School Breaks

The summer holidays and half-terms families build a charter around. Dates are national approximations — French holidays split across zones A, B and C, and German ones stagger across sixteen Lander, so treat them as a guide rather than a timetable.

Whose holidays?

24 Oct - 2 Nov 2026 Autumn Half-Term The October break – half-term in Britain, Toussaint in France, Herbstferien in Germany. The eastern Mediterranean is still warm and nearly empty, and the Indian Ocean and Andaman season is opening. 7 days typical Dates vary by region
20 Dec - 13 Feb 2026 Férias de verão The long Brazilian break over the southern summer, late December into February. The Caribbean is at its steadiest and the Grenadines are a short flight away. 10 days typical Dates vary by region
14-23 February 2027 February Half-Term The one week in the school year that lands in the middle of the Caribbean and Indian Ocean high season. Dates stagger by region, so treat the window as a guide. 7 days typical Dates vary by region
15-29 March 2027 Spring Break American school and college breaks spread across March, at the tail of the Caribbean high season when the trade winds are steadiest. 7 days typical Dates vary by region
21 Mar - 6 Apr 2027 Easter School Holidays The two-week school break either side of Easter - Osterferien in Germany, vacances de printemps in France. Wider than the Easter weekend itself, and the first window of the year the Mediterranean is properly open. 7 days typical Dates vary by region
25 Mar - 6 Apr 2027 Haru-yasumi The short break between Japanese school years at the end of March. Okinawa is warming, and Southeast Asia is in its driest, steadiest month. 7 days typical Dates vary by region
29 May - 7 Jun 2027 May Half-Term The last week of May, when the Mediterranean is reliably warm but the summer crowds have not arrived. The best value week of the British school year. 7 days typical Dates vary by region
10 Jun - 24 Aug 2027 American Summer Break The long American break, early June to late August. New England and the Pacific Northwest come into their short season while the Mediterranean runs at full stretch. 10 days typical Dates vary by region
10 Jun - 13 Sep 2027 Vacanze estive The longest school summer in Europe, early June to mid September. Sardinia, the Amalfi Coast and the Aeolian Islands are on the doorstep, and Croatia is a short hop across the Adriatic. 10 days typical Dates vary by region
22 Jun - 31 Aug 2027 Vacaciones de verano Spanish schools break from late June to early September. The Balearics are on the doorstep, and the rest of the western Mediterranean is a short hop. 10 days typical Dates vary by region
5-30 July 2027 Férias de julho The Brazilian mid-year break, which lands exactly as the Mediterranean season peaks. A long flight, but the only school window that lines up with the European summer. 7 days typical Dates vary by region
8 Jul - 27 Aug 2027 Vacances d'été The French summer holidays, running from early July to the end of August. 10 days typical Dates vary by region
20 Jul - 3 Sep 2027 Sommerferien The German summer holidays, six weeks somewhere between late June and mid September. 10 days typical Dates vary by region
20 Jul - 15 Aug 2027 Natsu-yasumi The Japanese school summer, roughly three weeks from late July. The Seto Inland Sea and Okinawa are at their warmest, and it is the one break long enough to reach the Mediterranean. 7 days typical Dates vary by region
22 Jul - 2 Sep 2027 British Summer Holidays The six weeks British schools break for, from late July into early September. The whole Mediterranean is open, and it is the hardest window of the year to book late. 10 days typical Dates vary by region

Windows are the travel dates people actually charter, not the public holiday itself. Season data is our own, authored per country.