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 2026/27 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 2026/27 skiing
UK School holidays 2026/27
Christmas and New Year Holidays
Christmas - Saturday 19th December - Saturday 26th December 2026
New Year - Saturday 27th December 2026 - Saturday 2nd January 2027
February Half-Term Holidays (one week)
Saturday 13th February - Saturday 20th February 2027
Easter Holidays (two weeks)
Saturday 27th March - Saturday 3rd April 2027
Saturday 3rd April - Saturday 10th April 2027
OR
Saturday 20th March - Saturday 27th March 2027
Saturday 27th March - Saturday 3rd April 2027
UK Private School holidays 2026/27
In addition to the dates above, some private schools may also be on holiday for the following weeks:
Saturday 12th December - Saturday 19th December 2026
Saturday 2nd January - Saturday 9th January 2027
Saturday 10th April - Saturday 17th April 2027
French School holidays 2026/27
Christmas Holidays
All 3 zones: Saturday 19th December 2026 - Sunday 3rd January 2027
February Half-Term Holidays
Zone C: Saturday 6th February – Sunday 14th February 2027
Zones A & C: Saturday 13th February – Sunday 21st February 2027
Zones A & B: Saturday 20th February – Sunday 28th February 2027
Zone B: Saturday 27th February – Sunday 7th March 2027
Easter Holidays
Zone C: Saturday 3rd April – Sunday 11th April 2027
Zones A & C: Saturday 10th April – Sunday 18th April 2027
Zones A & B: Saturday 17th April – Sunday 25th April 2027
Zone B: Saturday 24th April – Sunday 2nd May 2027
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 2026/27 ski season
Christmas Skiing
The main Christmas week skiing starts Saturday 19th December 2026 and ends Saturday 26th December 2026. This coincides with most of Europe so will be busy.
New Year Skiing
The main New Year week skiing starts Saturday 26th December 2026 and ends Saturday 2nd January 2027. This coincides with most of Europe and we have seen high demand for New Year ski holidays in recent years so we recommend booking early.
February Half-Term Skiing
February Half-Term skiing commences Saturday 13th February 2027 and ends Saturday 20th February 2027. This clashes with two French zones as well as many other European countries so these dates will get booked up very quickly!
Easter Skiing
Easter skiing will mainly fall between Saturday 27th March 2027 and Saturday 10th April 2027 – although some private schools may be on holiday a week earlier from Saturday 20th March 2027. The second week of the UK Easter holidays coincides with the school holidays for Zone C in France as well as some other countries in Europe.
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?
Mid-March is often the quietest time to go to the French Alps, between the half term and Easter school holidays. 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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