School holidays & public holidays in Poland 2025-2027.

The School Holiday System in Poland

Poland's school calendar is set centrally by the MEN (Ministerstwo Edukacji Narodowej — Ministry of National Education). Most school breaks are nationwide and apply to all 16 voivodeships simultaneously. There is, however, one important regional exception: the ferie zimowe (winter break), which is staggered across four groups of voivodeships over four successive weeks, typically running from mid-January through late February.

Each year, MEN assigns every voivodeship to one of four rotation groups. The assignment shifts year-to-year, so no region is always the first or last to take its winter break. This staggering system helps spread the load on ski resorts, mountain towns, and travel infrastructure during the busiest winter period. The four groups for 2025-2026 are:

• Group 1 (approx. 33% of the population): lubelskie, łódzkie, podkarpackie, pomorskie, śląskie
• Group 2 (approx. 6% of the population): podlaskie, warmińsko-mazurskie
• Group 3 (approx. 25% of the population): kujawsko-pomorskie, lubuskie, małopolskie, świętokrzyskie, wielkopolskie
• Group 4 (approx. 36% of the population): dolnośląskie, mazowieckie, opolskie, zachodniopomorskie

All other breaks — Christmas, Easter, and the summer holidays — are the same across the entire country. Poland also observes 13 public holidays per year, including the Constitution Day on May 3rd (one of Europe's oldest constitutions, adopted in 1791) and, since 2025, Christmas Eve (December 24th) has been formally recognized as a public holiday.

For travellers planning a trip to Warsaw, Krakow, Gdansk, or the Tatra Mountains, checking which group your destination's region falls into during ferie zimowe can make a real difference in crowd levels and accommodation prices. Use the Holiday Planner to overlay Poland's calendar with neighboring countries such as Germany, Czech Republic, or Slovakia — ideal for cross-border trip planning.

Source — Ministry of Education and Science, Poland