French Language Summer Camp in Leysin, Switzerland

Course Description: French Language Summer Camp in Leysin, Switzerland

🎓 Course Overview

This two-week French language camp gives young people aged 10–17 the chance to learn French in one of Europe's native French-speaking regions. Campers study with native French-speaking teachers in small morning classes, then practise in camp, in the village of Leysin and on excursions to French-speaking Geneva and Lausanne.

📚 Academic Content

Lessons run Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 12:00 (about 15 hours a week, with a short mid-morning break). Campers are assessed on the first morning and placed in groups of about 7–10 by ability and age across four levels: beginner/elementary, pre-intermediate, intermediate and upper-intermediate/advanced. Continuous assessment means campers can move up a class at any point as they progress. Classes are taught by native French-speaking teachers.

Warm-ups & Conversation

Each morning opens with a warm-up in French: tongue-twisters, word games such as Scrabble, music and group conversation to get everyone speaking from the start.

Project-Based Learning

Groups choose projects of varying difficulty and finish by presenting their work, often through a film, brochure or song. Typical projects include:

• Personality Poster: describing yourself with new adjectives, a gentle first step in the language.

• The Great Survival Debate: an imaginary debate about which equipment to take for survival in the desert.

• The Food Tasting Festival: vocabulary for smell, texture and flavour, rewarded with traditional dishes to taste.

• The Song Project: rewriting a well-known song with humorous new lyrics.

• Holiday Brochure: choosing destinations and designing a travel brochure.

• Film Project: writing a script, designing a poster and shooting a short film.

Every camper receives a certificate at the end of camp, and a full progress report is sent separately to each family.

📍 Campus & Location

The camp is based at the Swiss Alpine Centre in Leysin, an Alpine resort village in the canton of Vaud, high above the Rhône Valley with views across to the French Alps and Mont Blanc. Leysin is just over an hour's drive from Geneva International Airport, and the nearest major train station is Lausanne. The centre sits just above the village, close to its sports and leisure facilities.

On site there are classrooms, an auditorium, three dining rooms, a music and dance studio, an arts and crafts centre, a climbing wall, common rooms, a snack bar and a gift shop. In the village, campers use an indoor swimming pool, a multi-sport gymnasium, a covered ice rink, basketball, volleyball and beach-volleyball courts, a football pitch, archery targets, 12 tennis courts (8 outdoor and 4 indoor), climbing walls, mini-golf, squash courts and a weights room. Hiking, mountain-biking and adventure trails, a rock-climbing area, a mountain hut and unspoilt forest are all close by.

🏫 Accommodation & Meals

Campers live at the Swiss Alpine Centre, which is owned and run by the camp organiser. Bedrooms are mainly en suite and shared by three to four campers, allocated by age and gender, with counsellors sleeping in nearby rooms. The centre has lounges, recreation areas and dining facilities, and bed linen is provided.

Three meals are served every day, with a salad bar at each meal and second helpings available. Most special diets, allergies and vegetarian requirements can be accommodated if the camp is informed in advance.

🚌 Excursions & Activities

Saturdays are excursion days. Depending on age group and weather, campers visit one of several destinations, such as Geneva's old town and the United Nations building, the lakeside city of Lausanne and the Olympic Museum, the Maison Cailler chocolate factory, the Nest food museum in Vevey or the Labyrinth Adventure Park. On Sundays, after a late wake-up and a relaxed morning, the camp takes the cog railway down to the water park in nearby Aigle. Admission fees for places of interest are included, and excursions include supervised free time for shopping and exploring.

Afternoons are spent on sign-up activities with campers from the other programmes, and evenings bring a full social programme, including campfires, a Friday festival, a mountain hut overnight stay, a carnival night, movie nights, ice skating, an international night, a special farewell dinner and final-evening festivities.

