February half-term 2026–27: when it is, and who differs

The usual dates

Councils that break at a different time

A council marked off-peak is on holiday in a week when most of England is still in school. That is a legal, penalty-free, off-peak window if you live there.

Europe's most contested ski week - or its cheapest cities

• February half-term collides with French, Dutch and Swiss school holidays, which is why Alpine prices spike now rather than at Christmas. If you ski this week, book unusually far ahead or look at Italy, Andorra, Bulgaria and Scandinavia rather than the French majors.
• If you are not skiing, this is one of the cheapest weeks of the year for European city breaks - the weather is poor and everyone else is on a mountain.
• Winter sun that genuinely works in February: the Canaries at around 20C, Cape Verde, the Red Sea, the Gulf and the Caribbean.
• UK daylight is still short. Anything built around being outdoors after 17:00 does not work yet.

Guidance, not a price promise — this site holds no pricing or availability data.

Councils using the usual dates