Back to school and holidays 2026-2027 in French-speaking Switzerland: the dates canton by canton

Start of the 2026 school year: Monday 17 August in Vaud, Geneva, Neuchâtel, the Jura and French-speaking Bern · Thursday 20 August in Valais · Thursday 27 August in Fribourg.

In French-speaking Switzerland, each canton sets its own school calendar: dates can vary by several weeks from one canton to another. Here is the full table for 2026-2027, followed by the details canton by canton.

All the 2026-2027 dates in one table

Sources: cantonal calendars and the intercantonal CIIP document. Note that each canton uses its own convention: Vaud publishes its dates including weekends, while Geneva counts only school days. In the Bernese Jura, the February holidays are set freely by each commune. Always check your school’s official calendar before booking.

When does the 2026 school year start in French-speaking Switzerland?

Only three dates:

• Monday 17 August 2026: Vaud, Geneva, Neuchâtel, the Jura and French-speaking Bern.
• Thursday 20 August 2026: French-speaking Valais.
• Thursday 27 August 2026: French-speaking Fribourg.

So ten days separate the first start from the last. Good news if you are looking for one last quiet outing at the end of August: the beaches of Lake Geneva and the outdoor pools empty out gradually, canton by canton.

The 2026 autumn holidays: three weeks apart

This is where the cantons diverge most. Neuchâtel, the Jura and French-speaking Bern break up on 5 October; Vaud on the 10th, Fribourg on the 12th, Valais on the 15th, and Geneva only on 19 October, for a single week. If you have children at school in two different cantons, or family across a cantonal border, this table is worth a look before booking.

In October the forests turn colour: it is the season for themed nature trails, farms open to children and the last visits to castles. When the rain sets in, head for interactive museums, indoor play parks and our ideas for rainy days.

The two days off in September

Before the autumn holidays, two public holidays create long weekends — but not in the same cantons:

• Thursday 10 September 2026 — Jeûne genevois: a public holiday in the canton of Geneva only (the Thursday following the first Sunday in September). Schools are closed, and many families take the Friday off too.
• Monday 21 September 2026 — Monday of the Jeûne fédéral: the Jeûne fédéral falls on the third Sunday in September everywhere in Switzerland except Geneva, but the Monday that follows is a holiday only in Vaud, Neuchâtel and the Bernese Jura. Elsewhere (Valais, Fribourg, the canton of Jura, Geneva), school runs as normal.

Two fine opportunities for a day out before the weather turns — provided you check what applies where you live.

The details canton by canton

Each canton has its own page, with the full calendar, the local particularities and our outing ideas for every period:

• School holidays in Vaud 2026-2027 — where the February holidays are called the relâches
• School holidays in Geneva 2026-2027 — only one week in autumn, but the Jeûne genevois in September
• School holidays in Valais 2026-2027 — Carnival in February, and the earliest end to the year
• School holidays in Fribourg 2026-2027 — the latest start in French-speaking Switzerland
• School holidays in Neuchâtel 2026-2027 — no February holidays, but the 1 March break instead
• School holidays in the Jura 2026-2027 — autumn holidays from the very start of the month

And during the holidays?

Find all our outing ideas sorted by age, season and region on Kidora. Our guides by age group are a good starting point: 0–3 years, 3–5 years, 6–9 years, 10–12 years and 12–16 years. And so you are never short of ideas, join the 1000+ families subscribed to our weekly newsletter.