The economy itself will ensure that prices will fall, because we will fight harder for this tourist when we do not have 100% occupancy on a plate. It will be safer, there will be shorter queues – said Karol Wagner from the Tatra Chamber of Commerce, commenting on changes in next year's winter holidays.
As Karol Wagner from the Tatra Chamber of Commerce explained, traditionally during the Masovian and Silesian holidays, there was an accumulation of holidaymakers in Podhale towns, which was reflected primarily in accommodation prices, overcrowded hotels, heavy road traffic in Zakopane, and additionally in queues for ski lifts. This is expected to change through the proposal of new groups of voivodeships.
In June 2024, the Ministry of National Education announced that in the 2025/2026 school year, winter holidays will take place on three dates – not four, as is currently the case. However, the length of the holidays will be the same. They will also be spread over a total of six weeks.
Winter break dates in 2026
Winter holidays in the 2025/2026 school year from January 19 to February 1, 2026 students from the following voivodeships: Masovia, Pomerania, Podlaskie, Świętokrzyskie and Warmia-Masuria. From February 2 to February 15 from the following voivodeships: Lower Silesia, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Łódź, West Pomerania, Lesser Poland and Opole. From February 16 to March 1 the holidays will concern the following voivodeships: Podkarpackie, Lublin, Greater Poland, Lubusz and Silesia.
In the following years, the principle of rotation of groups of voivodeships will be maintained. The group that will have their holidays on the last date in a given year will be the first to have their winter holidays the following year.
– The demand curve was very simply “flattened” during the entire six-week holiday period, which will have a brilliant impact on road safety, the logistic capacity of the railways, the capacity of the infrastructure such as ski lifts, but also the ability to guarantee a comfortable stay in hotels. In the new arrangement, we will not have overcrowded tourist facilities, Wagner said.
“The economy itself will ensure that prices fall”
– Of course, there will be voices on the other side that during the “Warsaw” holidays, hotels were filled up, regardless of the price and quality of the facilities. These are not the times anymore. Now we act proactively and counteract the so-called overtourism. This means that facilities that lack quality, do not have a good price or have neglected marketing will, unfortunately, no longer have full occupancy as before – added the TIG representative.
He explained that for an average tourist, the change in the holiday calendar means that he will get to his winter holiday destination faster and easier, rent a room cheaper and avoid crowds on the ski slopes.
– The economy itself will ensure that prices will fall, because we will fight harder for this tourist when we do not have 100% occupancy on a plate. It will be safer, there will be shorter queues – concluded Wagner.
Winter break 2025. Dates
This year, the winter holidays remained unchanged, which means that they were divided into four rounds.
The first group of children will start their holidays on Monday, January 20, and will end on February 2. They will be available to students from the following voivodeships: Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Lubuskie, Lesser Poland, Świętokrzyskie and Greater Poland. Then – from January 27 to February 9, students from the province will begin their holidays. Podlasie and Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. The next round starts on February 3 and will last until February 16. Then students from the province will have holidays. Lower Silesia, Masovia, Opole and West Pomerania. And at the very end, from February 17 to March 2, students from the province will begin their holidays. Lublin, Łódź, Podkarpackie, Pomeranian and Silesian.
Winter break 2025PAP
Main photo source: PAP/Grzegorz Momot