Amsterdam school holidays 2026: term dates calendar

If you are choosing a school in the Dutch capital, term dates are set in two layers: the national framework published by the Dutch government, and each school's own calendar within it. Our Amsterdam city guide covers the wider picture, but the dates below are what most families plan their year around. The Netherlands splits its holiday weeks across three regions to stagger road and holiday traffic, and Amsterdam sits in the North region.

Amsterdam public holidays 2026

Public schools and most workplaces in Amsterdam close on the national public holidays below. The Netherlands has a relatively short list, and a few dates move each year because they are tied to Easter.

Liberation Day is only a guaranteed national day off in years divisible by five, so in 2026 it is observed without a blanket closure. King's Day on 27 April is the single biggest public celebration in Amsterdam and the whole city effectively shuts down.

Term dates 2025-26 and 2026-27

Dutch schools do not use British-style three-term language. The year runs from late August or early September to early or mid July, structured around statutory holiday weeks. The table shows the North-region dates that apply to Amsterdam across the 2025-26 and 2026-27 years. The May holiday and Christmas holiday are identical nationwide; the spring, summer and autumn weeks are region-specific.

These are the official advisory dates set within the national framework. Individual schools can shift a day or two and add their own study days (studiedagen), so confirm against your school's published calendar before booking travel. The spring half-term is a one-week break, not a fortnight.

International school term dates

Amsterdam has a large international school sector, and these schools do not all follow the Dutch regional weeks. Northern-hemisphere international schools (British, IB and American programmes) run an August or September to June or July year. British international schools keep a three-term shape with an October half-term and a roughly two-week Christmas and Easter break, while the Dutch International School strands attached to state schools (DENISE and the international departments) tend to track the national calendar more closely. The shared points across almost every Amsterdam school are the Christmas fortnight and the summer break; the biggest divergence is the February week, which British-calendar schools place as a single half-term and Dutch schools take as the regional spring week. If curriculum choice is still open, our curriculum comparison guide explains how each system shapes the school year.

Planning the year

Three practical notes for Amsterdam families. First, the May holiday from 25 April brackets both King's Day and the Ascension long weekend, which makes it the best-value fortnight for a European trip before the summer peak; book by February. Second, the summer break is shorter than in many countries at about six weeks, so flights in the first week of July are cheaper than the August crush that hits the southern Dutch regions later. Third, international school fees in the Netherlands are usually billed per term or per semester, so line up your Amsterdam international school fees against the calendar to avoid a payment landing mid-holiday. For the national framework behind these dates, see our Netherlands country guide, and start a shortlist from the Amsterdam city hub.

Common questions

When do schools break up for summer in Amsterdam? Amsterdam sits in the Dutch North region, where the 2026 summer holiday runs from Saturday 4 July to Sunday 16 August. The North region breaks up earliest of the three Dutch regions.

How long is the summer holiday in Amsterdam? About six weeks for Dutch state schools, shorter than in the UK or US. International schools on a northern-hemisphere calendar usually take a longer break of seven to eight weeks from late June.

When does the 2026 to 2027 school year start in Amsterdam? Dutch schools in the North region restart in the week beginning 17 August 2026 after the summer holiday. International schools generally restart in late August or the first week of September.

Does Amsterdam have a February half-term? Yes. The North-region spring half-term (voorjaarsvakantie) runs from 21 February to 1 March 2026. It is a single week. British-calendar international schools take their own February half-term, which may fall on slightly different dates.

Are Dutch school holidays the same across the whole country? No. Christmas and the May holiday are nationwide, but the spring, summer and autumn breaks are staggered across three regions. Amsterdam follows the North region.

Related guides

• Amsterdam city guide
• International school fees in Amsterdam
• Netherlands schools country guide
• Compare curricula