — Clean Monday (the start of Lent), Good Friday, Easter Monday, and Whit Monday — all shift with the Orthodox Easter date each year.

Greece observes 12 national public holidays throughout the year. Beyond the movable Orthodox holidays, the fixed dates include Independence Day (March 25), Labour Day (May 1), Ohi Day (October 28), Assumption (August 15), Epiphany (January 6), and the Christmas cluster (December 25–26).

Use the Holiday Planner above to combine Greece's calendar with neighbouring countries like Italy, France, or Spain — ideal for multi-destination trips or comparing school break overlaps across borders.

Source — Hellenic Ministry of Education