Vacations already planned? Avoid the travel madness of 2025 in these weeks

If you travel during the vacation season, you have to be prepared for lots of people with the same destination. That doesn't have to be the case: In the overview, you can find out when all students in Switzerland are in class.

Overcrowded airports, congested roads - during the vacation season, traveling to your desired destination can quickly become a test of patience. It is well known that there are a lot of people on the road, especially during school vacations or public holidays.

However, if you don't have school-age children, you can show off your flexibility. On some weeks of the year, not a single canton has school vacations. Read the overview to find out how you can optimize your vacation planning.

Was the Christmas period particularly stressful? Then the start of the year offers the perfect opportunity for a stress-free vacation. From January 7, all pupils in the country will be back in the classroom. The next school vacations don't start until January 24. During this time, the number of ski schools on the slopes is likely to be limited.

The sports vacations start on January 25 in the cantons of Schaffhausen, Thurgau and Glarus. Pupils in some Aargau municipalities will also have time off from then on. However, things don't really get busy until mid-February, when classrooms in most large cantons remain empty.

If you want to save the first trip of the year for a little longer, you should mark the second half of March in your diary. The sports vacations end on March 17 in all cantons. The opportunity for a stress-free break is particularly good until April 4. The following day, the spring vacations start in the first cantons - and with them the rush to popular vacation destinations.

It is well known that the density of public holidays is particularly high in spring. And the spring vacation lasts for several weeks across all cantons. Things don't get quieter until May 17: except in the touristy mountain regions, all schoolchildren return to school from then on. However, the optimal time window is only short: Ascension Day is on May 29 this year - traditionally a very popular weekend for travelers.

After Ascension Day is before Whitsun. It is therefore a good idea to wait until June 10 to make your vacation plans. From then until June 18, there is a nationwide calm before the big summer vacation storm. If you miss this window of opportunity, you will have to be prepared for a lot of traffic in the coming months. The summer vacations start in the first cantons and the masses will be on the road from June 28 at the latest.

In the summer months, it is almost impossible to avoid the crowds of tourists. September, on the other hand, will provide relief: from September 1 to 19, classes will resume in all cantons. During this period, the situation at the airports should also calm down and travel should be reasonably relaxed.

However, on September 15, the Knabenschiessen takes place in Zurich. Many residents of the most populous canton use the long weekend for a short vacation. And the peace and quiet will definitely be over from September 20, when the autumn vacations start in Bern.

If you are frugal with your vacation days and still have enough of them left in late autumn, you should consider a trip at the end of October. Apart from the fact that there are no school vacations anywhere between October 27 and 31, the peak season is over in most vacation destinations. A break during this period is therefore not only good for your peace of mind, but also for your wallet.

After that, pupils in Uri and parts of the canton of Graubünden are off school, but not for long: from November 10 to December 19, all those willing and obliged to learn are in class throughout Switzerland. So if you want to relax before the Advent stress starts to set in again, this is your chance.

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