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Calendar of School Holidays and Public Holidays in the Netherlands/Holland

Proportion of the Country on Holiday (School Holidays or Public Holidays)

The School Holiday System in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, school holidays are determined by the national government, but for certain periods, the country is divided into three regional zones (North, Central, South) to distribute travel flows and avoid massive traffic jams during holidays. The main holidays include the summer holidays, Christmas holidays, Easter holidays, as well as the autumn holidays (Herfstvakantie) and winter holidays (Voorjaarsvakantie). Each region has slightly different dates for some of these holidays to better distribute school holidays across the country.

• Summer Holidays: Usually from early July to late August, with staggered dates depending on the zone (North, Central, South).
• Autumn Holidays (Herfstvakantie): One week in October, dates vary by zone.
• Christmas Holidays: Approximately from December 25th to January 5th.
• Winter Holidays (Voorjaarsvakantie): One week in February, dates vary by zone.
• Easter Holidays: A long weekend around Easter Sunday, dates vary slightly.

This zoning system helps reduce traffic peaks and better organize holidays across the country. The exact dates are published each year by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science.

Here are the three regional zones used for the division of school holidays in the Netherlands, as well as the provinces included in each zone:

• North Zone:
  • Groningen
  • Friesland
  • Drenthe
• Central Zone:
  • Noord-Holland
  • Flevoland
  • Utrecht
  • Gelderland
  • Overijssel
• South Zone:
  • Zuid-Holland
  • Noord-Brabant
  • Zeeland
  • Limburg

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