School holidays in Germany: 2022 and 2023

Here is a list of school holidays in Germany in 2022 and 2023 along with information on additional days off and holiday childcare options.

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. Both German primary schools and secondary schools have seasonal holiday breaks, including a long summer break, plus holidays for Christmas and Easter. Find out more information on:

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.

Learn more about the curriculum

School holidays in Germany

School holidays in Germany are set at the regional level by each federal state. Each state will have holidays each year for autumn, Christmas, Easter, and summer, plus schools in most states also have a winter break around February. A few states have a break of about one to two weeks for Pentecost around May/June. There are also days off throughout the year which varies between states. Each state sets the exact dates for all school holidays in Germany, although they need to fall within a certain time period.

Holiday dates at private international schools in Germany may be slightly different from general school holiday dates, although they will roughly coincide. Check with your child’s school for details.

German school holidays are often used as a time for families to get together and celebrate festive holidays such as Easter and Christmas in Germany, go away on family vacations or have a local day trip. Holidays may also coincide with regional days of celebration or German carnival periods.

German school holiday dates 2021–2022

• Autumn break: 1–2 weeks between 4 October and 5 November 2021 (Baden-Wurttemburg and Bavaria have a three-day break between 2–5 November)
• Christmas break: 2–3 weeks between 22 December 2021 and 7 January 2022

• Winter break: 1–2 weeks between 28 January and 4 March 2022 (no break in Baden-Wurttemburg, Hessen, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Schleswig-Holstein; break of 1–2 days in Bremen, Hamburg, and Lower Saxony)
• Easter break: 1–2 weeks between 4 March–22 April 2022 (Hamburg has a separate spring holiday across 7–18 March 2022; Berlin has an extra two-day break for Women’s Day 7–8 March 2022)
• Pentecost break: 1–2 weeks between 27 May – 18 June 2022
• Summer break: roughly six weeks between 27 June and 12 September 2022

German school holiday dates 2022–2023

• Autumn break: 1–2 weeks between 4 October – 5 November 2022 (Baden-Wurttemburg and Bavaria have a three-day break between 2–4 November)
• Christmas break: 1–2 weeks between 21 December 2022 – 8 January 2023
• Winter break: 1–2 weeks between 30 January – 25 February 2023 (no break in Baden-Wurttemburg, Hessen, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Schleswig-Holstein; break of 1–2 days in Bremen, Hamburg, and Lower Saxony)
• Easter break: 1–2 weeks between 27 March – 22 April 2023 (Hamburg has a separate spring holiday across 6–17 March 2023; Berlin has an extra two-day break for Women’s Day 7–8 March 2023)
• Pentecost break: 1–2 week break between 15 May – 9 June 2023
• Summer break: roughly six weeks between 6 July – 11 September 2023

All dates are subject to change.

You can find full details of holiday dates for both 2022 and 2023 by checking with your child’s school.

Additional holidays and days off

The above dates are those that generally apply to German schools each year, but there are additional days throughout the year when there may be no school. These could be regional holidays that only apply to particular states in line with regional public holidays in Germany, religious days where children of certain faiths are granted time off, or days that apply within individual schools such as staff training days or pupil book days. For full details, check with your local school or have a look on the school website. Many schools such as the International School of the Rhine have calendars on their websites, which list all dates when there is no school.

Childcare during school holidays in Germany

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: 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.
• Summer camps: 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.
• Paying for an individual carer: You could employ a childminder, nanny, babysitter, or au pair. Babysitters. You can find a babysitter in your area on Babysitter.de.

Prices and availability for nurseries and summer camps may vary so it’s advisable to book at the earliest opportunity.