⏰ A Day in the Life

A sample weekday (subject to change):

• 07:30 — Activity: Wake up

• 08:00 — Activity: Breakfast

• 09:00 — Activity: Period A – speciality programme

• 10:45 — Activity: Period B – speciality programme

• 12:15 — Activity: Lunch

• 13:30 — Activity: All-camp meeting

• 14:00 — Activity: Period C – sign-up activities

• 15:45 — Activity: Period D – sign-up activities

• 17:15 — Activity: Free time

• 18:15 — Activity: Dinner

• 19:30 — Activity: Evening programme

• 21:30 — Activity: Lights out for ages 7–9 (22:00 for ages 10–12, 22:30 for ages 13–14, 23:00 for ages 15 and over)

Saturday is excursion day; Sunday begins with a late wake-up call, breakfast and a relaxed morning.

2027 Dates & Fees 📅

This is a residential camp. Each session runs for two weeks, from Sunday to Saturday. Campers arrive between 10:00 and 16:00 on the first day and are collected before 12:00 on the last day. Fees are quoted in Swiss francs (CHF).

• Sunday 4 July – Saturday 17 July — Length: 2 weeks — Residential: CHF 5,500

• Sunday 18 July – Saturday 31 July — Length: 2 weeks — Residential: CHF 5,500

• Sunday 1 August – Saturday 14 August — Length: 2 weeks — Residential: CHF 5,100

Tennis add-on: campers can combine this programme with afternoon tennis coaching for a published surcharge of CHF 650.

Optional extras: accident and illness insurance (CHF 140 per child per two-week session; if declined, families must give their own policy details on the health form), escorted transfers from Geneva Airport and Lausanne train station (available for an additional fee), and early arrival or late departure nights by prior arrangement (CHF 215 per child per night; not available before the first or after the last session).

Payment: a deposit of CHF 1,000 per booking is due within 48 hours of booking, and the balance is due by 1 May 2027 (it can be paid in instalments before then). Bookings made after 1 May 2027 must be paid in full within 48 hours. If a family cancels before 1 May the deposit is forfeited; from 1 to 31 May, 50% of the total paid is charged; and from 1 June, 100% is charged. No refund is given for late arrival or early departure.

✔️ What's Included

Two weeks of residential camp: shared en-suite accommodation with bed linen, all meals, the morning speciality programme (about 15 hours of French lessons per week, a certificate and a progress report), afternoon sign-up activities and the evening programme, weekend excursions with admission fees to places of interest, 24/7 supervision by counsellors and basic first-aid care from the on-site health team.

Not included: travel to and from camp, escorted transfers, accident and illness insurance, early arrival or late departure nights, and pocket money (around CHF 150–250 is recommended for a two-week session, depending on age, and is deposited in the camp bank on arrival). Medical care beyond basic first aid is at the family's expense unless the optional insurance is taken.

🛡️ Safety & Welfare

There is an average ratio of one counsellor to six campers on each site; counting managers, nurses and other support staff, the overall adult-to-camper ratio can be as generous as 1:4. Residential counsellors are at least 21 years old (most are 21–35), come from many countries and all speak English. They are selected through interviews and reference checks, complete pre-camp training and are required to hold full CPR and first-aid certification. Experienced management teams run each site.

Full-time health care specialists are based on site, with nurses available 24 hours a day; they hold and dispense all medication and liaise with local doctors and hospitals, and parents are called at the first opportunity if a child is ill or injured. Mobile phones and tablets are handed in and returned once a day during free time (parents are encouraged to call between about 16:30 and 18:00). On excursions, campers aged 12 and under are always with a counsellor, while those aged 13 and over may explore in groups of at least three, carry emergency contact numbers and check in at meeting points at least every 90 minutes; parents of older campers can ask in writing for constant counsellor accompaniment. Passports and pocket money are kept securely in the camp office, and smoking, alcohol and drugs are strictly prohibited.

💡 Who This Programme Is For

This camp suits 10–17-year-olds at any level, from complete beginners to advanced learners, who want to improve their spoken French in a genuinely French-speaking environment. It is ideal for students studying French at school or preparing for a move or exams, and for families who want serious language learning balanced with Alpine adventure.

Swiss Alpine Centre — Google Maps ↗

Belvédère, 1854 Leysin, Switzerland Google Maps ↗