Travelling during public holidays

Travelling during public holidays and the common holiday periods

• Which holidays does NS recognise?

  Public holidays in 2024

  • New Year's Day: 1 January
  • Good Friday: 29 March
  • Easter Sunday: 31 March
  • Easter Monday: 1 April
  • King's Day: 27 April
  • Ascension Day: 9 May
  • Whit Sunday: 19 May
  • Whit Monday: 20 May
  • Christmas Day: 25 December
  • Boxing Day: 26 December

  Public holidays in 2025

  • New Year's Day: January 1
  • Good Friday: April 18
  • Easter Monday: April 20
  • Easter Monday: April 21
  • King's Day: April 26
  • Liberation Day: May 5
  • Ascension Day: May 29
  • Whit Monday: June 8
  • Whit Monday: June 9
  • Christmas Day: December 25
  • Boxing Day: December 26

  NB:

  • Liberation Day is celebrated every five years (2020, 2025, 2030, etc.). That means Liberation Day is not an official holiday in 2024. It also means that you cannot travel with a discount all day on Liberation Day, unless you have a season ticket that allows you to travel with a discount during the weekend (Liberation Day falls on a Sunday in 2024).
  • If April 27 falls on a Sunday, King's Day is celebrated on Saturday. This means that King's Day in 2025 will be celebrated on Saturday, April 26.

• Travelling on a Weekend Vrij season ticket?

  Then you can also travel for free all day during national holidays, even when they are on weekdays.

• Do you travel with a Dal Vrij, Traject Vrij, Altijd Voordeel, Dal Voordeel, Weekend Voordeel, Weekend Vrij or Samenreiskorting?

  The normal peak and off-peak hours apply:

  • on Friday after Ascension Day (18 May 2023 and 10 May 2024)
  • in the summer months of July and August
  • between Christmas and New Year

• Travelling on Keuzedagen during national holidays?

  Do you have a season ticket with Keuzedagen, and does the national holiday fall on a weekday? If so, your Keuzedagen [Optional days] will be valid for the whole day. 

• Are you travelling with a student travel product?

  Different rules apply to students with a student travel product on their OV-chipkaart than to other NS season ticket holders.

  Week season ticket

  During national holidays, students with a week season ticket travel on balance with a discount from 4.00 to 4.00 the next day. Students also travel for free on Good Friday.

  Weekend season ticket

  Students with a weekend season ticket travel for free on holidays from 04:00 to 04:00 the following morning and on the Thursday before Good Friday, the day before Liberation Day, the day before King's Day, and the Wednesday before Ascension Day, starting from 12:00.

  For more information, see the Student Travel Product calendar

Can't find your question? We would be happy to help you. Visit NS.nl/klantenservice or ask your question at the NS Community.