Key dates: When are the school holidays across Germany this summer?
For millions of students, the school year is comes to an end in June. However, the summer holiday (
Sommerferien
) dates vary from state to state, with the last state (Bavaria) not set to begin its break until the beginning of August.
School breaks tend to coincide with the broader summer vacation season in Germany as millions of parents across the country plan their travel or longer breaks from work around their kids time off from school.
Even for visitors and those without children, it's helpful to know when school vacations are happening because it gives a sense of when certain regions will see the biggest crowds.
That summer holiday periods differ from state to state is no accident. The staggered schedule is intended to avoid overburdening travel infrastructure. But with whole states out for break at once, you can expect local roads as well as regional trains and buses to be quite a bit more congested during school breaks.
LISTED:
The major rail disruption to prepare for in Germany this summer
Here are the summer vacation periods for Germany's 16 federal states this year:
Baden-Württemberg
From Thursday, July 31st until Friday, September 12th.
Bavaria
The Free state of Bavaria is the last state to break for summer.
Starting from Friday, August 1st until Monday September 15th.
Berlin & Brandenburg
Thursday, July 24th until Friday, September 5th.
Bremen
Thursday July, 3rd until Wednesday, August 13th.
Hamburg
Thursday July 24th until Wednesday September 3rd.
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Hesse
Monday July, 7th until Friday, August 15th.
Lower Saxony
Thursday July, 3rd until Wednesday, August 13th.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Monday July, 28th until Friday, September 5th.
North Rhine-Westphalia
Monday, July 14th until Tuesday, August 26th.
Rhineland-Palatinate
Monday July, 7th until Friday, August 15th.
Saarland
Monday July, 7th until Thursday, August 14th.
Saxony &
Saxony-Anhalt
Monday, June 30th until Friday, August 8th.
Schleswig-Holstein
Monday July, 28th until Friday, September 5th.
Thuringia
Monday, June 30th until Friday, August 8th.
Germany's school vacation periods
School children in Germany receive 75 days of holiday per year which are divided into six school holiday periods: autumn, Christmas, winter, Easter, Whitsun and summer holidays.
Of these the summer holiday period is the longest by far: It's six or seven weeks compared to a few days up to two weeks for the other breaks.
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Local Germany
19-06-2025
- Local Germany
Key dates: When are the school holidays across Germany this summer?
For millions of students, the school year is comes to an end in June. However, the summer holiday ( Sommerferien ) dates vary from state to state, with the last state (Bavaria) not set to begin its break until the beginning of August. School breaks tend to coincide with the broader summer vacation season in Germany as millions of parents across the country plan their travel or longer breaks from work around their kids time off from school. Even for visitors and those without children, it's helpful to know when school vacations are happening because it gives a sense of when certain regions will see the biggest crowds. That summer holiday periods differ from state to state is no accident. The staggered schedule is intended to avoid overburdening travel infrastructure. But with whole states out for break at once, you can expect local roads as well as regional trains and buses to be quite a bit more congested during school breaks. LISTED: The major rail disruption to prepare for in Germany this summer Here are the summer vacation periods for Germany's 16 federal states this year: Baden-Württemberg From Thursday, July 31st until Friday, September 12th. Bavaria The Free state of Bavaria is the last state to break for summer. Starting from Friday, August 1st until Monday September 15th. Berlin & Brandenburg Thursday, July 24th until Friday, September 5th. Bremen Thursday July, 3rd until Wednesday, August 13th. Hamburg Thursday July 24th until Wednesday September 3rd. Advertisement Hesse Monday July, 7th until Friday, August 15th. Lower Saxony Thursday July, 3rd until Wednesday, August 13th. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Monday July, 28th until Friday, September 5th. North Rhine-Westphalia Monday, July 14th until Tuesday, August 26th. Rhineland-Palatinate Monday July, 7th until Friday, August 15th. Saarland Monday July, 7th until Thursday, August 14th. Saxony & Saxony-Anhalt Monday, June 30th until Friday, August 8th. Schleswig-Holstein Monday July, 28th until Friday, September 5th. Thuringia Monday, June 30th until Friday, August 8th. Germany's school vacation periods School children in Germany receive 75 days of holiday per year which are divided into six school holiday periods: autumn, Christmas, winter, Easter, Whitsun and summer holidays. Of these the summer holiday period is the longest by far: It's six or seven weeks compared to a few days up to two weeks for the other breaks.
Local Germany
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What's open and closed for Pentecost in Germany?
