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.
| Destination | Average high | Warm enough for the beach |
|---|---|---|
| Tenerife South TFS | 23°C | Beach weather |
| Lanzarote ACE | 22°C | Beach weather |
| Fuerteventura FUE | 22°C | Beach weather |
| Gran Canaria LPA | 22°C | Beach weather |
| Madeira FNC | 20°C | Mild, not beach |
| Paphos, Cyprus PFO | 19°C | Mild, not beach |
| Malaga, Costa del Sol AGP | 18°C | Mild, not beach |
| Faro, Algarve FAO | 17°C | Mild, not beach |
| Malta MLA | 17°C | Mild, 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
- February Mid-Term 2027 →Post-primary off 15 to 19 February 2027, primary at least 18 and 19 February.
- Easter 2027 →Two weeks, from 19 March to 5 April 2027.
- Fare Watch →An email when a school holiday fare from your airport drops.
- Ask a local travel agent →For packages, Lapland and anything Ryanair does not fly.