Here we go again: On September 16, Bavaria will be the last federal state to start the 2025/2026 school year. But don’t worry, the next public holiday won’t be long in coming and even beyond that, autumn is bursting with events that will sweeten your life a little. We give you an overview of the vacation and national holiday dates for the coming school year and provide you with ideas to make the start of school as fun as possible!
School vacations and public holidays in Bavaria 2025/2026
First things first: When are the vacations again? These are the dates for the current school year:
- Fall break: November 03 to November 07
- Christmas vacation: December 22 to January 06
- Winter vacation: February 16 to February 20
- Easter vacation: March 30 to April 10
- Whitsun vacation: May 25 to June 05
- Summer vacation: August 03 to September 14
The school vacations are often planned around public holidays, but you can also look forward to two additional days off:
- German Unity Day: Fri, October 03
- All Saints’ Day: Sat, November 01
- Christmas holidays: Thu, December 25 & Fri, December 26 (during the Christmas vacations)
- New Year’s Day: Thu, Jan 01 (during the Christmas vacations)
- Epiphany: Tue, January 06 (end of the Christmas vacations)
- Good Friday: April 03 (during the Easter vacations)
- Easter Monday: April 06 (during the Easter vacations)
- Ascension Day: Thursday, May 14
- Whit Monday: May 25 (during the Whitsun vacations)
- Corpus Christi: June 04 (during the Whitsun vacations)
- Assumption Day: Sat, August 15
Below we give you a few tips on what you can do with your free time to make the start of school a little easier.
Visit public festivals
Oktoberfest starts on the first weekend after school starts. You can look forward to three weeks full of fun rides and sweet treats. Both Tuesdays are family days, so you can save some money. But there are also great folk festivals away from the Wiesn that are worth a detour. The Auer Dult takes place again from October 18 and you can visit the Herbstvolksfest in Ingolstadt from September 26 to October 5.
The long night of museums
As every year in October, the Long Night of Museums is taking place again this year. Over 100 museums will open their doors for you on October 18, so there really is something for everyone. Whether it’s art, science or history, you’ll find something to suit your interests. You will also be offered various guided tours and other program items.
The legend of the Titanic
You can still go on board the Titanic in the fall. On this immersive journey, you will learn all about the history and sinking of the impressive ocean liner. 360° projections and VR goggles allow you to immerse yourself even more deeply in the events and give you the feeling of being on the ship yourself. You can find more information and tickets here.
Go on a fall hike
Autumn is the perfect time to go on a beautiful hike. The temperatures are not too hot, but still mild and the days are still long enough to plan an extended hike. The area around Munich is known to be perfect for hiking, regardless of the level of difficulty. Climb one of the surrounding mountains, walk around one of the many lakes or go hiking with alpacas.
Celebrate Halloween
Autumn also means Halloween! Look forward to carving pumpkin lanterns, planning spooky costumes and trying out scary make-up looks. The PA/SPIELkultur association is once again inviting the whole family to a Halloween party this year. Check into the Vampire Hotel and be surprised by a spooky good program.
If you’re already too big for the event, you can go on a spooky tour of the Bavaria Film Studios instead. You can get spooked in two mazes with live actors. If you’re more into food than scares, visit the Street Food Panda Halloween Festival in the Werksviertel. Or simply plan your own Halloween party with snacks, costumes and the right music!
We hope our back-to-school ideas will give you some inspiration and make the start of school a little easier!
