Public Holidays in Netherlands
Statutory public holidays in Netherlands, with the dates that give people the day off, how the calendar is set, and what it means for travel, cities and culture.
Netherlands at a glance
The Netherlands has a compact set of public holidays, with King’s Day on 27 April the most distinctive, and Liberation Day on 5 May a full holiday in some years.
Several dates move with Easter, and many employers add Good Friday and Ascension to collective agreements.
Netherlands public holidays 2026
Netherlands has 10 public holidays in 2026 – the statutory days off. The table below lists those public holidays; observances and other non-statutory dates are not part of the total.
| Holiday | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Jan 1Thu | National |
| Good Friday | Apr 3Fri | National |
| Easter Sunday | Apr 5Sun | National |
| Easter Monday | Apr 6Mon | National |
| King's Day | Apr 27Mon | National |
| Ascension Day | May 14Thu | National |
| Pentecost | May 24Sun | National |
| Pentecost Monday | May 25Mon | National |
| Christmas Day | Dec 25Fri | National |
| Second Day of Christmas | Dec 26Sat | National |
Showing 10 of 10 public holidays for 2026.
Major cities in Netherlands
The urban centres that anchor most trips to Netherlands.
Amsterdam
A canal-ring capital of gabled houses, museums and cycling streets.
Rotterdam
A city rebuilt after 1940 with bold modern architecture and Europe's busiest port.
The Hague
The seat of government and international courts, with a seaside district.
Utrecht
A compact city of a medieval wharf system and a towering cathedral spire.
Maastricht
A hill-country city with Roman walls, caves and a Burgundian feel.
Delft
A canal town of blue-and-white pottery, a market square and Vermeer.
Top attractions in Netherlands
The places that draw most visitors to Netherlands.
Amsterdam Canal Ring
Seventeenth-century concentric canals lined with merchant houses.
Keukenhof
A spring park of millions of tulips, hyacinths and daffodils.
Kinderdijk
Nineteen working windmills draining a polder landscape of ditches.
Wadden Sea
A tidal mudflat sea of sandbanks and seal haul-outs in the north.
Van Gogh Museum
The largest collection of Van Gogh's paintings and letters.
Zaanse Schans
Working windmills and green wooden houses beside a river.
Festivals, food and getting around Netherlands
What the calendar looks like on the ground, and how to move through the country around it.
Festivals behind the holidays
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New Year's Day
Falls on Jan 1
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Valentine's Day
Falls on Feb 14
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March Equinox
Falls on Mar 20
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Good Friday
Falls on Apr 3
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🎉
Easter Sunday
Falls on Apr 5
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Easter Monday
Falls on Apr 6
Food & drink
Getting around
Cycling is the default for short trips; the train network is dense, punctual and cheap enough for most journeys.
Travelling around Netherlands’s holidays
What the dates mean once you are there.
Book around the peaks
Transport and hotels in Netherlands tighten around major holidays; reserve early for the busiest weeks.
Check opening hours
Museums, banks and government offices usually close on statutory holidays, and often on the nearest Monday.
Carry local currency
Small vendors and rural businesses frequently take cash only, especially on holidays when banks are shut.
Expect crowded transport
Long weekends produce the year's heaviest road, rail and air traffic. Build in extra travel time.
Confirm the official list
Netherlands's holiday dates are confirmed by government announcement; check the year page for the final arrangement.
Plan the long weekends
Pairing a holiday with adjacent weekends gives the longest breaks of the year — and the busiest.
Netherlands public holidays: common questions
How many public holidays does Netherlands have?
Netherlands has 10 public holidays in 2026, counting every date typed National, Substitute or Bank in our calendar. Observances, religious dates and regional holidays are listed separately and left out of the total, because they are not days off across the whole country.
Where can I find the full 2026 list?
The complete 2026 calendar for Netherlands is on the year page, with every recorded date in order.
Are Netherlands's public holidays paid?
Statutory national holidays are generally paid leave for employees. Observances and commemorative days are usually not.
Do holidays move if they fall on a weekend?
Where a holiday falls on a weekend, Netherlands typically observes it on the nearest weekday. Check the year page for the confirmed arrangement.
Are there regional holidays in Netherlands?
Some holidays are observed only in certain regions or by certain communities. The year page lists what applies nationally.
Which years are covered for Netherlands?
Calendars are published for 2026, 2025.
School holidays in Netherlands
The Ministry of Education (OCW) fixes the summer, Christmas and May holidays nationally and advises autumn and spring dates; schools may deviate. The country is split into three regions (Noord, Midden, Zuid) which stagger the summer holidays. The single 'school year' term row per region is derived from the summer holiday dates and is marked unconfirmed.
2026
| Region | Holiday | Starts | Ends | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noord | Autumn holiday (herfstvakantie)Advised date. | 10 Oct 2026 | 18 Oct 2026 | official page |
| Midden | Autumn holiday (herfstvakantie)Advised date. | 17 Oct 2026 | 25 Oct 2026 | official page |
| Zuid | Autumn holiday (herfstvakantie)Advised date. | 17 Oct 2026 | 25 Oct 2026 | official page |
| All regions | Christmas holiday (kerstvakantie)Fixed nationally. | 19 Dec 2026 | 3 Jan 2027 | official page |
2027
| Region | Holiday | Starts | Ends | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zuid | Spring holiday (voorjaarsvakantie)Earlier week, linked to carnival. | 13 Feb 2027 | 21 Feb 2027 | official page |
| Noord | Spring holiday (voorjaarsvakantie)Advised date. | 20 Feb 2027 | 28 Feb 2027 | official page |
| Midden | Spring holiday (voorjaarsvakantie)Advised date. | 20 Feb 2027 | 28 Feb 2027 | official page |
| All regions | May holiday (meivakantie)May be extended by one week. | 24 Apr 2027 | 2 May 2027 | official page |
| Noord | Summer holiday (zomervakantie) | 10 Jul 2027 | 22 Aug 2027 | official page |
| Midden | Summer holiday (zomervakantie) | 17 Jul 2027 | 29 Aug 2027 | official page |
| Zuid | Summer holiday (zomervakantie) | 24 Jul 2027 | 5 Sep 2027 | official page |
Official sources: Rijksoverheid - overview of school holidays 2026-2027 (checked 10 Sep 2026)
School term dates in Netherlands
Term dates below are the periods when classes are in session.
2026
| Region | Term | Starts | Ends | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noord | School year 2026-2027 in sessionUnconfirmedDerived from the summer holiday dates; Dutch schools do not publish named terms. | 17 Aug 2026 | 9 Jul 2027 | official page |
| Midden | School year 2026-2027 in sessionUnconfirmedDerived from the summer holiday dates. | 30 Aug 2026 | 16 Jul 2027 | official page |
| Zuid | School year 2026-2027 in sessionUnconfirmedDerived from the summer holiday dates. | 31 Aug 2026 | 23 Jul 2027 | official page |
Official sources: Rijksoverheid - overview of school holidays 2026-2027 (checked 10 Sep 2026)
School calendar data last updated 10 Sep 2026. Dates come from education ministries and local education authorities; always re-check with the school before booking travel.