Are you planning a family ski holiday? If you’ve got children of school age, then you’ll probably know how popular school holidays are for skiing. February half term in particular is very popular with skiing families and this week tends to coincide with the French school holidays.
Whilst this makes for a busy couple of weeks in the French Alps, the benefits of a February half term ski holiday include dedicated family-friendly events and activities.
The weeks of Christmas and Easter school holidays often have some special peak date deals, which we update regularly in the run up to the season.
All school holiday dates tend to be popular, so it’s best to get booked in quickly before accommodation sells out!
In this blog, we share the UK school holiday dates to cover skiing in the winter 2025/26 season as well as French school holiday dates and UK private school holiday dates where they differ from state schools.
Please note: French school holidays use a very different system to the UK, with different zones of France having their holidays at slightly different dates. The dates listed below are correct at the time of writing.
PLEASE NOTE: School holidays do vary depending on education authority or from school to school for independent schools, so it’s always best to check with your children’s school before booking anything!
School holiday dates for winter 2025/26 skiing
UK School holidays 2025/26
Christmas and New Year Holidays
Christmas - Saturday 20th December - Saturday 27th December 2025
New Year - Saturday 27th December - Saturday 3rd January 2026
February Half-Term Holidays (One Week)
Saturday 14th February - Saturday 21st February 2026
Easter Holidays (Two Weeks)
Saturday 28th March - Saturday 11th April 2026
OR
Saturday 4th April - Saturday 18th April 2026
UK Private School holidays 2025/26
In addition to the dates above, some private schools may also be on holiday for the following weeks:
Saturday 13th - Saturday 20th December 2025
Saturday 7th - Saturday 14th February 2026
Saturday 21st - Saturday 28th March 2026
French School holidays 2025/26
Christmas Holidays
All 3 zones: Saturday 20th December 2025 - Sunday 4th January 2026
February Half-Term Holidays
Zone A: Saturday 7th February – Sunday 22nd February 2026
Zone B: Saturday 14th February – Sunday 1st March 2026
Zone C: Saturday 21st February – Sunday 8th March 2026
Easter Holidays
Zone A: Saturday 4th April – Sunday 19th April 2026
Zone B: Saturday 11th April – Sunday 2th April 2026
Zone C: Saturday 18th April – Sunday 3rd May 2026
French Zones include the following cities:
A: Caen, Clermont-Ferrand, Grenoble, Lyon, Montpellier, Nancy-Metz, Nantes, Rennes, Toulouse
B: Aix-Marseille, Amiens, Besançon, Dijon, Lille, Limoges, Nice, Orléans-Tours, Poitiers, Reims, Rouen, Strasbourg
C: Bordeaux, Créteil, Paris, Versailles
Peak Dates for the 2025/26 ski season
Christmas Skiing
The main Christmas week skiing starts Saturday 20th December 2025 and ends Saturday 27th December 2025
New Year Skiing
The main New Year week skiing starts Saturday 27th December 2025 and ends Saturday 3th January 2026
February Half-Term Skiing
February Half-Term skiing commences Saturday 14th February 2026 and ends Saturday 21st February 2026 - as this is when some French school holiday weeks are too, these dates will get booked up very quickly!
Easter Skiing
Easter skiing will mainly fall between Saturday 28th March 2026 and Saturday 11th April 2026 – although some schools may be on holiday until Saturday 18th April 2026.
These dates are increasingly popular times to ski and with other European countries also on holiday these weeks will book up very quickly. To avoid disappointment, get in touch with us today to check availability and get your ski holiday booked!
FAQs
1. How long is Christmas break in France?
Christmas holidays in France last for around 2 weeks, and encompasses Christmas and New Year.
2. What age can kids learn to ski from in France?
Whilst it's the individuals parents' call on whether a child is ready, the ESF (Ecole de Ski Francais), French ski school, will teach children from age 2. There are many different levels of teaching for children, with Piou Piou aimed at the younger age band.
3. What are the busiest weeks to ski in France?
Busiest weeks usually coincide with the peak school holiday dates, meaning February half term and the Easter holidays. Christmas and New Year can also be a busy week for ski holidays.
4. Best time to ski in France without children?
January is normally the quietest time to go to the French Alps, directly after Christmas/New Year and before the rush of February half term. Late April has also been a good choice in the past previous seasons, due to late season snow, ideally after the Easter holidays finish.
~ Lucy Aspden-Kean, Commissioning Editor for the Telegraph Ski writing on Telegraph.co.uk
If you're ready to explore your options for a wonderful winter break, our expert and award-winning team can help with planning the perfect holiday for you. Call us on 023 9283 9310, email on reservations@peakretreats.co.uk, or you can request a quote and we'll be in touch.
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