Semester holidays in Tyrol and Vorarlberg will fall later in February 2027 as Austria seeks to ease winter pressure on ski regions and roads.
Austria’s school holiday calendar for 2027 is being adjusted, with semester breaks in Tyrol and Vorarlberg moved back by one week.
The change follows a regulation issued by the Education Ministry and is intended to reduce pressure on ski resorts, roads and local communities during one of the busiest periods of the winter season.
The move was first announced for Vorarlberg last week and has now also been confirmed for Tyrol, after a similar regulation was issued for the province. The change was initiated by the regional Chamber of Commerce and affects two of Austria’s most tourism-dependent states.
From early February to mid-February
Under the new arrangement, the 2027 semester break in Tyrol and Vorarlberg will take place from February 15th to 19th. Originally, the holidays had been scheduled for February 8th to 12th.
The shift moves the break from the second to the third week of February. The timing matters because the original dates would have overlapped with carnival week, a school holiday period in several key source markets for winter tourism.
READ ALSO: Winter semester break: Five things to do with kids in Vienna during the holidays
Avoiding overlap with carnival holidays
Carnival week in 2027 coincides with the originally planned semester break in Tyrol and Vorarlberg. That week is a holiday in some of the most populous German federal states, as well as in parts of the Netherlands.
Tourism representatives warned that this overlap would have led to particularly heavy visitor numbers in ski regions across both provinces.
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February is already a peak month, and aligning Austrian semester breaks with major foreign school holidays would have intensified crowding on slopes, accommodation and transport routes.
By moving the holidays back by one week, authorities aim to spread visitor numbers over a longer period and ease pressure during the busiest days.
READ ALSO: How employees can make the most of Austria’s public holidays in 2026
Relief for locals and ski areas
Tourism officials in Tyrol argue that the change will bring noticeable relief for residents and improve the overall quality of the holiday season.
Spreading school holidays over a longer period is expected to reduce overcrowding, particularly on ski slopes, where locals often compete with large numbers of visiting holidaymakers during peak weeks.
The adjustment is also intended to make the season easier to manage for tourism businesses, which face staffing and capacity challenges when demand peaks sharply within a short time frame.
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For families with schoolchildren in Tyrol and Vorarlberg, the practical impact is straightforward. Anyone planning holidays around the 2027 semester break will need to plan for a later date than originally expected.
The change applies specifically to 2027 and does not automatically affect semester break dates in other years.
School holiday calendars are set well in advance, but this case shows that adjustments are still possible when international holiday schedules would otherwise clash.
READ ALSO: What you need to know about carnival in Austria
Key vocabulary
die Semesterferien – semester or mid-year school holidays
die Faschingswoche – carnival week, often a school holiday period
das Schulzeitgesetz – Austria’s School Time Act governing school calendars
die Verordnung – a regulation issued by a ministry or authority
die Tourismusregion – a tourism-dependent region
die Verlegung – the rescheduling or shifting of dates