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School holidays · 63 days away

Christmas 2026 school holidays from Dublin

Schools in Ireland close after Tuesday 22 December 2026 and reopen on Wednesday 6 January 2027: two full weeks, with Christmas Day on a Friday and New Year’s Day on a Friday.

Cheapest beach holiday

DUB → AGA

Agadir

€225

return per person, 10 nights

Cheapest city break

DUB → LGW

London Gatwick

€38

return per person, 10 nights

Least punished by the school holiday

London Gatwick64% of normal

€38 now against €59 a fortnight earlier

Christmas 2026 dates at a glance

DateWhat happens
Last weekend before the breakThe first day our fares cover. Schools are still open Monday and Tuesday.
Last day of schoolPrimary and post-primary.
Christmas DayPublic holiday. Very few flights operate.
St Stephen’s DayPublic holiday, on a Saturday this year.
Monday after St Stephen’s DayMany workplaces close, but a weekend public holiday does not move automatically. Check with your employer.
New Year’s DayPublic holiday, a Friday.
Schools reopenWednesday. Also Nollaig na mBan, Women’s Christmas, and the last day our fares cover.

From the Department of Education's standardised school year. Checked .

Where you can fly from Dublin, warm beaches first

Adults
2
Children
2

Only 5 beaches flying from Dublin are warm enough for a beach holiday on these dates, so they come first, then city breaks.

Showing 52 destinations from Dublin, priced for 2 adults and 2 children.

Fare Watch · free

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We check Christmas 2026 fares from Dublin every morning. You get today's prices now, an email when a fare hits its lowest yet, and a short check every Monday. Not a daily deals blast.

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How the Christmas 2026 break falls

Christmas 2026 is a tidy one. School finishes on Tuesday 22 December, Christmas Day is the Friday of that week, and New Year’s Day is the Friday of the next. Schools go back on Wednesday 6 January 2027, so the break is exactly two weeks, Wednesday 23 December to Tuesday 5 January.

That gives families three realistic ways to travel: before Christmas, leaving on Wednesday 23 December and home for the 25th; between Christmas and New Year, leaving from Sunday 27 December; or a New Year trip that brings everyone home by the weekend of 2 and 3 January, with a few quiet days before school.

The fares on this page cover Friday 18 December to Wednesday 6 January, so you can see all three side by side. The “% of normal” figure compares each route with the same trip two weeks earlier, which shows how much the Christmas dates themselves are adding.

Where is warm at Christmas from Ireland?

In late December, the Canary Islands are the only place within a normal Ryanair flight of Ireland where the beach is the point. Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura all average daytime highs in the low 20s. Madeira and Cyprus are close behind. The Costa del Sol, the Algarve and Malta are mild and sunny, good for walking and eating outdoors, but not for lying by an unheated pool.

Average daytime high in December
DestinationAverage highWarm enough for the beach
Tenerife South TFS23°CBeach weather
Lanzarote ACE22°CBeach weather
Fuerteventura FUE22°CBeach weather
Gran Canaria LPA22°CBeach weather
Madeira FNC20°CMild, not beach
Paphos, Cyprus PFO19°CMild, not beach
Malaga, Costa del Sol AGP18°CMild, not beach
Faro, Algarve FAO17°CMild, not beach
Malta MLA17°CMild, not beach

Those are averages over many years, not a forecast. Evenings are cooler everywhere, and the sea is colder than the air, so pack a layer even for the Canaries.

Other kinds of Christmas trip

  • Christmas markets. Many of the big German and Austrian markets wind down around 23 December, so a market trip with school-age children has to be the weekend of 18 to 20 December with a day or two out of school, or a city whose markets run on past Christmas. Check the market’s own dates before you book flights.
  • New Year city breaks. Two or three nights in a city over 31 December is the one stretch of the break that suits adults and teenagers alike. Check hotel prices for the night of 31 December before you settle on flights.
  • Lapland. Trips to see Santa in Finnish Lapland are sold as packages and charters by Irish tour operators, not as Ryanair fares, so they will not appear in the list on this page. An agent can price one for you.
  • Visiting family abroad. If you are flying to relatives in Britain or elsewhere, the fare list covers those routes too: tick “Include UK” to show Britain.

Booking Christmas flights: what to check

  • Price the whole family, not one seat. The figures on this page are per person; multiply them out before comparing a cheap Canaries fare with a city break closer to home.
  • The cheapest Ryanair fare covers one small bag that fits under the seat. A 10kg cabin bag and checked bags cost extra with Ryanair. For a family, bags can add a lot to the total, so price them before you compare destinations.
  • Check every passport now. Children’s passports run out sooner than adults’, so renew in good time if one is close to its date.
  • Plan around 25 December. Very few flights operate on Christmas Day, so a trip either side of it usually means flying on the 23rd, 24th, 26th or 27th.

If none of today’s fares suit, Fare Watch will email you when a Christmas fare from your airport drops, and it costs nothing.

Planning the rest of the school year

Christmas 2026: questions

When do schools close for Christmas 2026 in Ireland?

Primary and post-primary schools close after Tuesday 22 December 2026. These are the dates in the Department of Education’s standardised school year for 2026/27.

When do schools go back after Christmas in January 2027?

Schools reopen on Wednesday 6 January 2027.

How long is the Christmas 2026 school break?

Two full weeks, from Wednesday 23 December 2026 to Tuesday 5 January 2027 inclusive, with school back on Wednesday 6 January.

Is Monday 28 December 2026 a bank holiday?

St Stephen’s Day falls on Saturday 26 December 2026. In Ireland a public holiday on a weekend does not automatically move to the Monday, so whether you get Monday 28 December off depends on your employer, although many workplaces close.

Where is warm at Christmas from Ireland?

The Canary Islands. Tenerife, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria average daytime highs of about 22 to 23°C in December. Madeira and Cyprus average about 19 to 20°C, and the Costa del Sol, Algarve and Malta 17 to 18°C.

Do Ryanair fares at Christmas include a bag?

The cheapest fare covers one small bag that fits under the seat. A 10kg cabin bag and checked bags cost extra with Ryanair.

When do families fly for Christmas 2026?

Most fly out from Friday, 18 December and home by Wednesday, 6 January, using the weekends either side of the break. The fares on this page cover those dates.

What are the cheapest Christmas 2026 flights from Dublin?

When we checked Ryanair at 16 Oct, 14:20, the cheapest beach holiday was Agadir at €225 return per person for 10 nights, and the cheapest city break was London Gatwick at €38 return per person for 10 nights. Fares change constantly, so the list above has today's prices.

Fares are Ryanair return flights only, read directly from Ryanair's own fare finder at 16 Oct, 14:20, covering 122 routes from Dublin Airport. They do not include checked bags, seat selection or priority boarding, and they change constantly — always confirm on Ryanair before you book.

“% of normal” compares the same route over the same length of trip two weeks before the school holiday. It shows what the holiday dates are costing you; it is a comparison with a nearby fortnight, not a promise that the earlier price is still available.

Hotel links are affiliate links: if you book through one we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes which destinations we show or how they are ordered.