Pentecost, or Whitsun, is a Christian holiday that takes place 49 days after Easter Sunday. In Germany, it's followed by a national public holiday called Pfingstmontag , or Whit Monday in English, which takes place on June 9th this year. As with all public holidays, or Feiertage, you should expect the majority of shops and businesses to be closed – and the majority of bars, restaurants and cafés to be open. Since the holiday follows a Sunday, it'll make for two days in a row when most supermarkets and grocery stores in Germany are closed, so remember to plan ahead and stock up on Friday or Saturday! Here's a closer look at what's open and closed on June 9th. Grocery stores Almost all supermarkets, as well as most independent shops will be closed on Monday 9 th June. However, some supermarkets (typically found in central train stations and airports) are legally allowed to remain open on Sundays and holidays. For example, in Hamburg, Edeka will be open at the Hauptbahnhof as well as at the Altona train station. In Munich you can find supermarkets open at both Hauptbahnhof and Ostbahnhof, and in Cologne there is a REWE To Go that should be open all day in the central station. In Berlin there are supermarkets that stay open on holidays is many of the main train stations. See this report in Kaufda magazine for a list of the supermarkets open in these cities. READ ALSO: What your choice of German supermarket says about you Some small kiosks or Spätis – especially in big cities – will remain open, offering a good option for last minute snacks and drinks. Bakeries are also allowed to open for a few hours on public holidays – usually in the morning. But the decision to open and for how long varies from bakery to bakery, so make sure to check ahead if you're looking forward to fresh bread on Monday morning. Advertisement Bars, restaurants and cafés If you're out and about in one of Germany's bigger cities during the holiday, you shouldn't have much trouble finding something to eat or a place to have a drink, but you'll want to check in advance if you have plans to meet friends at a particular place. White peonies glow in the sunshine against the Frankfurt skyline. The photo was taken in the Taunus town of Bad Soden. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Hannes P. Albert Offices, banks and schools Almost all offices will be closed on June 9th, as will banks, post offices and public administration offices. Schools will also be closed and some states – including Baden-Württemberg, Bayern, Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern – are giving their pupils (and teachers) the day off on Tuesday June 10 th as well. Public transport & emergency services Public transport runs as usual on holidays, including Pfingstmontag , but be aware that the majority of services will be running on a reduced, holiday timetable. Most doctors' and dentists' practices will be closed for the day, so if you have a non-urgent medical procedure scheduled for June 9th, you might want to check to see if the appointment was made in error. Emergency services will of course function normally, with hospitals remaining open. Most pharmacies will be closed, so it's best to ensure you have enough medication ahead of the holiday. German regulations require that a certain number of pharmacies remain open for emergency purposes, however. You can find a list of emergency service pharmacies here . Tourist attractions and leisure activities Many museums and other major tourist attractions close for public holidays, but some maintain holiday hours. So check ahead for the holidays hours before heading to a particular attraction on Monday. Advertisement Alternatively, if you're visiting Germany over Pfingsten , the holiday offers numerous opportunities to experience both traditional and contemporary German cultural traditions. If you're in the countryside, you may get the chance to see maypole dancing and cows decorated with flowers. In Rothenburg, the Meistertrunk Show features a historical market, medieval costumes, and Biergarten parties. Visitors to Berlin will also have the chance to attend one of Europe's largest street festivals. The Karneval der Kulturen (Carnival of Cultures) is a free, four-day festival and parade which features more than 4,000 performers showcasing the city's cultural richness. Dancers are seen at the parade for the Carnival of Cultures in Berlin. The international street parade with music and dance groups attracts thousands of visitors. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Monika Skolimowska Take note that the route has changed this year, temporarily moving from Kreuzberg to Friedrichshain. READ ALSO: Seven unmissable events happening around Germany in June 2025 And have fun over the long weekend!
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'The country I know no longer exists': Are German tourists shunning the US?
The German Travel Association (DRV) recently revealed that the number of Germans going to the United States dropped by 28 percent in March, but then bounced back by 14 percent in April. Torsten Schaefer, a spokesperson for the association, said that the figures might have been affected by Easter falling later this year than in 2024. 'We've had practically no requests in recent months to change or cancel reservations,' observed Schaefer, although he added that there has been 'a rise in queries about entry requirements into the United States'. At the end of March, Germany was one of several European countries which urged their citizens to review their travel documents for the United States, following several widely publicised cases of Europeans being held on arrival and then deported. Anecdotally, there are signs of Germans choosing not to visit Trump's America. 'The country I knew no longer exists,' said Raphael Gruber, a 60-year-old German doctor who has been taking his family to Cape Cod in Massachusetts every summer since 2018. 'Before, when you told the immigration officer you were there for whale-watching, that was a good reason to come. But now, they are afraid of everything that comes from outside,' he told AFP. Advertisement Referring to invasive electronic checks at the US borders, he added: 'I don't want to buy a 'burner' phone just to keep my privacy'. Muriel Wagner – currently planning a trip to visit a friend at Harvard – takes a different view. 'I've been asked if the political situation and trade war with the US has affected our trip,' said the 34-year-old PhD student said in Frankfurt. 'You can't let yourself be intimidated", she said, adding that she was keen to discuss the tensions with Americans on their home turf. Similar conversations are taking place in other countries around Europe. Advertisement In Britain, Matt Reay, a 35-year-old history teacher from Northamptonshire, said he had scratched the United States off his list, preferring to go to South America, where his "money would probably be better spent". Reay said he felt "insulted" by both Trump's tariffs on British exports to the United States and comments by Trump's vice president, JD Vance, about Britain as "a random country". Trump's public belittling of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a White House visit in February was also "outrageous", he said. According to the US tourism office, however, the number of British visitors to the United States in April rose 15 percent year-on-year, after a 14 percent drop in March. A body representing much of the French travel sector, Entreprises du Voyage, said the number of French visitors to America dropped eight percent in March, and a further 12 percent in April. It estimated that summer departures to the United States would drop by 11 percent. Didier Arino, head of the French travel consultancy Protourisme, estimated that the "Trump effect" would cut the number of French tourists going to the United States this year by a quarter. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, covering major tourism operators, the US tourism sector – already reeling from Canadians and Mexicans staying away – could lose $12.5 billion in spending by foreign visitors this year.
